"I swear I'll make you—"

Evelyn never got to finish.

A rough, strangled sound broke out of Elias' throat, dragged through gritted teeth.

The hand at her waist clamped down all at once, so harsh that it nearly ground into her bones.

Elias claimed her mouth with brutal force.

In that instant, the last bit of control he had been hanging on to fell apart.

He took control completely, one hand sliding up to cradle the back of her head as he pressed her face closer to him.

The kiss became wild and consuming, his tongue pushing in with a hunger that felt like it might swallow her whole.

His other arm locked around Evelyn's waist like burning iron.

Fire spread through Evelyn's mouth. His kiss drowned every one of her senses.

Her tongue throbbed beneath the harsh, unyielding pressure.

The wetness she could not even swallow slipped from the corners of her lips.

The solid proof of his desire pressed to her lower belly, throbbing through the drenched fabric, like it might drive even deeper any second.

Evelyn had spent seven years being with Carsten, but he had never once done something like this with her.

That strange mix of rising desire and raw, helpless fear made her shake. She tried to break free.

Elias stopped at once, the desire in him snuffed out in an instant.

Breathing hard, he drew back a little.

His reddened eyes caught the sight of her face, streaked with tears.

Evelyn was shaking in his arms, her lips puffed from the kiss, her eyes full of hopelessness.

A quiet, defeated sorrow sat in her gaze, cutting straight through whatever dream he had let himself believe.

Elias let her go without warning and shoved her away.

Evelyn staggered back, and her spine struck the icy tiled wall.

She looked at him, still trembling.

Elias turned away from her and planted both hands against the wet wall before switching the shower on again.

Even the pounding water failed to cover the sound of his ragged breathing.

"Leave," he said. "I won't lay a hand on a woman who doesn't want me."

"Mr. Martin, I—"

"Get out!"

Elias' voice was icy and final.

The order sliced cleanly through the steam. A chill ran through Evelyn's body. She did not have the nerve to get closer to him again.

She stumbled out of the bathroom, crushed with despair.

But just as her hand reached for the door, Elias' voice came again from behind the sheet of falling water.

"Don't leave the suite. Use the other bathroom. Wash up and wait for me."

Evelyn caught her lower lip between her teeth and replied in a small voice, "Yes, Mr. Martin."

***

The rush of water finally died away.

Draped in a bath towel, Evelyn sat rigid on the sofa in the living room, still as carved stone.

The sound of steps came up behind her, snapping her from her daze.

Elias had already slipped into a black silk robe.

Its sash rested slack at his waist. The neckline gaped a little, exposing the clean lines of his collarbones and the solid breadth of his chest.

His face looked unreadable, though a faint redness still clung to his eyes.

The moment his eyes settled on her, they felt sharp enough to cut through flesh.

"Who let you in?" he asked.

"Your assistant, Mr. Wheeler," Evelyn replied.

She made herself hold his gaze. "I need NS1209 to save my mother. Mr. Wheeler told me that if you agreed to keep me here and let me help you tonight, my mother would get the medicine."

A quiet, mocking breath escaped Elias. "Henry is getting daring, deciding things on my behalf."

Evelyn swallowed hard and got to her feet, approaching him.

"Mr. Martin, you need a woman to ease your urges, and I need NS1209. Doesn't this work for both of us?" she said.

Elias lifted a hand and caught her chin, a thin, nearly merciless smile touching his mouth.

"So, would you sell yourself to anyone who had NS1209? Do you really think what you did earlier makes you fit to be my cure?"

The shame hit Evelyn hard, like a slap thrown straight across her face.

She pressed her nails deep into her palms, using the sting to hold on to the last bit of sense she had left.

"I just wasn't ready earlier," she said softly. "Please give me one more chance, Mr. Martin."

She raised her cold, rigid fingers and tried to loosen the sash of his robe.

Elias stayed where he was, not moving.

The knot fell apart, and the smooth silk robe opened, baring his muscles, still marked with a faint sheen of moisture.

He had a body that looked as though it held frightening strength beneath the skin.

Beads of water moved slowly down his chest, then vanished under the band of his briefs.

The shape beneath the fabric of his underwear was impossible to miss.

Evelyn knew exactly what it meant.

Warmth surged into her cheeks.

She snatched her hand back on instinct.

Before she could pull away completely, Elias' hand locked around her wrist and yanked it back.

His voice grazed her ear, thick and rough with pent-up desire.

"What? Didn't you just ask for another chance? If you don't do anything, how am I supposed to give you one, Evelyn?"

Evelyn went rigid and jerked her eyes up at him. "Mr. Martin... how do you know who I am?"

She had not told him her name after entering the room.

The moment the words left her mouth, something in Elias seemed to snap.

His hold around her wrist turned harsher, and he hurled her onto the bed without mercy.

He stared down at her, his face full of contempt.

"You're the fiancée of the man who runs the Ward Group. Everyone in Sreles knows your name. And you came here with that title attached to you to seduce me. Does your fiancé have no problem with this?"

Pain passed over Evelyn's face. "I'm not engaged to Carsten anymore," she said in a rasping voice.

Once the words were out, she drew back, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry. If you really can't stand me, I'll leave..."

She had barely moved a single step when Elias' hand closed around her waist and dragged her back again.

"What did you just say?" His voice dropped low, thick with suppressed emotion, as it rang near her ear. "Say that again!"

"If you really can't stand me—"

"Not that!" His fingers caught her chin again and forced her face upward. "You said you're not Carsten's fiancée anymore. Why?"

Why?

Because she had trusted the wrong man and paid dearly for it.

A bitter look crossed Evelyn's face.

"There's nothing to explain. He means nothing to me now." Evelyn forced back the tears gathering in her eyes and lifted her face to Elias with silent desperation. "The Ward family won't give my mother NS1209 anymore. But DeepBlue Biotech only supplied it to them. So, you're the only one I can beg! Please sell it to me, Mr. Martin. I'll pay whatever you ask. I'll do whatever you want me to do. I only want to save my mother's life."

Elias fixed his eyes on her, like a predator poised to strike.

It was as though he was weighing whether to keep his prey or let it go.

A tremor ran through Evelyn's heart without warning, and her body shrank back on instinct.

Elias shut his eyes for a moment, then released her and walked toward the cabinet.

Standing with his back to her, he poured himself a glass of ice water and emptied it in one gulp.

The cold water finally calmed the blaze inside him.

Evelyn then heard him speak. His voice was hoarse. "I can give you NS1209. However much you need, I'll supply it."

Evelyn's heart slammed against her ribs. She could barely believe what she had heard. "R-really?"

"But I have one condition." Elias put the glass down and turned back to her. His gaze locked onto her with purpose.

"I agree! No matter what it is, I agree!" Evelyn said at once.

Elias looked at the desperate hope on her face, at how tightly she held on to that sliver of hope he gave her. A dark look crossed his eyes.

She had come here by her own choice.

He swore he wouldn't let her walk away from him this time.

Elias moved toward Evelyn, his tall frame looming over her, his words slow.

"I want you to marry me!"

The room went completely still.

It felt as though everything had stopped.

Evelyn blinked, certain the cold and strain had made her hear Elias wrong.

He had not asked her to stay and sleep with him.

He had asked her to marry him.

How could that be?

She had to have heard him wrong.

That was impossible!

It was almost as though Elias had seen straight into her mind. His searing hand caught her chin again and forced her face upward.

Then, he spoke in that calm, distant voice. "You heard me right. Evelyn, I want you to be my wife."

Evelyn's thoughts went empty. "Why?"

Elias stood at the very top of Sreles's power ladder.

His family held control over the industries that drove all of Sreles.

To call him powerful and impossibly rich would not have been an overstatement.

Women from wealthy families had done everything they could to win his attention.

A man like him was short of nothing. Why would he want her to be his wife?

Elias' eyes darkened for a moment before he looked elsewhere.

"I need a wife in name only," he said, making his tone casual. "Someone to handle my family and avoid needless trouble. You need NS1209. Your background is spotless, and you have no business connections that could cause issues. You are the most suitable choice for me. Like you said, this works for both of us. It is a transaction."

Hearing that, Evelyn understood the situation.

The tight knot in her chest slowly loosened.

"What? You don't want to do that?" Elias asked.

"No, that's not the case! I am willing to do that!" Evelyn answered without a pause.

She would not need to give her body as some temporary fix.

A marriage to Elias would be enough to save her mother.

This was a result she had never even dared to dream of.

Elias lowered his eyes. His face stayed calm, yet the hand at his side had curled into a tight fist.

"I am leaving the country tomorrow. In seven days, we will register our marriage," he said.

"Okay," Evelyn agreed.

Then, her voice grew rough. "Thank you, Mr. Martin."

She was thanking him for giving her hope when she had none left.

She stayed on her knees on the bed, staring up at him with tearful eyes full of gratitude.

At that moment, a bathrobe was the only thing covering her.

When Elias had tossed her onto the bed earlier, the robe had slipped out of place.

The front had fallen open, revealing the soft rise of her chest.

The desire Elias had barely kept down flared back to life.

He swiftly drank another glass of ice water.

But the chill barely helped.

His body below the waist was already tight with need.

The heat inside scraped at the last of his restraint and threatened to break it apart.

"Mr. Martin, if there's nothing else, I should go—"

Evelyn carefully climbed off the bed and headed for the door.

But before she could take more than a few steps, her feet left the floor.

By the time she understood what had happened, she was sitting on Elias' lap, pinned close against his bare, burning chest.

Evelyn gasped and tried to get up, but his hand kept her firmly where she was.

"Mr. Martin..." Panic swept across her face.

Elias bent closer until their breaths mingled.

His eyes stayed on her swollen lips. The heat in his gaze flared once more.

"How are you planning to thank me, Evelyn? Or were those words just for show?" he asked.

Evelyn was so rattled that she could barely get the words out. "I... I don't know how—"

Before she could finish speaking, the man's voice came out rough and strained. "Help me with this."

Elias suddenly caught her wrist in a grip she could not break and drew her hand to the heat beneath his robe.

The instant her cool fingers touched that burning, steel-hard length, both of them trembled.

Evelyn nearly cried out and tried to yank her hand away as though she had been scalded, but Elias kept it locked in place.

"Don't be afraid, I won't force you. Even if I sleep with you, it will be after we get married."

Elias' hold stayed firm and absolute as he dragged her against him.

A faint sound slipped from Evelyn as her whole body struck his solid chest.

In the next second, his mouth came down on hers with force.

His burning tongue pushed past her lips, overwhelming her.

Her breath broke apart. Her mind went blank. She could do nothing but bear the fierce pull of his desire.

Elias grabbed her waist and adjusted her until she was astride him, facing him fully.

The robe rested loosely on her body.

The parted collar exposed the soft curves rising and falling with her uneven breaths.

Elias' eyes turned red with desire, and a low, raw sound left him.

His hands on her narrow waist tightened.

The hard heat beneath her pressed firmly against her belly.

Evelyn sucked in a breath and struggled on instinct.

But the hands gripping her waist did not budge, hard and controlling, leaving her no way to escape.