“That’s the last thing I want. You’re mine, Nora, only mine,” he growls.
That sounds like music to my ears. I love his possessiveness. Andreas has ruined me for all other men by setting the bar so high in every way. Luckily, I’ll never need another man. That thought makes me completely weak inside. He’s mine. I want him inside me.
“Only yours,” I whisper back longingly.
He grabs my T-shirt again and doesn’t hesitate this time to pull it off. His hands massage my breasts as he gently pushes me back onto the table, leaving me once again completely ready to be devoured. His fingers roll my nipples between them, slow and firm, while his tongue finds the inside of my thighs. This time, I barely notice the cold of the table. He teases me by leaving a trail of wet kisses everywhere except where I really want them. I writhe, trying to get more, but he’s intent on making me ache a little longer. He licks slowly along my folds, sucks gently, and traces torturous circles around my entrance. I tilt my hips desperately toward him, searching for relief. He knows it. Oh, he knows exactly what he’s doing.
He growls low, pinching my nipples one last time before gripping my thighs and spreading me even wider. A hiss escapes my teeth as his tongue finally plunges into me. My back arches off the table, barely making contact. I grab his hair and whisper his name with every exhale. His fingers find my clit, stroking up and down with steady pressure, bringing me so close I’m just a heartbeat away from climax. Moments ago, I was desperate for more; now, I’m begging my body to hold back. I want him inside me. Andreas knows it too. He licks me one last time slowly from entrance to clit before pulling back. His hands leave my body just long enough to strip off his sweatpants before they find me again, sliding me to the very edge of the table. I know what’s coming. I bite my lip and squirm my hips again. His tip plays at my entrance, his slickness mingling with mine. Even the slightest part of him inside me already feels incredible. The tension we’ve built is so electric that any touch now makes me feel like I’ll shatter. I throw my head back and grip the edges of the table. He lifts my hips, adjusts, and thrusts fully into me. The table moves with each drive, shaking beneath us. Nothing else in the world exists when he’s inside me. One of his hands grips my thigh while the other finds my clit again, his fingers sending me spiraling higher with each stroke.
“All mine,” he growls through clenched teeth.
I can’t hold it back anymore. The tension snaps, and I cry out his name as I come, waves crashing through my body. The flat surface of the table amplifies every shock, every pulse, every wave of pleasure. The spasms inside me trigger his release too, and he keeps moving until he’s completely undone. Then he collapses onto me, our two sticky, trembling bodies tangled on the kitchen table.
“Nora, are you okay?” Perfect, actually. “You’re crying,” he says softly.
I feel my cheeks and notice the wetness of my tears. I was so out of it that I didn’t even realize.
“Everything’s okay, really. I might be a little emotional, but I’m completely okay. They’re good tears,” I try to reassure him.
“Good tears?” he asks worriedly.
“They exist,” I sniffle.
He kisses them away with a tenderness that almost makes me cry again.
The rest of the weekend felt like a fairy tale. We ran together, ate together, walked together, and spent a lot—a lot—of time in bed together. Aside from the moment I had to give my statement at the police station, everything was simply perfect. We carefully made plans for the coming week by aligning our schedules as best as possible. Andreas also invited me to an event in memory of his late brother. Somehow, that made what we have together suddenly feel very real. In a few weeks, everyone will know that we’re officially a couple, and that gives me butterflies. I also know that Andreas wouldn’t involve me in something related to his brother if he wasn’t serious about me. It’s the reassurance I needed. Seeing him make future plans with me shows how genuine his intentions are.
We stayed in our blissful little bubble until Monday morning, when our alarms shattered the spell and the workweek began. I’ve never hated a Monday more. Leaving Zeebrugge felt like leaving an entirely different world behind. Then again, my Monday blues are softened by the thought that Andreas and I are together now and can see each other every day if we want to. And we definitely want to. After making plans for tonight, sharing a lingering goodbye, and having Andreas drop me off at home, I dove headfirst back into the rollercoaster of appointments and real estate work. Admittedly, I’ve had more productive days. But being on cloud nine tends to do that to a person. Today, I’ll allow myself to be a little distracted and in love.
It’s almost three in the afternoon when I return to the office after a few on-site appointments. I settle behind my desk and continue typing up some price estimates. The doorbell makes me jump up. I’ve been meaning to find a softer sound, but the startle from the doorbell is nothing compared to the shock that courses through my body when I realize I’m face to face with Isabella. She looks disheveled—her hair clearly hasn’t been washed in days, her clothes look filthy, and even from a distance I can smell the unpleasant scent clinging to her. She’s a shadow of the beautiful woman I met a few days ago. I know I’m dealing with a drug addict now, so I instinctively brace myself. I stand, keeping my desk between us, trying to maintain some distance. She looks furious, and it doesn’t take long for that fury to burst out.
“Did you have fun in Zeebrugge, Nora? Are you happy with what you’ve done?” Oh God, she knows, and she’s livid. She’s sleeping with Noah. They’ve built a whole business together in Bruges, so Noah’s arrest is obviously a serious blow to her plans. I don’t know what to say, though I don’t think she’s really expecting an answer. “Because of you, Noah’s in jail. I’ll never forgive you!” she hisses.
I barely get a fraction of a second to comprehend what she’s planning before she rushes toward me with one of the chairs from my sitting area. I barely dodge the chair, but my desk, laptop, and everything on it go crashing to the ground. I stare in shock at the mess, still not ready for what’s coming next. This time, she uses her own brute strength to take me down. She grabs my arm, yanking me hard enough to knock me off balance. I crash hard onto my toppled desk, feeling a sharp pain in my shoulder and crying out in agony. I realize she’s not going to stop. I try to get up as quickly as possible to avoid another attack, but my shoulder is in so much pain, I can barely move my upper body.
Her eyes are nothing but hate as she lifts the chair again, this time aiming for me. I kick at her legs, and for a moment, it seems like I’ve knocked her off balance. But she regains her footing, ready to deal the finishing blow. She’s screaming, hurling every insult imaginable, as I scramble backward, shielding myself. I glance around, searching for something to defend myself with, but just as I spot something that might work, I hear the chime of my doorbell. I’ve never been so relieved to hear that sound before. I look up to see a tall, muscular, blonde man storming inside. I’m overjoyed that someone’s noticed what’s happening. He grabs Isabella’s arms, forcing her to drop the chair. Unfortunately, it still lands on me, though not with the force she initially intended. I manage to push it off, but not without excruciatingly painful movements of my shoulder. My vision blurs, and I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. I lie on the floor, biting down on my teeth to deal with the pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Isabella storming out again, disappearing into the distance. My savior hovers over me, asking questions I can no longer answer. All I can focus on is the overwhelming pain. The black spots are growing. I catch a glimpse of the logo on his shirt before everything goes dark: B-Tech.
Chapter 15
Andreas
Through the glass wall, I see Eric storm down the hall and burst into the conference room. Before he can even call my name, I grab my phone and prepare to leave the meeting. I don’t need his words to know something serious has happened. Twelve worried eyes follow me, but while they all matter to me, I couldn’t care less about their concerns right now.
“What is it, Eric?” I ask, already dreading his response.
We stand facing each other in the hallway, close enough for me to see the beads of sweat on his forehead. A suffocating feeling creeps over me—this isn’t good.
“It’s Nora, she’s in the hospital. She’ll be okay, but she was attacked by Isabella.”
The weight of his words nearly suffocates me. They hit me like a punch to the gut. I feel my stomach churn. The worst thing I feared has happened.
It’s all my fault.
“Fuck!” is all I can manage to spit out.
We rush to the car together and then speed toward the hospital. I can hardly believe this just happened. Nora and I were in bed together just a few hours ago, having the weekend of our lives, and now this. I can’t shake the thought that I should have been able to prevent this. I failed to protect what’s most precious to me, and it’s not the first time. A sick feeling drags me into the past, clouding my mind. The one thing I know right now is that Nora deserves better than this. Better than me.
I stay silent as Eric fills me in on the details. He explains how he managed to obtain security footage from a seaside café in Zeebrugge this weekend. The camera had the perfect angle, capturing the entire attack on Nora. This evidence is the reason Noah isn’t out of jail without charges. He’s now officially facing accusations of assault, bodily harm, and drug possession, which set Isabella off the edge. I should have seen this coming. I knew the news about Noah would have an impact on her, yet I didn’t prepare for it. I was happy, dwelling in my own blissful little world, the most dangerous place to be. I should have known better, damn it.
