JANE POV

My eyes opened slowly.


At first, everything was very blurry and was too bright, too quiet and I blinked a few times and tried to sit up, however my head rang hard like a hammer against my skull. My body was very heavy, It was like I had been underwater for hours. The air smelt of expensive clean sheets, soft perfume, probably roses.

Where am I?

I pushed myself up on one elbow and squinted around the room. It was not my apartment, not at all, this was something else.


The walls were creamy white with gold trim and a glass wall opened onto a balcony, where sunlight spilled across marble floors.

A tray of half-eaten fruit and champagne flutes sat on a nearby table and the bed I was in was massive, it was still sheets and goose feather pillows.


A hotel?

I froze.

And there was someone next to me. My breath caught in my throat immediately I turned my head slowly.

He was lying on his side, he was shirtless. One arm was thrown lazily over a pillow, his chest rose and fell, his dark hair was messy, but his face was too familiar. A sharp jawline, thick lashes, relaxed lips. even asleep, he looked like trouble.

Hades?

A jolt of panic ran through me and sliced through the fog in my brain.

No. No, no, no.

I yanked the covers up to my chest, heart racing. What the hell happened?

I tried to remember. Pieces come back, scattered like broken glass. The party, Emily laughing beside me, a glass of wine, no, two. Maybe more. A strange warmth rushed to my face. Music pulsed through my body and laughter and then dancing.

A pair of hands guided me off the floor and a whisper near my ear. A smile in the dark.

My fingers curled into the sheets. Oh God.

I turned back toward Hades and watched him like he might vanish or explode but his eyes fluttered slightly, however he did not wake.

How did I get here? Why is he here?

My pulse raced so fast that I could barely breathe and then I threw the covers off and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My dress was bunched up at my waist and my heels tossed to the floor.

I spotted my clutch across the room near the minibar and I quickly stumbled toward it, and I nearly tripped as my legs were unsteady.

What did Emily give me?

I tried to focus, and pulled my phone away. Two missed calls from Emily. One message: 'Call me as soon as you wake up. Don't panic."

It was too late.

I glanced at Hades again. He shifted under the sheets and murmured something I didn't catch. His hand moved like he was reaching for something, someone.

Me?

I snatched my purse and rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me and I stared at myself in the mirror.

My makeup was smudged and lipstick faded and hair was tangled.

I looked like a stranger.

I leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on my face. The shock helped a little. I pressed both hands against the marble counter and gripped it hard enough to whiten my knuckles.

I didn't remember everything. It was just pieces and flashes.

The worst part was, I laughed, I flirted and I even kissed him.

A sound choked in my throat and my reflection watched me silently, judging and I felt filthy, stupid and weak.

How did I let this happen?

I promised myself. No more traps. No more games. I escaped once andI burnt my past and yet here I was again, with him.

The same man who ruined me once. The same man who tried to control me, obsess over me, chase me like a possession.

Was this part of his plan?

Did he plan this?

I wrapped my arms around myself and slid down the wall, sitting on the cool bathroom tiles. My thoughts wouldn't stop spinning. My heart wouldn't slow down.

The more I remembered, the worse it got

That smile.

His fingers brushing my cheek.

My laugh echoed in the back of my mind.

The feeling of being wanted, even if it was fake.

Was any of it real?

Did I kiss him back because I wanted to?

Tears pressed against my eyes, but I fought them.

I couldn't cry, not now.

I wouldn't give him that power again.

I stayed on the floor for what felt like forever. My mind swung between anger and shame.

How could I let myself get drugged, even accidentally? Why didn't I question the drinks? Why did I let Emily push me into coming? Why didn't I see the trap?

Eventually, I forced myself up and I washed my face. I fixed my dress as best as I could and I avoided looking back at the bed when I stepped out.

Hades was still asleep or probably pretending, but I didn't care.

I grabbed my heels and walked barefoot out of the suite. No goodbye, no explanation, no answers.

In the elevator, I pressed the ground floor button and stared at my reflection in the polished doors.

My heart was a thunderstorm.

This wasn't over, every perpetrator of this act would definitely be brought to book.

____

Hades' POV

I heard the door close softly and I kept my eyes shut and stayed still. I know it was her, Jane. She was leaving, quiet, careful steps, she didn't want to wake me. But I was already awake, I woke up the second she moved away from me.

I smiled a little as I opened my eyes.

She was gone, just like I expected, Running again.

I sat up slowly, and stretched my arms, and rested my back against the headboard. The sheets still carried her scent. It was soft and clean and a little like vanilla and rose. I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed it in.

God! I have waited so long for this., for her. It has been years of chasing her, years of watching her walk past me like I didn't exist and pretend like she hated me, she pretended she wasn't curious, but last night, last night proved everything I already knew.

She wanted me even if she wouldn't admit it, her body did, her laughter and her hands on my chest and the way she leaned into me, hungry for something real, something strong and then finally tasted her.

And damn, she was sweeter than I ever imagined.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, the cold floor woke me up completely and I stood and stretched. My muscles were sore from the tension I didn't know I was holding. I felt lighter, It was like I won.

I walked to the window and pulled the curtains apart, the morning light poured in, golden and warm and I looked out at the city.

People down there have no idea what happened up here last night, they didn't know that the great Jane Grande, so powerful and so proud was in my arms, whispering and laughing, soft and open like never before.

She gave herself to me.

Even if she regretted it now, even if she ran, it didn't change what happened.

I turned around and glanced at the bed again, the pillow still has a strand of her hair on it. I picked it up gently and twirled it between my fingers and chest tightens, but not in a painful way. It was a feeling I couldn't fully explain, it was like I wanted to keep her, lock her away somewhere only I could reach, somewhere safe and somewhere mine.

She was strong and fierce, however, last night, she was different. She let go and she melted and I want that again.

I didn't feel guilty, not at all. She made her choice when she followed me here and she could have walked away, but she didn't, she fell for all my plans, she was intoxicated, she was all over me.

I wanted more.

I walked to the nightstand and the glass of water, and drank it slowly. My body was calm and my mind clearer than it has been in weeks. I thought about Jane and how she looked when she finally smiled, how she tilted her head when she laughed at my joke, and how soft her lips were.

She was going to be angry and she might hate me even more now.

But I didn't care.

Because now I know something she was trying to forget, when the walls came down, she wanted me. Maybe not with words, but with touch, with eyes, with breath.

And I would get her again.

I just needed to wait.

I would play it cool and let her be furious. Let her deny it.

But deep down, she knew.

She was mine last night.

And I would make her mine again.

For good.