Selena woke slowly, her lashes fluttering against the soft morning light streaming through the curtains. For a few moments, she couldn't remember where she was. Then the warmth against her cheek—the steady rise and fall of Nolan's chest beneath her—pulled her fully back into the present.
The night before flashed in broken fragments: Clara's venomous words, the slam of the door, the desperate kisses, the fevered tangle of sheets and skin. Her body still ached from the urgency of it, every muscle thrumming with the memory of him.
She shifted slightly, and Nolan stirred, his arm tightening instinctively around her waist. He was still asleep, his jawline softened in the glow of dawn, the sharp edges of his usual intensity smoothed into something almost boyish. Vulnerable.
Selena's heart clenched. How could she want him this much and still feel so unsure?
"Stop thinking," Nolan's voice rasped suddenly, low and sleepy, but startling her nonetheless. His eyes blinked open, heavy-lidded but already burning with focus on her.
Selena tried to pull back, but he only held her closer, pressing a kiss into her hair. "I can feel it. You're spiraling already."
"I'm not," she whispered, though her voice wavered.
"Yes, you are." He tilted her chin until she met his gaze. "Clara doesn't get to live in your head, Selena. She doesn't get that power."
Her throat tightened. "But she knows things about you that I don't. She… she made me feel like I'm just another one in a line of many."
Nolan's jaw flexed, his expression hardening. For a moment, she thought he might shut down again, retreat into silence the way he had before. But instead, he exhaled, long and heavy, and cupped her face with surprising gentleness.
"I won't lie," he said. "Before you, there were others. But none of them stayed. None of them mattered enough. Until you."
His lips brushed hers, not demanding, just lingering, like he was afraid she might vanish.
"You're the one I can't let go of," he murmured.
Selena's heart raced, torn between the pull of his sincerity and the echo of Clara's venom. "Nolan…"
He kissed her before she could finish, his mouth coaxing, tender, trying to erase doubt with every brush of his lips. Her resistance faltered, melting into the slow burn of his touch.
The intimacy was different this time. Not rushed, not desperate. He kissed her like she was fragile glass, like he wanted to show her every corner of his soul without saying another word.
His hands trailed down her back, slow and reverent, and her body arched instinctively toward him. The heat between them built, but it was wrapped in something deeper, something more dangerous than lust: trust trying to rebuild itself.
When he entered her, it wasn't with the urgency of the night before but with an aching slowness, as though he wanted to carve the memory of her into his skin.
Selena gasped, her fingers clutching at his shoulders. "Nolan…"
"I've got you," he whispered against her lips, his forehead pressed to hers. "Always."
Their movements synced, each thrust deliberate, every kiss sealing a promise. The pleasure rose gradually, like waves lapping higher and higher, until it crashed over them both in a shuddering release.
Afterward, they lay tangled in the sheets, breathless but unwilling to part. Nolan traced lazy circles on her hip, his body still pressed close, grounding her.
"You're too quiet," he said finally.
Selena stared at the ceiling, her chest tight. "I want to believe you. I do. But what if Clara's right? What if this doesn't last?"
He rolled her onto her side, forcing her to face him. His expression was fierce, unyielding. "Then I'll fight every day to prove her wrong. To prove us right."
Selena's eyes stung with fresh tears. She wanted to believe him—God, she did. But doubt was a stubborn thing, burrowing deep even in the presence of love.
---
Later that day, after Nolan had left for a brief meeting, Selena sat curled on the couch, her phone in hand. She shouldn't have been surprised to see it: an unread message notification blinking at her from an unknown number.
Her stomach dropped when she opened it.
"He'll never tell you everything. But I will. Meet me, and I'll prove it." – Clara
Selena's pulse quickened, her fingers trembling as she stared at the screen.
Her mind screamed to delete it, to trust Nolan, to let the past stay buried. But her heart… her heart was too restless, too curious.
She typed one word in reply before she could stop herself.
"When?"
The message sent with a soft chime, sealing her choice.
🌹 This chapter shifted the tone—less raw urgency, more tender and emotional lovemaking. Nolan is trying to rebuild Selena's trust, but Clara isn't done poisoning their bond.
NisotWrites
Clara's invitation will lead Selena into dangerous territory. Meeting the "other woman" in secret may give her answers—but will it cost her Nolan's trust?