Secluded with the Rogue

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

G enevieve was not surprised when she heard the soft knock on her door that night. The storm outside had raged on, the howling winds a reminder of the turmoil that seemed to mirror the emotions swirling inside her. She had expected this moment ever since her conversation with Alexander had been interrupted earlier. Her heart raced, torn between the lingering hurt and the undeniable pull she felt toward him.

She could call for her maid. That thought crossed her mind immediately. A chaperone would make this less scandalous and more appropriate. But deep down, she knew she would not. Not tonight. There was too much left unsaid between them, too much tension hanging in the air, unresolved. And though she told herself she was prepared for this, the vulnerability she felt scared her more than she cared to admit.

The thought of facing him again—after everything that had happened, after what Henry had undoubtedly said to him—sent a swirl of emotions coursing through her. Anger. Pain. Desire. It was all tangled together, impossible to unravel.

Deep down, she was terrified. She had always prided herself on her ability to stay composed, to protect herself from being hurt again. But tonight… tonight felt different. There was a crack in the armor she had built around her heart, and she was not sure she could hold it together any longer.

Taking a deep breath, she moved to the door and opened it, revealing Alexander standing there, his face shadowed by the dim candlelight in the hallway. His expression was serious, but his eyes—those dark, intense eyes—burned with an emotion she could not quite place.

“Come in,” Genevieve called, her voice steady though her heart was anything but.

“Lady Genevieve,” he said quietly, his tone formal despite the rawness in his voice.

She nodded, motioning toward the chair across from her.

Alexander sat, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The crackling fire was the only sound in the room, its flickering light casting shadows across their faces. The weight of what needed to be said hung heavy between them, the air thick with unresolved tension.

“I thought you might come,” she murmured, standing a few feet away from him, her arms crossed over her chest more for protection than anything else. She tried to keep her voice steady, but her heart was racing, and the proximity of him made her feel dizzy.

Alexander took a deep breath, his hands clenching in his lap. “I know I have hurt you, Genevieve. I know you may never forgive me for what I did, but I need you to understand why I left.”

She swallowed hard, knowing this was the moment she had dreaded for so long, the moment where she would finally hear the truth. Part of her had been waiting for it for years, while another part of her had built walls to protect herself from the hurt she knew would come with it.

“Tell me, then,” she said quietly, her voice trembling despite her efforts to remain composed. “Tell me why you left.”

Alexander took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair as he searched for the right words. He looked more vulnerable than she had ever seen him, stripped of the confidence and bravado he had once worn like armor.

“My father… he was not an easy man,” Alexander began, his voice rough with emotion. “You know that. He controlled everything in my life—every decision, every move I made. And when it came to us, when it came to you… he made it clear that I could not marry you.”

Genevieve’s chest tightened, but she remained silent, letting him continue.

“As the son of a duke and since I would one day be the duke myself… He knew how I felt for you, but he was emphatic that a love match was not to be my life’s story, that I had a duty to my people to marry someone…” A flicker of disgust flashed upon his handsome features. “My father threatened to disown me, to strip me of my title, my inheritance, everything. He wanted me to marry someone of higher standing, someone who would benefit the family’s position. And I—” He paused, his voice cracking slightly. “I did not know how to defy him. I was scared, Genevieve. Scared of losing everything, scared of what would happen if I dragged you into the mess my life was becoming.”

Her heart ached as she listened, the pain of his words washing over her like a wave. She had known, deep down, that there was more to his leaving than what he had shown her. But hearing it now, from his lips, made it feel so much more real. The idea of Alexander being faced with such an impossible choice sent a wave of sympathy through her despite her lingering pain.

“You… did not tell me,” she whispered, her voice shaking slightly. “You did not give me a chance to decide for myself.”

Alexander’s eyes darkened with guilt as he nodded. “I thought I was protecting you. I thought if I left quietly, you would not be dragged down with me. I did not want you to be tied to a man who had nothing to offer.”

Genevieve’s breath hitched, the walls she had built around herself crumbling a little more with every word. “But I would have chosen you, Alexander. I would have fought for us.”

He took a step closer, his eyes filled with regret. “I did not give you that chance, and I hate myself for it. I was a coward. I thought I was doing what was best, but in the end, all I did was hurt you.”

The raw vulnerability in his voice broke something inside her. She had spent so many years hating him for leaving, so many years building walls around her heart to protect herself from the hurt. But now, standing here with him, hearing his regret, his sorrow—it was impossible to hold on to that anger.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away, refusing to let him see how deeply his words had affected her. “I do not know if I can trust you again, Alexander,” she whispered. “How do I know you will not hurt me like that again?”

He stepped even closer, closing the distance between them until he was standing right in front of her. His hand reached out, hesitating for just a moment before cupping her cheek, his touch gentle yet electric.

“You do not,” he said softly, his voice filled with a sincerity that sent a shiver through her. “All I can tell you is that I have never stopped loving you. Not for a single day. And if you give me a chance, I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that I will not make that mistake again.”

Her breath caught in her throat at his words, the intensity of his gaze pulling her in, making it impossible to look away. The walls around her heart were crumbling, falling to pieces, and despite every warning in her mind, she felt herself leaning into his touch.

The tension between them, the years of longing and unresolved emotions, boiled over at that moment. She closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath as her body betrayed her mind. The pull between them was too strong, too undeniable.

And then, without thinking, she pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was a rush of heat, a desperate release of everything they had been holding back for so long. Alexander responded immediately, his arms wrapping around her waist as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss with a hunger that made her head spin. Her hands tangled in his hair, her body melting into his as the passion between them ignited, consuming them both.

Years of anger, longing, and unresolved feelings exploded into an intense, fiery encounter. His hands roamed down her back, pulling her even closer as his lips moved against hers, leaving her breathless. The heat between them was unbearable, their bodies pressed together as though they were trying to make up for all the time they had lost.

Genevieve moaned softly against his lips, her body trembling with the intensity of the moment. It was everything she had been trying to resist, everything she had been trying to protect herself from, and yet she could not stop. She did not want to stop.

They stumbled toward the bed, their kisses growing more fervent, more desperate as they gave in to the passion that had been simmering for so long. Alexander’s hands were everywhere—on her waist, her back, her hips—and the sensation of his touch sent a thrill through her that made her pulse race.

Clothes were discarded in a blur, their need for each other too strong to slow down. The room was filled with the sounds of their gasps, their moans, as they lost themselves in the intensity of the moment.

But afterward, as they lay tangled together in the sheets, Genevieve felt the weight of everything crash down on her.

She turned her head slightly, looking at Alexander as he lay beside her, his chest rising and falling with deep, steady breaths. His arm was draped over her, holding her close, but even with the warmth of his body against hers, the vulnerability she felt was overwhelming.

Could she trust him? Could she really believe that he would not hurt her again? The walls she had built to protect herself had crumbled, but now she was left exposed, unsure of what to do next.

As the silence stretched between them, Genevieve stared up at the ceiling, her heart heavy with uncertainty.