Ethan's presence in my apartment felt like a storm about to break.
The moment he stepped inside, everything changed. The air was thick with tension, charged with a thousand unspoken words. We stood there in silence, neither of us knowing where to begin.
I knew what this was.
I knew what I was doing.
But that didn't stop the fluttering in my chest. That didn't stop the way my body reacted to him, the way his gaze made me feel like I was the only person in the room.
My heart was in pieces, scattered between two men I couldn't choose between. Jason, the man I had built my life around—the man I had loved for so long. And Ethan, the man who made me feel something more real, more raw, than I'd ever felt before.
"I came here to talk, Vanessa," Ethan said again, his voice lower now, rougher, like he was holding back something, a restraint I could feel but didn't understand.
"I know," I whispered, taking a step back, trying to breathe, but my heart was racing in my chest. I could feel the heat rising between us, the pull of his presence that was impossible to ignore.
"Then let's talk," he said, his voice softer now, yet there was a dangerous edge to it.
He moved closer, and I didn't stop him. God, why didn't I stop him?
"I'm not the kind of man who asks for anything," he said quietly, his breath warm against my neck, "But I want you. No more games, no more pretending."
His words, those words, shattered the fragile control I had left. He wanted me. It wasn't a plea, it wasn't a request. It was a declaration.
But I still couldn't forget Jason. The thought of him—the thought of the man I had thought I'd built a future with—pushed its way into my mind, uninvited, unwanted.
But then Ethan's lips were on mine.
It was gentle at first, like a whisper, a promise. But when my lips parted in response, his kiss deepened, taking control, making me forget everything I had ever known.
And in that moment, I was no longer Vanessa—the girl who loved Jason. I was someone else. Someone lost, someone who craved this passion, this raw intensity that only Ethan could give.
When we finally pulled away, I was breathless, my mind a whirl of emotions.
"I can't do this," I whispered, but even as the words left my lips, I knew they were a lie.