Married by Force

Aurora POV

For a split second, nothing else existed except the narrow space between us. Our faces were still far too close, breaths tangled, shared air warm and uneven. I could feel his exhale against my lips, the world outside the car feeling so unreal.

His eyes dropped not to my lips at first, but to the hollow of my throat, as if he were grounding himself, reminding himself to slow down.

My heart thudded so loudly I was sure he could hear it. I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry, my body painfully aware of how close he was. One inch closer and we'd be touching.

"Tell me to stop," he murmured.

His voice was low but there was something raw beneath it, something that made my breath hitch instantly.

I didn't answer instead, my fingers tightened around the fabric of his coat

"I want you" I whispered

His jaw flexed. He lifted one hand slowly, as though giving me time to change my mind. His knuckles brushed my cheek first, His eyes flicked to my face, watching every reaction my body made

"You're dangerous, Princess."

His thumb traced the line of my jaw. It was the kind of touch that made my skin come alive. My pulse raced beneath his fingers, betraying me completely.

The silence between us grew thicker,The nickname sent a rush of heat through me, my cheek pressing more fully into his palm.

He leaned in, his forehead resting against mine, our noses brushing. He tilted his head slightly, slowly, giving me time to pull away but I didn't.

Just as our lips were about to meet-

A sharp knock rattled the window. I jolted. We both turned at the same time. He looked back at me and then I glared at him, my heart pounding in my chest. His jaw clenched.

I tore my gaze away and turned toward the window, my hands trembling as I reached for the button. The glass slid down slowly, the night air brushing against my face.

A figure stood outside the car.

I blinked and squinted to see who it was. The shape sharpened into a familiar outline. I reached for the handle and yanked the door open so fast it nearly hit her.

"Emily" I breathed

It was Emily, my best friend. Her eyes were wide; too wide, like she'd been searching every dark corner of the city and had finally found me when she'd already started to lose hope.

"Aurora!" she breathed, her voice breaking on my name. "Oh my goodness!!."

She leaned closer, scanning my face as if checking for bruises or proof of every worst-case scenario she'd clearly imagined

"I've been calling you," she said quickly. "Over and over. Why didn't you answer? I thought you were-" Her voice cut off abruptly

And then her eyes shifted to him.

To the stranger who had just nearly kissed me. Her body went rigid.

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.

Before I could answer, she questioned

"Who is he? And why is he in the car with you? Aurora, are you okay? Did he do something to you?"

"He didn't," I said too fast.

Emily's gaze flicked back to me, narrowing.

"Aurora..." she said slowly.

Then she smirked.

"Oh my..." she gushed

That look;the one that meant she was filing away every detail, just exactly what I needed, a best friend with instincts too sharp for her own good.

"Emily, I'm fine," I insisted. "He-he helped me."

Emily didn't look convinced

The man beside me didn't react at all. He didn't blink, didn't flinch, didn't even shift in his seat. He simply watched us quietly, his face calm, unreadable, almost amused.

I'm here to get you," she said, voice softening but only for me. "I was really worried. Your father wants you home now," she said turning her gaze towards me

"And I'm...sorry about what happened between you and Eth-" I nudged for her not to say more

She clamped her lips shut, but her glare said everything; You're explaining later, it promised. Every single detail.

Emily straightened. "I brought my car," she said brightly. "I can take you home, babe."

She leaned over to hug me, using the moment to whisper in my ear

"If you want to spend the night with him, I can totally understand," she murmured. "He's such a hottie."

"What the-" I pulled back instantly, shooting her a death stare.

She only grinned wider.

Before I could retaliate, his voice cut in smoothly.

"I guess this is my cue to leave now, Princess," He interrupted us." It seems like you're in safe hands"

"Yeah, sure" I replied, forcing calm into my voice, even as my pulse betrayed me.

"Goodbye knight in shining armor" Emily said to the man

"Bye for now, Princess"

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

He glanced at me then he really looked at me. His expression softened just enough to unsettle me, like he was saying something without words.

Then he nodded once.

I stepped back, closing the door as his driver started the engine. I watched as the car pulled away, taillights glowing red before disappearing around the corner.

I turned to enter the car with Emily

The car fell silent as we drove through the streets, the city lights blurring past the window

My hands rested in my lap, fingers clenched. Emily didn't speak. She didn't need to. I could feel her curiosity radiating off her like heat.

Finally, I exhaled slowly.

"Okay," I said. "Before you say anything-"

She cut me off. "You almost kissed a stranger in a car, Aurora ."

I winced.

"And not just any stranger," she continued. "A dangerously attractive one too."

I stared out the window, watching the city slide by. "I didn't plan it."

She snorted softly

I huffed out a quiet laugh despite myself. "He helped me. When some men were following me... he stepped in. He didn't have to."

"You looked like you wanted him," she said softly

I hesitated "He could be dangerous and a jerk like Ethan"

Emily sighed. "It's alright babe"

The rest of the drive passed in relative quiet, but my thoughts were anything but still. His eyes kept flashing in my mind. The way his voice sounded when he spoke my name. The heat of him, close enough that I could almost forget everything else.

As Emily pulled into my driveway, a sudden realization hit me so hard I sucked in a breath.

"Wait."

She frowned. "What?"

"I didn't get his name."

Emily burst out laughing as I stared ahead, my heart doing something dangerously close to hope.