Claimed by My Bestie's Alpha Daddy novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

His mouth found mine like he’d been waiting years.

There was no hesitation-just heat, sharp and immediate. Richard kissed me like he couldn’t stop, like he didn’t want to. His hands gripped my waist and pulled me flush against him, anchoring me to him with a need

that felt just as dangerous as it did electric.

I didn’t even try to hold back. I kissed him like I’d been dying to, like I had something to prove. Because I did. I

wanted him to feel it-that I wasn’t afraid of this, of him, of us.

When his lips slid to my jaw, then lower, to the hollow beneath my ear, my breath stuttered. One of his hands

threaded into my hair while the other settled on the small of my back, hot through the fabric of my shirt.

He backed me into the wall with a quiet, guttural sound, his mouth devouring mine again, more urgent this

time. My legs went weak. My fingers curled into the hem of his shirt like I was anchoring myself.

I could feel every taut line of his body against mine-his heat, his restraint. He kissed like he was trying not to lose control, but the cracks were already showing. His teeth caught my bottom lip, gentle and reverent, and when I gasped, he groaned and kissed me harder. I arched into him, desperate for more-of his mouth, of his

hands, of the fire roaring in my chest.

Then he stopped.

The shift was instant, violent. One second he was all heat and hunger, the next he was gone, like I’d dreamed

the whole thing. He tore himself away from me, breathing hard, and I watched in silence as he stumbled back a

full step.

“You should go,” he said.

His voice was low, rough, shredded by effort. But his face was carved from stone. Eyes shuttered, jaw clenched.

As if none of it had happened. As if he hadn’t just kissed me like I was the only thing keeping him tethered to

the earth.

My throat tightened painfully, but I managed a stiff nod. Words lodged themselves deep in my chest, unable to

find their way out. Turning away from him felt like tearing away a part of myself, each step heavier and more

agonizing than the last. When the door clicked shut behind me, the sound echoed in my bones, final and

damning.

I moved numbly down the hallway, the palace corridors feeling impossibly long and empty. I pressed my

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fingertips to my lips, still tender from Richard’s touch, my heart aching at the memory of his closeness-his breath on my skin, his hands so sure and possessive. How had it all changed so quickly?

In my room, sleep eluded me entirely. Instead, I stared at the ceiling, replaying the moment again and again— his sudden withdrawal, the way he refused to meet my eyes afterward.

By the time morning arrived, exhaustion had sunk into my bones, but I welcomed it. If I kept myself busy enough, perhaps I’d outrun the painful confusion that swirled relentlessly through my mind.

Determined to push past the ache in my chest, I threw myself fully into work. I signed up for night shifts and

volunteered immediately when an email went around asking for extra help with the last-minute summit

logistics.

During team meetings, I felt Richard’s gaze flicker toward me more than once, but we carefully avoided direct

interaction, never letting our eyes meet for more than a fleeting, guarded second.

Nathan caught me between tasks later that afternoon, his face carefully neutral but eyes revealing genuine concern. “You’re taking on a lot, Amelia. You sure you’re alright?”

I forced a smile, trying not to let any hint of my anxiety slip through. “I’m fine, really. Just trying to keep busy. It helps.”

His brows knitted briefly, as if he wanted to press further, but he finally nodded and stepped back. “Just don’t

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