"You want my forgiveness?" I asked, my voice dropping to a dangerous timbre. I turned fully toward her, watching her eyes widen slightly as she registered the change in my demeanor.

Before she could answer, I moved closer, suddenly looming over her, my face inches from hers. Her breath caught, her lips parting in surprise. The familiar scent of her skin filled my senses, clouding my judgment.

"Then this is the price for speaking ill of me to others," I murmured, nipping her lower lip before claiming her mouth in a real kiss. It began as punishment but quickly transformed into something else entirely as she responded, her initial rigidity melting into compliance, then active participation.

Eleanor's breathing accelerated, small sounds escaping her throat as I explored her body. My touches were both punishment and pleasure, drawing shudders from her that I felt reverberating through my own body.

The temperature in the room seemed to rise as our bodies pressed together. Her nightgown had ridden up, my hands discovering more of her with each caress. We were both lost in sensation, rational thought receding with each passing second...


With only two months left until the end of their three-year contractual marriage, Derek returns from abroad, only to find himself harboring an unfamiliar affection for Eleanor. Yet, he stubbornly refuses to acknowledge or confront this newfound truth, trapping both of them in a tangled web of emotional push-and-pull.​

When Eleanor catches sight of Derek’s hand—lingering in the air, inches from hers, before hesitantly drawing back—how will she choose? Will Derek finally summon the courage and put down his pride to face his feelings, or will he keep denying them, letting his true heart spiral further into an endless abyss?

The CEO's Unspoken Love

Eleanor POV
The morning sunlight streamed through the kitchen windows, casting long rectangles of light across our silent breakfast table.
Derek sat at the far end, engrossed in the financial section of the Boston Globe. I occupied the opposite end, scrolling through emails on my phone while pret...

Chapter 23