My Dad's Bestfriend

Sienna

I couldn't tell if it was the alcohol coursing through my veins or Alexander Grayson

himself that sent a shiver tearing through my body.

Devil's Den.

And what was I now? The prey?

"What... what do you want?" I stammered, his body heat so close to mine that it was nearly suffocating. The pain in my chest throbbed, sharp and relentless, clouding my thoughts. I wasn't supposed to find comfort in Alex's presence, yet my traitorous body leaned into the warmth he radiated.

I could feel the tension in his muscles through his shirt, the heat of him pressed against my back. With every steady breath he took, his body stiffened further, his desire becoming palpable.

"I should be the one asking you that question," he murmured, his voice a low, gravelly rumble that sent goosebumps cascading over my skin. His breath teased the sensitive curve of my neck, and I clenched my fists to keep steady. "What do you want, Sienna?"

The question left me speechless. What did I want? At that moment, I wanted anything—anything to distract me from the pain clawing at my chest like a thousand tiny vipers. I wanted to feel numb. I wanted to forget I was broken.

"Do you think you can help?" The words escaped me before I could stop them, trembling in the air between us.

I felt his smirk against my skin before I saw it, his lips curving in amusement as he brushed my hair aside. The tip of his nose trailed down the back of my neck, slow and deliberate, drawing an involuntary shudder from me.

"If you allow me to," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me even closer. My body betrayed me entirely, pressed against his, my heavy breathing giving away the storm inside me.

"It didn't take my permission to order your guards to throw my ex out," I bit out, anger lacing my words despite the tremor in my voice. "So why the hesitation now?"

"So you figured that out," he said with a husky chuckle, his tone both amused and impressed.

It wasn't hard to connect the dots after I'd learned Alexander Grayson owned this club.

"Such a clever little thing," he mused, his fingers tracing a slow, maddening path from my hand to my arm, lingering at my exposed collarbone. I sucked in a shaky breath as heat flared across my skin. "Yet you fell for someone like Ryatt. What a shame. A woman like you deserves better than a man who uses a forgotten key as an excuse to buy his side chick-your so-called best friend Kelly-the same dress as yours."

stalling. I turned sharply to face him, my

eyes dark and unrelenting, one hand settling firmly on

his voice soft but unyielding. "The day you went shopping for your birthday, and that piece of shit you call a boyfriend claimed he forgot his keys? He used that time to buy Kelly a dress to match yours. Meanwhile, he couldn't be bothered to

anger rose and I felt

That piece of shit....

have proof?" The words

inevitability, as though

arm remained firmly wrapped around my waist as he retrieved his phone, his movements deliberate. A few swipes, and

in with Kelly, his hand guiding her like she was the center of his universe. They browsed, laughed, and

unable to watch any longer, my breathing ragged. Shame coiled around me like a vice.

have been so blind? So stupid? Every sign, every warning, I had ignored them all for the

back into his pocket, his smirk faint but cutting. "So,

and suffocating. Anger simmered beneath my skin, blending with the raw ache in my chest. But

from its flames, a question rose, unbidden and fierce. "How can you help me,

he raised a hand and brushed his thumb against

you need right now," he murmured, his voice low and rough. He pulled me closer, his breath fanning against my cheek. "Or

"Can you

can read you pretty damn well, Sienna Blake," he growled, his voice dripping with certainty. "Like the back of my fucking

waiting for?" My voice dropped, deep and daring as

to say

am I

hunger in his gaze made my pulse quicken, a shiver skittering

or something buried deep within me that made the

spread across his face, and in that moment, I saw him for what he truly was-dangerously beautiful. The kind of beauty that made the world shrink

had so many women at his feet. And now, I was willingly

my legs, lifting me effortlessly. My legs wrapped around his hips as though it was the most natural

purposeful strides, he carried me out of the chaos and into a room. Probably his office. I didn't care. I didn't

me down on his desk, his body pressing into mine as he stood between my thighs. His hand came up to wrap around my throat, firm but not

would dre for, flower," he whispered, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down my spine. His lips trailed a deliberate path along my jaw to the curve of my neck, leaving a trail of heat in