The living room remained a deceptive oasis of warmth and normalcy after Elena’s silent, shattering orgasm on Marcus’s fingers. The fire continued to crackle and pop, sending sparks dancing up the chimney, while the storm outside battered the mansion with renewed fury. Rain hammered the windows in sheets, thunder rumbling distantly like a warning neither of them intended to heed. Victoria’s footsteps had long since retreated back to her office upstairs, the occasional muffled sound of her keyboard or a low phone conversation the only reminder of how dangerously close they were treading.

Elena’s body was still buzzing, her panties ruined and her thighs sticky with her release. She leaned...