He didn't wait for her to answer.
Alexander's hands slid from her hips to her waist, gripping her tightly as he pulled her flush against him. His mouth came down on hers, effectively cutting off whatever defensive retort she was about to make.
The kiss was entirely different from the ones before. In the Maybach, it had been a raw display of dominance. Here, submerged in the cool water with the endless ocean stretching out behind them, it was a total unraveling.
He kissed her slowly, deeply, taking his time to map the shape of her mouth. He tasted like sea salt and dangerous promises.
Elara's hands, previously braced against his chest to keep distance, betrayed her. Her fingers curled into his wet hair, pulling him closer. The cold water swirling around their legs was completely at odds with the scorching heat radiating wherever their skin touched.
Alexander let out a low, approving sound against her lips. He shifted, his hands gripping her thighs beneath the water. With effortless strength, he lifted her up, setting her gently on the smooth stone edge of the pool.
He stood in the water between her legs, resting his hands flat on the stone on either side of her hips.
When he finally pulled back, Elara was breathless, her chest heaving. She looked down at him, her vision slightly blurred, her heart pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it over the crashing waves.
"You think you're the only one who had an agenda when we signed those papers?" Alexander asked, his voice a rough, dark rasp.
Elara blinked, a drop of water sliding down her cheek. "What do you mean?"
Alexander reached up, his thumb catching the droplet before it reached her jaw. "Julian was a nuisance. The board was a joke. I didn't marry you to acquire Vance Corporation, Elara. I could have bought it out from under you in a week if I wanted it."
He stepped closer, the wet skin of his chest brushing against her knees.
"I married you," he said softly, his pitch-black eyes locking onto hers, "because when you walked across that ballroom, completely ruined, you didn't cry. You didn't beg. You walked straight up to the devil and demanded a deal."
Elara's breath hitched. In her past life, her sweet, accommodating nature had gotten her murdered. She had thought her newfound ruthlessness made her unlovable, a monster born out of necessity.
But Alexander wasn't looking at her like she was a monster. He was looking at her like she was a masterpiece.
"I'm tired, Alexander," Elara admitted, the confession slipping out before she could stop it. The adrenaline of the past three days was gone, leaving a hollow ache in its place. "I spent so long trying to be perfect for him. And then I spent every waking second trying to destroy him. I don't know how to just... be."
"I know." Alexander's expression softened, a rare, breathtaking shift that made him look completely devastating.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck. The sheer vulnerability of the gesture from a man who made the entire city tremble sent a shockwave straight to her core.
"You don't have to fight here," he murmured against her skin, his breath sending shivers down her spine. "There are no cameras. No board members. No Julian. For the next seven days, you aren't the CEO. You aren't the heiress."
He kissed the sensitive skin just beneath her ear, making her gasp and tilt her head back instinctively.
"Then who am I?" she whispered, her hands resting nervously on his broad, scarred shoulders.
Alexander pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. The terrifying, possessive fire was back, burning hotter than ever.
He slipped his arms under her knees and behind her back, lifting her entirely out of the water as he stepped up onto the wooden deck. He carried her toward the sliding glass doors, ignoring the water dripping from their bodies onto the pristine mahogany floor.
"You are my wife," Alexander stated, his voice leaving no room for argument. He carried her straight into the master suite, toward the massive, singular bed draped in white silk. "And it's time we make it official."