The next morning felt… different.
After everything that had happened on her birthday, Isabella couldn't stop thinking about him. The way he looked at her. The way he cared without saying it out loud.
And Alexander?
He was no better.
When Isabella walked into the office, their eyes met instantly.
For a brief moment—
Everything else faded.
"Good morning, Mr. Knight," she said softly.
He held her gaze a second longer than usual. "Good morning… Isabella."
Her name.
Not Miss Isabella.
Not just a command.
Her name.
And the way he said it…
It made her heart skip.
The day passed unusually quietly.
No harsh words.
No impossible demands.
Just silence… and tension.
The kind that lingered between glances.
Between breaths.
Later that evening, as the office emptied, Isabella gathered her things.
"You can leave," Alexander said from his desk.
She nodded. "Goodnight, sir."
She turned to go—
"Isabella."
She stopped.
Slowly… she turned back. "Yes?"
He stood up.
Walked toward her.
Step by step.
Until he was standing right in front of her.
Too close.
Her breath caught.
His eyes locked onto hers—intense, searching… almost vulnerable.
"About last night…" he started.
Isabella's heart began to race.
"You don't have to explain," she said softly. "I really appreciated it."
He shook his head slightly. "That's not what I meant."
A pause.
A long, heavy pause.
As if he was fighting something inside himself.
"I…"
He stopped.
His jaw tightened.
This wasn't him.
Alexander Knight didn't hesitate.
Didn't struggle with words.
Didn't lose control.
But right now—
He was.
His gaze softened, dropping briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes.
"You should be careful," he said instead, his voice lower now.
Isabella frowned slightly. "Careful… about what?"
Another pause.
Another moment where the truth almost slipped out.
"About me."
Her breath hitched.
"I'm not…" he continued, his voice strained. "I'm not someone you should get close to."
Silence fell between them.
But it wasn't empty.
It was filled with everything he wasn't saying.
Everything he wanted to say.
Isabella's heart pounded in her chest.
"And what if I already am?" she asked quietly.
That question—
It hit him harder than anything else.
His control slipped… just for a second.
His hand lifted slightly—almost like he was going to touch her.
Almost.
But then—
He stopped himself.
Dropped his hand.
Stepped back.
Walls up again.
"Go home, Isabella."
Her chest tightened slightly.
"Okay…"
She turned slowly and walked away.
But she didn't miss the way his eyes followed her.
When the door closed behind her—
Alexander exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.
"Damn it…"
He had been so close.
Too close.
And that scared him more than anything.
Because if he crossed that line—
There would be no going back.
Outside the building, Isabella paused for a moment.
Her heart was still racing.
Her mind replaying everything.
"Be careful around me…"
She smiled softly to herself.
Because she understood now.
He hadn't said it.
But she felt it.
Clear as day.
He wanted her.
And maybe…
She wanted him too.