The first time Lena saw him again, it was a rooftop.
The second time… it was an elevator.She hadn't even wanted to leave the apartment that morning. Her head was a knot. Her body still
humming with something unspoken. Mason had left early. Quietly, without fuss — like he knew
not to ask.
Lena had a meeting. Her editor wanted to go over revisions. Something about trimming the sex
scenes. Making them "less indulgent."
She'd smiled and nodded at the email.
But inside, she wanted to scream.
The building lobby was colder than it should've been. Marble floors. A receptionist pretending
not to watch anyone. Lena stood near the elevator, tapping her fingers against her thigh, her
thoughts spinning in circles she couldn't escape.
The bell dinged.
The doors opened.
And there he was.
Julian Vale.
Same coat. Black. Tailored. Slightly wrinkled like he didn't care how expensive it was.His posture hadn't changed. Neither had the way he carried himself — like every room belonged
to him, even this one.
But what did change was the look in his eyes when he saw her.
Still sharp.
Still dark.
Still hers, once.
He didn't move.
Neither did she.
Time shifted. Her pulse quickened, but her body didn't flinch. Not yet.
"Lena." His voice hit her in the chest before it reached her ears.
Low. Familiar. Dangerous.
She swallowed. Hard.
"Julian."A flicker of something passed over his face. Surprise? No. Recognition. Memory.
His mouth tugged, barely.
"You look different."
"You don't." Her voice was flat. She wanted to hurt him. Just a little.
He stepped forward.
She didn't step back.
"You're still mean."
"You're still showing up where you're not wanted."
The elevator behind him waited, silent and open.
He looked at it. Then back at her.
"Going up?"The air between them felt… charged. Like static waiting to spark. Her body wanted to move. Her
brain screamed not to.
She stepped inside.
He followed.
They stood on opposite ends. The doors slid shut.
Julian didn't look at her directly — not at first. He kept his head turned slightly, watching her
through the reflection in the mirror-paneled wall.
Lena stared straight ahead, but she could feel it — the heat of his presence. The way it spread
without touching. The weight of everything they hadn't said.
A floor passed.
Silence stretched.
Then: "You cut your hair."
She didn't respond.
Another beat."You still wear that perfume."
That one made her stomach tighten.
She bit the inside of her cheek.
"You remember that?"
His voice dropped.
"I remember everything."
The elevator jolted slightly as it moved. Her balance shifted. So did his. Their eyes met in the
mirror. Just a second too long.
She turned toward him fully.
Big mistake.
He stepped in — not all the way. Just enough.
Close enough that her skin prickled.
His voice came quieter now."Do you miss me?"
Her mouth opened.
Closed.
"No."
Another small twitch of his mouth. Something between a smile and a dare.
"Liar."
The elevator dinged.
Julian stepped back.
The doors opened.
He walked out first, his coat brushing her as he passed. No words. No glance back.
Lena stayed frozen, heart hammering against bone.And when the doors slid shut again, she didn't see the lobby anymore.
She saw the dim light of his bedroom.
The sweat on her skin.
The way his hand slid down her back like he was memorizing every vertebrae.
The sound of her zipper, slow and cruel, like he wanted her to feel it all come undone.
In the memory, he kissed her hard — not like he missed her, but like he was punishing her for
staying away.
Her dress had slid up around her hips.
Her fingers had fisted in his shirt.
And when she gasped, he didn't stop. He pressed harder. Deeper.
That knot in her stomach — the one that had been wound tight since the moment they ended —
it didn't just come undone.
It snapped.
And she let it.
Let herself fall apart underneath him, skin burning, breath wrecked, thighs shaking.
Because in that moment, she didn't care what it cost.
She just wanted to feel.Now, alone in the elevator, her body pulsed with memory.
Her lips parted.
Her skin flushed.
And she hated how easy it was — how quickly her mind betrayed her.
Because even now, even after everything…
She still wanted him to ruin her again