Nora's POV
The night had been a blur of heat and reckless decisions.
She shouldn't have let it happen.
She shouldn't have let him happen.
But when Duke touched her, she felt wanted. Not as a means to an end. Not as a part of a carefully orchestrated contract. Just… wanted.
And that was all it took for her to fall.
The Night That Changed Everything
Duke had come to her room late, as if something had been eating at him.
She had been sitting by the window, staring at the rain outside, when she heard the soft knock.
Her heart skipped.
Not out of fear. But out of something worse.
Anticipation.
She opened the door, expecting his usual coldness, but there was something different in his eyes that night.
Something that made her breath hitch.
"You should be sleeping." His voice was rough, lower than usual.
"I couldn't." She swallowed. "What do you want?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed his face. "I don't know."
But she did.
The tension had been building for weeks.
Every accidental touch.
Every lingering glance.
Every night he spent avoiding her, pretending there was nothing between them.
But there was.
And tonight, it finally broke.
She wasn't sure who moved first.
One second, they were standing apart. The next, she was pinned against the wall, his mouth crashing against hers.
She gasped, gripping his shoulders as heat spread through her like wildfire.
He pulled back, breathing heavy. "Tell me to stop."
But she didn't.
Because she didn't want him to.
"Duke..."
That was all it took.
The moment her lips parted to say his name, he was lifting her, pressing her body against the bed, and claiming her in a way that left no space for second thoughts.
No space for regret.
He touched her like she was something precious.
Like she was something he had been denying himself.
And that made it all the more dangerous.
Because Duke wasn't a man who let himself feel.
And yet, that night… he did.
She felt it in every touch.
Every kiss.
Every whispered sigh that left his lips as they tangled in the sheets, losing themselves in something they both knew they shouldn't want.
And when it was over, when they were both breathless and spent, she had expected him to leave.
But he didn't.
He stayed.
His arm wrapped loosely around her waist, his breath warm against her neck.
And for the first time in forever, she felt safe.
She closed her eyes, allowing herself the foolish thought that maybe, just maybe, this meant something.
That maybe she wasn't just a piece in their game.
But reality came back cruel and sharp.
She woke up to an empty bed.
No Duke. No warmth. Just the fading imprint of a night that she wasn't sure she imagined.
Had it been real?
Or had she just let herself believe in a fantasy that never truly existed?
Her stomach twisted as she sat up, pulling the sheets around her.
She should have known better.
Because Duke jameson was not a man who stayed.
And now, she was left with the sinking feeling that she had just made a mistake she couldn't take back.