Chapter 13
Erin had been holding herself together with a kind of restraint only years of training—and pain—could teach. But the moment she stepped foot inside the Volkov estate, that fragile composure had been under siege. From the club to the mansion, from his cold accusations to his blistering eyes—every interaction with Xander chipped at her resolve.
And today, all of that restraint was one breath away from shattering.
She'd smiled when required. Bowed her head. Spoken calmly. She had even managed to complete a full day of work with robotic perfection. But all through it, she was boiling inside. His presence burned. His voice grated. And worst of all—her own reaction to him terrified her.
She was supposed to be in control.
He was arrogant, impossible to read, and far too comfortable pushing her buttons. But none of that excused how her chest tightened when he looked at her for too long. How her pulse betrayed her every time he leaned close.
And yet—her hands still trembled sometimes when he caught her off guard.
When he pinned her with his sharp gaze, her stomach twisted.
She had faced worse. Been through worse. But nothing unnerved her more than the slow, agonizing unraveling of her own control in his presence.
That was why, as she walked into his office to pick up the files and help him prepare to leave, she avoided eye contact. She focused on the papers. On the structure of the day. On anything that wasn't Xander.
He accompanied her to the elevator. Silent. Watching.
She pressed the button. Waited.
They stepped inside, and the doors slid shut.
Then, without warning, she felt herself spun around. Her back hit the elevator wall with a light thud, and before she could react, Xander's hands caged her in. One arm on each side of her head.
Her breath caught.
"What's the matter, assistant?" he murmured, voice low and mocking. "You've been holding it together so well today."
She gritted her teeth. "Get off."
He didn't move. Just stared at her like he was reading a secret code behind her eyes.
"Why do you flinch?" he asked. "Every time I look at you like a man?"
"I said—"
"You act like you despise me." He leaned closer. "But your body tells a different story."
Her fists clenched. She wanted to slap him. Shove him. Do something to erase the smug twist of his lips.
But she didn't.
She didn't move at all.
And that truth pierced her deeper than any blade.
She didn't want this. She didn't want him. And yet, somehow, here she was.
All the walls she had built—the ones meant to keep him out, to protect herself—cracked at the seams with just a glance. Just a whisper of his breath near hers.
Xander leaned in. Inches from her lips.
Her eyes fluttered shut.
And then—
A smirk.
He leaned back.
"You're just like the others," he said, eyes cold now. Distant. Triumphant. "Can't resist me either."
The doors opened with a chime.
He walked out.
Erin stood frozen, her chest heaving, fury and shame warring inside her. She hadn't even realized how close she was to the edge until he pushed her off it.
She blinked.
Tears threatened, but she wouldn't give him that.
Not him.
Not now.
And certainly not someone who had just proven how dangerous he could be.
Behind closed lips, she grit her teeth.
Let him test her.
She wasn't going anywhere.
....
Chapter 13
The car was silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence, but the kind that clung to the air like tension before a storm. Erin sat beside Xander, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the blur of trees outside the window as the mansion grew nearer. The tinted glass reflected her own expression back at her—composed, polished, cold. But inside, she could feel it—the storm she was trying so hard to silence.
Why hadn't she pushed him harder in the elevator?
She was stronger than that. She knew it. She'd been through hell and back to be here. She had a mission. A reason. But when his body had pressed against hers, all that resolve... it had started to slip. And she hated herself for it.
"Do you always grip the door handle like it owes you money?"
His voice cut through the silence, dry and laced with amusement. Erin's knuckles loosened from where they'd been locked around the handle.
"If I'm in a car with someone like you, yes," she said calmly, not bothering to look at him.
"Someone like me?"
She turned her head slowly. "Infuriating. Arrogant. Possibly allergic to boundaries."
Xander's smirk was slow and satisfied. "You seemed to like my lack of boundaries back in the elevator."
Erin's jaw tightened. "I didn't."
"You didn't stop me."
"I did," she countered, sharply. "I just didn't throw you through the elevator wall like I should have."
He laughed at that—a low, throaty sound that annoyed her more than it should have. "Right. Of course. So what held you back?"
Erin hesitated, looking away again. "Professionalism. Unlike you, I'm taking this job seriously."
"Funny," Xander murmured. "Because that didn't look very professional. You looked like you were about to kiss me back."
A blush crept into her cheeks before she could stop it, and she cursed her own body for betraying her. Again. "I was caught off guard. And if I were you, I wouldn't take that personally."
He leaned back in his seat, staring at her as though trying to read a page he didn't understand. Then, casually, he said, "Let's make it a challenge."
"What?" she asked warily.
"A kiss."
She blinked. "Are you insane?"
He grinned, unapologetic. "Let's kiss. Just one kiss. Whoever pulls away last is the one who wants it more."
Erin let out a dry laugh. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
He shrugged. "Maybe. But if you're so sure of yourself—shouldn't be a problem."
She turned fully to face him now, her expression unreadable. "Let me get this straight. You want to kiss me... to prove that I want to kiss you more?"
"Exactly."
"And if I say no?"
"Then you're backing out of a perfectly harmless bet," he said, folding his arms smugly. "Which means, maybe, you're scared you'll lose."
She narrowed her eyes. "This isn't high school."
"Never said it was."
There was a pause. He watched her. She stared him down. Her pulse was racing.
And then, to his surprise, she leaned in slowly and said, "Fine."
His breath hitched, just slightly. "Fine?"
"You want your stupid challenge? You'll get it."
He didn't expect her to move first. But she did—one hand pressing lightly to his jaw as she tilted her head and brought her lips closer to his. His heart slammed against his ribs. He told himself this was just part of the game.
It wasn't.
This had never been about proving anything. He'd already lost the second he leaned in back at the elevator and barely managed to pull himself back before doing something he'd regret. That moment had haunted him. This was just an excuse—a thinly veiled, reckless excuse—to feel her lips against his.
The kiss landed, soft but searing. And for a moment, neither moved. Neither pulled away.
Seconds stretched into eternity.
Then Erin's lips trembled and she started to withdraw—barely, just enough to break contact.
But Xander wasn't done.
He leaned in again, crashing his mouth against hers with a hunger that startled even him. This kiss was different. Not teasing. Not gentle. It was heat and want and desire of unspoken tension igniting all at once.
She gasped, lips parting, and he deepened it instinctively. Her hands curled against his chest, not pushing him away but anchoring herself.
And then Erin yanked back, breathless, eyes wide. "Stop."
Xander was stunned.
"I win," she said, voice hoarse. "You want it more."
He looked at her. Really looked.
And knew, somehow, that she was lying.
But the car pulled to a stop outside the mansion.
He sat there a few seconds longer, fingers curled around where her hand had rested on his chest.
And for the first time in a long time, he wasn't sure what the hell he was doing anymore.