Sweet Hatred Chapter 335: Formentera

He leaned in, eyes glinting. "Aria."

"What?"

"You’re already following mine."

And damn it, he was right. Without even realizing it, I’d fallen into his rhythm, my body responding instinctively to the strength of his hands at my waist, the quiet command in the way he guided .

My lips opened to argue again, but his smile, smug, infuriating, devastatingly beautiful, silenced .

Kael’s hand pressed firr at the small of my back, guiding through the slow turn as if I hadn’t just sworn I was the one leading. His body was heat, solid and unyielding, and the faint brush of his breath against my temple made my pulse stutter.

"You’re enjoying this way too much," I muttered, glaring up at him.

His lips curved the way they did when he was seconds away from ruining . He leaned closer, his mouth grazing the shell of my ear. "Of course I am. I’ve got you exactly where I want you."

The shiver that ran down my spine betrayed instantly. "You sound like you’re planning sothing."

"Oh, I am." His voice dropped, velvet over steel, soft enough to curl around but sharp enough to cut through bone. "You think you can tornt with that little stunt earlier, sliding into my lap, whispering things, and I wouldn’t collect paynt later?"

My breath hitched as his thumb stroked slowly along my hip, not enough to scandalize, just enough to make ache.

"You’re insufferable," I whispered.

"And you’re mine," he answered without hesitation, his forehead lowering to rest against mine. The music swelled around us, a wrap of quiet intimacy as he guided through another slow step. "Later, Aria... later, I’ll make sure you rember tonight every ti you close your eyes."

I swallowed, my fingers curling tighter into his shirt. "That sounds like another threat."

"It is," he said, smiling against my cheek, but the way his voice broke at the edges made it feel like more than that. It wasn’t just hunger. It was need. Fear. Love.

And in the next breath, his lips brushed the corner of my mouth, not quite a kiss, but close enough to feel his tremor when he whispered, "Don’t ever leave again. I can’t..." His voice faltered, raw and low, before he pulled it back into a smirk. "Besides, if you did, who would put up with you stepping on their feet this badly?"

I huffed, glaring at him with burning cheeks, but the truth was, if this dance lasted forever, I wouldn’t complain.

I tilted my head back, straining just to et his eyes, and instantly regretted wearing heels this long. Kael Roman really was built like a skyscraper, and I was seconds away from breaking my neck just to kiss him.

Still, I leaned up on my toes, heat swirling low in my chest, my gaze locked on his mouth. The air between us felt like it was going to combust, and then my legs gave out. The ache in my calves, the sting in my heels, the bite of the night air...it all caught up to at once, and I collapsed into him with a weak laugh.

Kael caught instantly, like he’d been waiting for it. No hesitation, no fumbling, just one arm sweeping under as if I weighed less than his jacket. His lips brushed my hair as he murmured, "Enough ti outside. You’ll freeze before I let you wear yourself out again."

Before I could argue, he lifted fully against his chest, carrying with that effortless arrogance, like he’d just won a prize he’d never let anyone else touch. I buried my face against his neck, letting the steady rhythm of his steps calm .

Except, when he pushed open the door to our suite, both of us froze.

The bed. The chairs. The damn floor. All of it was littered with boxes. Expensive ones. Velvet ribbons, gilded wrapping paper, brand logos flashing like a showroom. Shoes, jewelry, clothes, an explosion of luxury chaos that looked like a boutique had imploded in our room.

I blinked. "Um...did we end up in the wrong room?"

Kael set down gently, still staring at the ss with a frown, as if he genuinely had no idea how this happened. "I might have...forgotten about a few deliveries."

I turned my head slowly to glare at him. "A few?"

He shrugged, infuriatingly casual. "I didn’t want you lifting a finger. So I ordered options."

"Options?" I echoed, picking up a bag from so brand I couldn’t even pronounce. "Kael, this isn’t options. This is, you tried to bribe the entire fashion industry."

His lips twitched, that dangerous almost-smile I knew too well. "Is it working?"

I threw a pillow at him but he caught it one-handed, smug as ever. His eyes swept the chaos of glossy boxes and bags scattered across the bed, then landed right back on with that look, like he was already five moves ahead in so ga I didn’t know I was playing.

"You’ll need more," he said casually, tossing the pillow aside as if the room wasn’t drowning in luxury already.

My jaw dropped. "More? Are you insane? This is enough to clothe a small country."

His mouth curved into that lethal smirk as he shrugged his suit off his annoyingly perfect body. "Not nearly enough. You’re mine, Aria. Which ans I don’t plan on letting you go anywhere without again. You’ll need options, enough to last everywhere I take you."

I just stared at him, equal parts exasperated and...well, sothing dangerously close to swooning. God help . "You’re ridiculous," I muttered, dragging myself across the disaster zone. I found the tiniest sliver of bedspace between two towers of gift boxes and collapsed face-first into the sheets. I didn’t even bother about changing out of the fancy dress.

The mattress dipped as Kael followed, unbothered, his weight sinking the bed as his arm draped lazily across my back. I groaned into the pillow.

"I’m serious," he murmured against my hair, voice low and dangerous. "Everywhere I go, you go. Always."

I turned my head just enough to glare at him, my cheek still pressed to the sheets. "Kael, I swear, if you don’t let sleep right now, "

He chuckled, deep and satisfied, pulling closer like he hadn’t just buried in enough designer boxes to bankrupt Spain.

And despite myself, my eyes fluttered shut.

[The next morning]

I woke to sunlight spilling through the curtains, the faint hum of the yacht beneath , and Kael already up, moving around like he owned the world. He caught blinking at him, and before I could even form words, he leaned down, pressing a trail of kisses across my face, my forehead, my nose, my cheeks, like I was his favorite canvas.

"Where... where are we?" My voice ca out rough, my brain still rebooting.

"Forntera," he said easily, like it was the most normal thing in the world, punctuating the word with another kiss at the corner of my mouth.