The CEO's Unspoken Love Novel

Chapter 66 Eleanor POV I looked up at Derek, my breath caught in my throat. His eyes revealed an internal struggle I rarely witnessed-a battle between desire and restraint. His fists were clenched at his sides, knuckles white with tension. My alcohol-induced haze was receding, leaving behind a clarity that was almost painful. The reality of what I'd just done-of what I'd just asked him-crashed over me like an icy wave. Could you try to love me, even a little? Or am I really nothing to you? My own words echoed in my head, each syllable a reminder of how completely I'd exposed myself.

I'd never been this vulnerable, this raw before anyone, least of all the man who held my heart in his indifferent hands. I slowly sat up, feeling the room stabilize around me. The whiskey's dizziness was fading, replaced by a sobriety that felt worse than any hangover. I touched my cheek, feeling the warmth where tears had dried, leaving invisible tracks of my humiliation. "I've never been this pathetic," I whispered, more to myself than to him. "I've never begged anyone for love, Derek.

But here I am, with no dignity left, asking you to see me." I slid my legs off the bed, standing to face him. The few feet between us felt like an unbridgeable chasm. Derek remained silent, his expression guarded, but his eyes never left mine. "From the moment you returned to Boston, I've been in agony," I continued, my voice steadier than I expected. "Every time I see you with Seraphina, something breaks inside me. Tell me the truth, Derek. Is there any part of your heart that belongs to me?" Derek's throat worked as he swallowed, but he offered no answer.

In his eyes, I saw conflict, desire, and something else-something I couldn't quite name. The silence stretched between us, filled with unspoken words. "Let me help you decide," I said, feeling a desperate courage surge through me. Before I could reconsider, I stepped forward, rising onto my tiptoes. I cupped his face between my palms and pressed my lips firmly against his. The kiss was demanding, insistent-nothing like the hesitant touches we'd shared before. I employed every technique I'd learned from Derek himself during our rare intimate moments, but added my own desperation, my own need.

"Eleanor, no-" Derek's protest was muffled against my lips, his hands rising as if to push me away. I refused to be deterred. I deepened the kiss, my fingers threading through his hair, pulling him closer. I pressed my body against his, feeling his heartbeat accelerate beneath my touch. For a moment, Derek remained rigid, his hands hovering at my shoulders. Then something changed-something fundamental shifted in the atmosphere between us. His resistance crumbled like a dam giving way to a flood.

His arms encircled my waist, pulling me roughly against him as he returned my kiss with a ferocity that stole my breath. This wasn't the controlled, measured Derek I knew. This was someone else entirely-someone primal and possessive. His kiss turned 1/2 Chapter 66 demanding, almost punishing in its intensity. He backed me against the wall, one hand cradling my face while the other pressed into the small of my back, eliminating any space between us. I felt dizzy from the heat radiating from his body, from the unfamiliar power in his touch.

The Derek I knew-cold, distant, always in control-had vanished, replaced by this stranger whose hunger matched my own. "Tell me, I gasped when we finally broke apart for air, "what is this?" Derek's voice was deeper, rougher than I'd ever heard it. "This is what I've been holding back. Did you really think I didn't want you?" In his eyes, I saw something I'd never witnessed before-a burning intensity, a dangerous edge that made my heart race. This wasn't the meticulously composed investment banker who maintained a careful distance.

This was a man with desires he'd kept leashed, now breaking free. His hands moved to my dress, not carefully unzipping but tearing it open. The sound of fabric ripping should have alarmed me, but instead, it sent a thrill through my body. His urgency, his inability to wait, told me more than words ever could. I was equally impatient, my fingers fumbling with his belt, tugging at the leather with trembling hands. His shirt joined mine on the floor, and when our skin finally met-chest to chest-the heat was almost unbearable. Derek's hands were everywhere, no longer gentle or hesitant.

They claimed me, marked me, left trails of fire across my skin. His mouth followed the path of his fingers, teeth grazing my neck, my collarbone, drawing gasps I couldn't suppress. Comments 5 5 Write Comments