Now, all I did was run.
I avoided the main floor of the club during his shifts. Came in late. Left early. Reviewed schedules and bookings obsessively just to make sure we wouldn’t cross paths. I kept my office door closed and the blinds drawn. When he came within range, I left like a ghost, pretending I had meetings or calls.
But it didn’t matter.
Because he was alwaysthere.
Everywhere.
Lurking just behind every thought, like a song stuck in my head that I couldn’t turn off. I could feel him the moment he stepped into a room—even if I wasn’t looking. His presence tugged at me, a gravitational pull I could barely resist.
And he knew.
God, he knew.
He didn’t come at me directly. Sinclair was smarter than that. Smarter than me, maybe. Instead, he played a game I wasn’t equipped for—subtle, cutting, and relentless.
A lingering look across the bar.
A smirk when our eyes met through the crowd.
A whispered “Boss” at just the right pitch to make my skin prickle.
He never brought up the kiss. Not once. But every move he made screamed with unspoken challenge.Come on, Theo. Break again. I dare you.
And I was breaking. Piece by fucking piece.
My father wouldn’t stop calling. Relentless, as always. The voicemails stacked up one after another, each one more furious than the last—his voice sharp, clipped, unraveling in barely-contained rage.“What the hell happened with Elias? Why was he removed? Do you understand what kind of attention this brings? Do you have any idea how this reflects on me?Onus.”
Alwaysus. The Astors. Always him, neverme. I wasn’t a person to him. My thoughts and feelings weren’t important.
I stared blankly, not seeing anything as volatile thoughts swirled in my head. My chest ached, tight with guilt I couldn’t name—except I could. It wasn’t just the fallout. Not just the power plays and the whispered gossip that would trail me like smoke.
It was the fact that the only thing I couldfeelright now was soft lips. Stubble scraping my jaw. The crushing, breathless silence just after I kissed him like I’d die if I didn’t.
My phone vibrated again, buzzing against my thigh. I ignored it. Buried myself in quotes from contractors—sensible, orderly tasks. Corporate room upgrades. Private dining refurbishments. Replacing caddy uniforms and equipment. Things I couldcontrol. Things that didn’t feel like Sin pressed against my skin.
I didn’t hear him until I was already in his gravity. I collided with solid heat and muscle that was so familiar now, like a brand on my body. The scent of smoke and danger curled around me. I stepped back like I’d touched fire.
Sinclair was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed, his smirk sharp as a blade. One ankle crossed over the other like he didn’t have anywhere else to be. Every inch of him looked like trouble I’d never outrun. Like a man whoknewhe was my breaking point.
I froze mid-step. My breath caught in the back of my throat. He didn’t move. He didn’tneedto. He had me right where he wanted me.
“Been avoiding me?” His voice was too casual, like a match struck in silence.
I pulled my shoulders straight, like I was preparing for war. “I’ve been working.”
“Sure,” he nodded, pushing off the frame. “So busy you can’t evenlookat me now?”
I tried to sidestep him, pretend I was fine, pretend I was stillme—but he moved with me, shoulder brushing mine like a dare.
“Move,” I said, sharper than I’d meant to.
“Why?” he murmured, tilting his head. “Afraid of what happens if we’re alone?”
My throat tightened. “I said move.”
“Or what?” He stepped in close. “You’ll slam me against the wall and kiss me like you’re drowning again?”
