Another Chance for the Luna Queen by Aurora Starling

Chapter 0251

Alexander POV

I stared at Ella. The look on her face was teasing, but her eyes told a different story. They were dark, intent appraising. She wasn’t just joking. At least, I didn’t think so

Her confidence when she said I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference wasn’t misplaced. It unsettled me. I wasn’t completely convinced that she was serious, but for the first time in longer than I cared to admit, I found myself doubting my instincts.

That was unusual for me.

But maybe that wasn’t all there was to it. I knew I should resist this attraction to Ella. I should have been trying harder all along. This was a complication we couldn’t afford, not when so much was riding on the delicate balance of our deal.

It was too late, though.

We both knew our attraction was mutual, and if I were honest, it might have become something beyond the physical. At this point, Ella was more than a beautiful woman. She was enchanting, and that was the only word that came to mind.

I would never allow myself such a thought if I were sober.

She’d cast a spell on me, and I was utterly captivated. Resisting didn’t even cross my mind anymore. The truth was, I didn’t want to resist. Ella was a puzzle–a fascinating, complex puzzle–and I was consumed by the need to solve her.

I enjoyed being the only one allowed to try.

The only man who could get a rise out of her. Making her blush, making her angry, coaxing emotions from her that she usually kept so tightly controlled–it was intoxicating.

It reassured me that whatever magnetic pull I felt toward her, she felt something similar for me.

That wasn’t wishful thinking.

Now, as she looked at me, there was a challenge in her gaze daring me to respond. But there was something else, too. If I wasn’t imagining it, there was something hopeful in her eyes, as though she wanted me to meet her halfway.

I shouldn’t, but I wanted to. She was hard to resist.

Ella POV

I said after several seconds passed without Alexander saying a word.

had never rendered him speechless before, and I wondered how many others could claim the same feat. Likely not many. The thought filled me with

to make others second–guess themselves with a single look. And yet, here he was, silent, caught off guard, staring at me as if trying to decipher whether I

even

the whirlwind of events over the

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+25 BONUS

Chapter 025!

had turned out better than I ever could have Imagined. For something that was supposed to be fake, we were

necessity driving us anymore. The adjustments we’d made to our routines weren’t for the sake of appearances they were for each other. Genuine care, consideration, and concern had crept into our lives, unbidden

swallowed hard. That wasn’t something you did for a contract.

silenced. Was it worth it to keep pretending this was only business? What was the point of

now, I felt untouchable, like everything was finally falling into

I said, my voice quieter this

steady and deliberate. “Is there

heat creeping up my neck. “I like when you look at me.”

that so?” he asked, raising a single eyebrow. “Funny. There are times you seem to have trouble meeting my gaze, or you blush just because I’ve looked a second

true,” I agreed, smiling faintly. “You do make me blush. Have you

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he admitted, his voice low and thoughtful. “Though I assumed it was because you were…‘ “Innocent?” I interrupted, my tone teasing but light. “Inexperienced?” I gave a small

twitched in response. “You don’t seem quite that way now,” he

gaze boldly. “Maybe not. Maybe it’s something

eyes darkened, the weight of his stare intensifying. “What are

softly beneath us as it moved, but I barely noticed. I shifted, standing briefly to slide across the seat and settle beside Alexander. He looked momentarily startled by my sudden proximity, and even more so when my hand came to rest on his leg.

I’m trying to say?” I asked, my

know how to answer that,” he replied, his voice low,

do,” I said, my fingers lightly tracing the fabric of his trousers.

head, a slight, reluctant motion. “It’s a bad