Chapter 57 – A Dangerous Admission

Emma didn't move.

She didn't push him away.

Didn't tell him to leave.

She just stood there, heart pounding, feeling the weight of his presence—his heat, his scent, the undeniable pull between them.

Alex's lips quirked into a slow, knowing smirk. "You're not running this time."

Emma's jaw clenched. "Maybe I'm just waiting for you to say something worth running from."

His gaze darkened, but there was something else behind it—something softer, something unreadable.

"I don't think you want to run at all," he murmured.

Emma swallowed.

God, this was dangerous.

Everything about him was a trap, a game, a risk she knew she shouldn't take.

But at that moment, with his hands braced on either side of her, his body so close it was practically brushing hers, she wasn't sure she wanted to be careful anymore.

She met his gaze, steady and unwavering. "And what if I don't?"

Alex's smirk faltered, just for a fraction of a second.

Like he hadn't expected her to say that.

Like he had been so sure she would keep resisting.

But Emma was tired of pretending.

Tired of acting like there wasn't something between them.

Because there was.

There always had been.

Alex exhaled slowly, his fingers flexing against the desk. "Then you better be sure, Carter. Because once I have you—" His voice dropped lower, sending a shiver down her spine. "I'm not letting go."

Emma's breath hitched.

A part of her wanted to tell him this was still a game. That she wasn't affected.

But that would be a lie.

Because at that moment, standing there with him, every single part of her was screaming that this wasn't a game at all.

That maybe… it never had been.