It wasn't supposed to go this far.
That was the last thought Jace had before the elevator doors slid shut and Soraya shoved him against the mirrored wall like she was trying to erase every inch of space between them.
Her lips crashed into his — not soft, not sweet — just desperate. Hungry.
And God help him, he kissed her back.
It was messy. Teeth clashing. Breathless. His hands tangled in her hair, hers gripping the front of his jacket like she needed something to tear open or she'd combust.
"I shouldn't be here," he breathed against her mouth.
"Then leave," she whispered back, already unzipping his coat.
He didn't.
Couldn't.
Her mouth moved down his neck, and he groaned — low, guttural, already lost.
Everything inside him screamed that this was wrong.
But it felt like survival.
The elevator dinged, and they stumbled into the hallway like they'd been starved for years and only just found food.
She led him to her door — of course it was a penthouse, sleek and cold like her smile — and they barely made it inside before she slammed him against the wall again, dragging her mouth down his throat like she wanted to leave marks.
"You're not the kind of guy who does this," she murmured against his skin, biting his collarbone.
"Maybe I am with you."
That stopped her for half a second — enough for their eyes to meet.
For something real to flicker.
Then she kissed him again, harder this time. Like she needed to wipe that moment clean.
Clothes hit the floor one by one — not tossed, but ripped. Her nails down his chest. His hands gripping her hips too tight. They didn't speak after that. They just gave in.
And when he finally collapsed beside her in the tangled sheets, heart racing, throat dry, he turned to her — thinking maybe she'd say something. Anything.
But Soraya had her back to him, cigarette already lit between two fingers, eyes on the ceiling like nothing had happened.
Like he hadn't just shattered himself for her.
"Was this what you wanted?" he asked quietly.
She exhaled smoke without turning.
"I just wanted to feel something."
"And did you?"
Her silence was the cruelest answer she could've given.