Emma wasn't someone who got flustered easily. She had built walls around herself so high that nothing—not pressure, not doubt, not even temptation—could shake her.
But Alex Kingston was different.
The way he looked at her, the way he challenged her without fear—it made her feel like she was standing too close to the edge of something dangerous.
And the worst part?
She wasn't sure she wanted to step back.
—
The night had stretched longer than she expected. Conversations, polite smiles, and the constant buzz of business talk filled the room. But through it all, she was hyper-aware of Alex's presence.
He wasn't hovering.
He wasn't making a scene.
But he was always there.
Like a storm lingering on the horizon—calm, but undeniable.
At some point, she had moved to the balcony, needing air, needing space. The city stretched below her, its lights shimmering against the dark sky.
And then, she felt it.
That presence behind her.
She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"I should've known you'd follow," she murmured, her voice steady.
Alex chuckled, stepping beside her, his hands in his pockets. "And I should've known you'd need an escape."
She exhaled, watching the city. "Crowds aren't my thing."
"Neither are people," he noted.
Emma glanced at him. "Are you analyzing me, Kingston?"
Alex smirked. "You're not that hard to figure out."
Emma turned fully to face him, tilting her head slightly. "Is that so?"
He leaned against the railing, his gaze locking onto hers. "You act like you don't care, but you do. You pretend to be untouchable, but things get under your skin more than you let on."
Emma held his stare. "And what makes you think that?"
Alex's voice was lower now, quieter. "Because I see it, Carter."
For the first time, she felt something crack inside her—just slightly. Just enough to make her heart race in a way she hated.
She took a slow breath, forcing herself to regain control. "You think you know me, but you don't."
Alex tilted his head. "Maybe not. But I want to."
Silence stretched between them, thick and unspoken.
Emma should've ended this. She should've walked away, put space between them before things went too far.
But for some reason, she didn't.
And neither did he.
Instead, Alex took a step closer—just enough to test the air between them.
"Tell me to leave," he murmured. "And I will."
Emma's pulse pounded in her ears.
This was the line.
She could step back. Walk away. Keep things exactly as they were.
Or she could stay.
Let the line blur.
Let whatever this was become something she wasn't ready to name.
The words to send him away sat on the tip of her tongue.
But she never spoke them.
And Alex never moved.