David looked deep into my eyes, his blue gaze burning with an intensity that made my breath hitch. "I've wanted you since the moment you stepped into this club, Emma," he whispered, his voice a low, gravelly rumble.
The whiskey was still clouding my mind, but the sensation of his skin against mine was sharper than any drink. I leaned down and captured his lips in a passionate kiss, my hands tangling in his dark hair. For a moment, the pain of my father's rejection faded.
"Tell me you want this," he demanded.
"I want you, David," I breathed out, arching my back as his hands gripped my hips, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a loud thud echoed from the hallway outside the private room. "Emma! Are you in there?" It was Ava, and she sounded panicked.
David froze, his eyes narrowing. The heavy door suddenly swung open, and Ava burst in, her face pale. Behind her stood a man I recognized instantly—my father's law partner, Mr. Henderson.
"Emma, thank God," Ava gasped, then she looked at David and her eyes widened in shock. "Wait... David?"
Mr. Henderson stepped forward, his expression grim. "Emma, we've been looking everywhere for you. There's something your father didn't tell you before you ran out." He looked at David, then back to me. "And there's clearly a lot you don't know about the man you're with."
David stood up slowly, his powerful frame silhouetted against the dim lights. He didn't look like a stranger anymore; he looked like someone who had been waiting for this moment. "You're late, Henderson," David said coldly. "I've already claimed what's mine."