Chapter 348

‘So I’m not an exception after all. I really thought I was,’ he thought.

He gave Lana a polite nod, his eyes downcast. “I understand.”

Lana watched him, her mind churning. She’d been with Hazel for years and had seen how differently she treated Julian. She couldn’t understand the refusal.

But Lustbane wasn’t some ordinary drug; it could cause irreversible damage to a woman’s body.

For once, she decided to defy a direct order.

“The boss… she’s trying to fight off the poison with an ice bath, but the antidote isn’t ready yet,” Lana said quickly, her voice low. “Mr. Ford, Lustbane… it’s incredibly dangerous for a woman.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before Julian bolted past her, heading inside.

The guards looked to Lana, who simply shook her head. They stood down and let him pass.

Reno saw him coming, understood what Lana had done, and quietly retreated with her team.

Julian stopped short when he saw the pool. Hazel’s long, black hair floated around her like ink in the water. Her perfect shoulders broke the surface, a single, elegant arm resting on the edge.

The cold air rising from the water was so intense he could feel it from where he stood.

“Who’s there?” Hazel’s voice was relaxed. With Lana and Reno on guard, she felt safe.

But in the next second, a body pressed against her back.

A familiar scent enveloped her, merging with her memories, and she froze.

It was him.

Julian had slipped into the pool, wrapping his arms around her from behind. His hands slid over her impossibly smooth skin, the contrast of his cool body against her feverish heat sending a jolt through her.

He held her tightly, his voice thick with pain. “Let me help you. Please.”

Hazel didn’t speak. She could feel the chill coming off him, a stark reminder of her own burning heat. The desire she had fought so hard to suppress began to surge back to life.

She closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry. I might not be able to give you what you want.”

Julian’s warm breath was a whisper against her ear. “I don’t care. You know I’ve never cared about that.”

All he wanted was to be with her; the terms didn’t matter.

Hazel turned in his arms, her normally cool gaze now clouded with a raw, desperate need. “Julian, do you love me?”

“More than anything,” he answered without hesitation.

“And if I told you to die for me tomorrow?”

“Then I would die.”

That was all she needed to hear. She grabbed his shirt, pulled him down, and crashed her lips against his. Julian swallowed hard, his arms tightening around her as he pressed her body into his.

The man she remembered as gentle was gone, replaced by someone hungry and possessive, determined to devour her completely.

Hazel was shocked but quickly overwhelmed, her sweaty hands pushing weakly against his chest.

He caught her wrists, easily pinning them above her head as his assault grew more ferocious.

A sound, half pain and half pleasure, escaped her lips, which only seemed to fuel him further.

“Julian,” she breathed.

His voice was a low, magnetic growl in her ear. “How’s this? Is this what you want?”

Her face was flushed, her eyes heavy-lidded and hazy with lust. She was pure temptation.

Lifting her effortlessly from the water, he carried her from the pool to the bed, their frantic passion never pausing for a breath.

His handsome, gentle face was now a mask of raw, untamed hunger, and he seemed impossible to satisfy.

Hazel bit her lip to stifle a cry, trying to push him away, only to pull him closer.

The night was long, and he never once stopped.