Chapter 123: She Chose Him

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: She Chose Him

"Then maybe stop proving it."

Jackson’s quiet words hung heavily in the dim, private suite.

Zoya looked at him. For the very first time in her entire legal career, the brilliant, sharp-tongued corporate lawyer had absolutely no clever response. Her perfectly organized mind went completely blank.

Jackson watched her quietly. He saw the hesitation in her dark eyes.

He took a slow step closer.

Zoya instinctively moved backward. Her shoulders hit the solid wood of the door behind her.

Jackson closed the rest of the distance again. He lifted his hands. He placed one large palm flat against the door near her left shoulder. Then, he placed his other hand near her right shoulder.

But he didn’t touch her. He didn’t press his body against hers. He just stood there, towering over her, looking directly into her eyes. The sheer heat radiating off his chest was entirely overwhelming.

"You know what your problem is?" Jackson asked. His deep voice rumbled in the quiet room.

Zoya locked her jaw. She tried to sound cold, but her voice came out much quieter than usual.

"Enlighten me," Zoya whispered.

Jackson tilted his head slightly. "You keep pretending you don’t feel anything."

Zoya swallowed hard. Her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.

"And you keep assuming you know exactly what I feel," Zoya countered defensively.

Jackson leaned in even closer. His gaze dropped to her lips for a fraction of a second before meeting her eyes again.

"Do I?" Jackson asked softly.

Zoya expected him to kiss her lips. She braced herself for it.

Instead, Jackson slowly lowered his head and pressed a warm, lingering kiss directly against her cheek.

That tiny, unexpectedly gentle gesture completely unsettled her. It bypassed every single defensive wall she had built. A shiver ran straight down her spine. The heat of his mouth against her skin was absolutely intoxicating.

Zoya’s eyes fluttered closed for half a second. She breathed in the familiar, rich scent of his cologne.

Then, she forced her eyes open. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.

"Don’t..." Zoya whispered.

Jackson paused. He didn’t pull away. His face hovered mere inches from hers.

"Don’t what?" Jackson asked quietly.

Her breath hitched in her throat. Her voice completely caught.

"Do that," Zoya murmured. "I..."

She stopped.

Jackson waited. He didn’t push her.

"You?" Jackson prompted gently.

Zoya looked up at him. She knew exactly what she should do. She knew she should duck under his arm and step away. She knew she should open the door, walk back into the loud lounge, and tell him this was a massive mistake. She was a woman who lived by strict rules and perfect control.

Instead, she stared at his mouth and whispered the most vulnerable truth she had ever spoken.

"I won’t be able to stop myself."

Jackson’s expression instantly changed. The gentle, teasing light in his eyes completely vanished, replaced by a sudden, intense fire.

"From?" Jackson asked. His voice was incredibly rough.

Zoya didn’t give him a verbal answer. She didn’t need to.

She finally made her choice.

Zoya reached up, grabbed the thick fabric of his dark shirt in both her fists, and pulled him down hard.

Their lips crashed together.

For one single second, Jackson was completely stunned. He went entirely rigid against the door.

Then, a low sound vibrated deep in his chest, and he kissed her back.

It was not a sweet, polite kiss. It was completely desperate. Seven entire years of perfectly maintained restraint completely burned to the ground in a matter of seconds.

His hands left the door and immediately wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his solid body. Zoya gasped against his mouth, letting her lips part. The kiss deepened instantly. The friction of their bodies pressing together sent a wild, terrifying spark straight through her veins.

There were no arguments. There were no corporate rules. There were no contract clauses. There was no more pretending.

They were just two people who had spent years desperately trying to convince themselves they had moved on, finally completely giving in to the absolute hunger they had been hiding.

Zoya’s hands let go of his shirt and slid up his chest, wrapping tightly around the back of his neck. She tangled her fingers into his dark hair, pulling him even closer. Jackson groaned, slanting his mouth over hers, kissing her with a demanding intensity that made her knees feel entirely weak.

The kiss deepened emotionally, completely crossing the line from a simple touch into overwhelming heat.

Zoya’s hands tightened fiercely around his neck.

Jackson reacted purely on instinct. He slid his large hands down her waist, gripped the back of her thighs, and effortlessly lifted her off the ground.

Zoya let out a quiet gasp into his mouth. She immediately wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, holding onto him for dear life.

Jackson carried her two steps away from the wooden door.

Then, he suddenly stopped.

He didn’t walk her to the leather sofa. He didn’t push things further. He just stopped in the middle of the dim room, holding her securely against his chest.

He slowly pulled his lips away from hers.

They rested their foreheads together. Both of them were breathing incredibly heavily. The silence in the room was entirely filled with the sound of their ragged breaths.

Jackson looked closely at her flushed face. His dark eyes were completely entirely blown wide with desire.

"Zoya," Jackson whispered softly.

She didn’t answer. She just kept her eyes closed, trying to process the absolute hurricane of emotions wrecking her brain.

"Tell me to stop," Jackson ordered quietly. His voice was a tight, desperate rasp.

Zoya slowly opened her eyes.

She looked at the man holding her. She looked at the intense, beautiful heat in his gaze. For a long moment, neither of them moved a single muscle.

Then, she slowly shook her head.

"Don’t," Zoya breathed out.

Jackson searched her face carefully. He needed to be absolutely sure.

"Don’t stop?" Jackson asked.

Zoya buried her face in the curve of his warm neck. Her voice was barely above a fragile whisper.

"Don’t make me say it."

The raw, heavy intensity suddenly gave way to a cold rush of reality.

Zoya opened her eyes and looked over his shoulder at the empty room. Her brain finally started working again. The fog of desire slowly cleared, and she remembered exactly where they were.

She remembered the loud lounge outside. She remembered the blind date sitting at her table. She remembered Maya. She remembered the seven long years of painful distance.

She remembered absolutely everything.

Zoya let out a shaky breath and slowly pulled her head back.

"This is a terrible idea," Zoya said quietly.

Jackson looked at her. He saw the professional control slowly snapping back into place over her features. He didn’t look angry. He just looked incredibly fond.

"Probably," Jackson agreed softly.

Zoya frowned slightly. "You’re supposed to disagree."

"I’ve spent seven years disagreeing with myself, Zoya," Jackson replied honestly.

That completely silenced her.

Jackson gently loosened his grip. He let her legs slide down his body, carefully setting her back on her own feet.

Neither of them immediately stepped away. They just stood there, mere inches apart, caught in the heavy aftermath of what they had just done.

Zoya took a deep breath. She took a step back and began smoothing down the front of her expensive dress.

She tucked a stray piece of dark hair behind her ear. She was desperately trying to reconstruct the perfectly composed, icy corporate lawyer who had walked into the restaurant believing she had absolutely everything under complete control.

Jackson stood with his hands in his pockets, watching her fix her armor.

"Are you going back to your date?" Jackson asked casually.

Zoya stopped adjusting her blazer. She looked up at him.

"No," Zoya answered flatly.

A tiny, comfortable pause passed between them.

"Are you?" Zoya asked.

Jackson gave her a small, incredibly knowing smile.

"I wasn’t here for a date," Jackson stated simply.

Zoya frowned in genuine confusion. "Then why were you here?"

Jackson slowly looked toward the closed wooden door. Then, he looked directly back at her face. The teasing light was fully back in his dark eyes.

"Maybe I should let you figure that one out," Jackson murmured.

Zoya rolled her eyes at his annoying arrogance. She picked up her leather bag from the floor and prepared to give him a sharp, sarcastic reply.

But this time, as she looked at him, she couldn’t hide the tiny, genuine smile playing on her lips.