Stepping out of the VIP elevator, I blew out a breath, eyeing the sleek black metal doors of the penthouse. The big guards stood at both sides of the elevator like statues, statues with dark glasses. My heart drummed down my chest as I approached the entrance, standing before the fingerprint scanner. I still didn’t know how he got my fingerprint.
Though the nervousness of meeting him after that night was overwhelming, the eagerness to see him and find out if he was all right won over my hesitation.
Once I was inside the doors, to my surprise, it automatically closed behind me. The feeling of getting locked with the devil of my dreams was knee weakish. As I walked ahead, the memories of my last visit here rushed into my mind.
Oh, I forgot about the blouse I left here.
I made a mental note to grab it before leaving.
When I entered the living room, I stopped in my tracks.
There he was. Sitting on the grand couch, his form was bent over, elbows resting on his knees with hands joined before him. His stormy irises were set on me, freezing me in my place. Those gray orbs were dark today. Shoulders tensed.
“Took you long enough, Miss Hutton.” Greek accent was deeper than usual. The boss was extremely mad. But that didn’t stop me from studying his face. It was like ice to my burning heart.
“Well?” His head tilted. But today it didn’t irritate me.
“I could ask you the same,” I said, walking closer. The black long-sleeved, high neck T-shirt fit him well, manifesting the cuts of his hard muscles to me. “What took you so long to come back?”
Surprise flashed over those gray pools, but it was fleeting. “I didn’t think you cared if I were here or not.” He observed me, as if waiting for my answer.
The words ‘I do care’ were at the tip of my tongue, but I held myself back. “It’s not suitable for a businessman to leave his companies behind for days like that.”
He stayed quiet. The anger behind the calm façade threatened to blow out as he watched me. I could tell he wasn’t mad at my comment. It was something else.
Come on, Ace. Get out with it.
When he managed to keep calm for another half a minute, my patience ran out. He couldn’t just stay quiet when I was in a constant hell worrying about him.
“Why did you leave like that?” I spilled. “You phone was unreachable! I called you like a hundred times! What the hell were you doing?” I wanted to ask if he was all right but held myself back.
Both surprise and shock flickered over his face. But again, he was quick to cover it. Damn him for such control where I was a mess here.
He stood, strolling towards me, making my legs urge me to step back. Grabbing my chin gently, he peered into my soul. “And may I ask you what the hell you were doing last night, sweetheart?” The edge of his deep voice sent shivers down my spine. Gray orbs flashed with rage. “I was away just for one fucking day, and you managed to get yourself into trouble already?”
“How-how do you know?” I blinked.
“Do you really think I’d leave you behind just like that? Without anyone to watch over my Rosebud?”
A gasp left my lips. “You had someone to stalk me? How dare you!”
“And how did you dare to put yourself at risk by going in that shady place alone! Anything could’ve happened out there, and nobody would even get to know where you were! Damn it, Emerald! What the hell were you thinking?” His nostrils flared, stepping back. “Thank God my men were there watching over you! Otherwise, I—”
His hands balled into fists as his intimidating form shook with rage, jaw clenching and unclenching. His flaming grays told me he wanted to destroy something. A volcano inside him wished to unleash. I never saw him this furious before.
Remembering last night’s event sent chills down my neck. He was right, anything could’ve happened to us over there if those men suddenly didn’t get…
It was his men who did the miracle last night.
Though it was ridiculous for him to hire bodyguards for me, deep down, I was grateful. But I’d definitely talk to him about it later when he would be calm.
“I…I went there to get Beth. She needed me.”
“Then you could’ve just informed Caleb or Tobias. Why did you go there all by yourself?” A muscle of his jaw ticked.
Pressing my lips, I narrowed my eyes. “I know I shouldn’t have gone there alone. But I didn’t know where that bar was exactly located, all right? I had no idea that area would be so eerie at that time.”
“You…” Letting out a sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Then my gaze fell onto his knuckles. They were bruised.
“What happened to your hands? How did they cut?” Rushing near him, I took his hands in mine.
“It’s nothing.” He tried to retract them, but I held them firmly.
“Hold still! Where’s your first aid kit?” I asked, checking the dark bruises and cuts. How did he get them?
When he stayed quiet, watching me in silence, I cast him a look.
A sigh left him. “In my bedroom.”
Dragging him into his bedroom, I made him sit at the edge of the bed and got out the first aid kit.
Sitting beside him, I grabbed his hands and sanitized them before applying balm on his knuckles. He didn’t flinch during the whole process. He just kept watching me with something intense swirling in his gaze.
“How did you get them? And why are they still unattended?” I tried my best not to look into his eyes.
“They weren’t that serious. So, I let them be,” he replied, not answering my first question. “And I’m glad I didn’t, otherwise you wouldn’t be here treating me.”
This time, I looked up into his gray pools.
“T-that’s ridiculous! You could get infected!”
A shrug. “I’m used to them.”
Used to the pain? Why?
“You didn’t tell me why you left.” I wrapped the bandage around his right hand.
After a moment of silence, he answered, “I needed some time alone.”
“For what?” I whispered.
“To clear my head and think straight.”
Just as I thought talking to him gently would make him give straight answers, he proved me wrong. He was back with his complicated replies.
“Is-is everything all right?” I cast him a hesitant glance, completing his bandaging.
Silence.
A gasp slipped through my lips as he hauled me onto his lap. “Ace!”
Nuzzling my neck, he inhaled deep. “Now, everything is all right.”
With blood rushing up my cheeks, I wiggled in his arms. “W-what are you doing? Let go of me.”
His hold tightened around me. “Never. I’m not letting you go away from me, never again.”
Again?
A shiver ran through my whole body when his hot lips touched the sensitive skin of my neck.
“My Rose.” A groan left his mouth as his hand roamed over my curves, littering sensual kisses behind my ear. As embarrassing as it was, a whimper snuck out of me.
“Ace.” I wanted to stop him, but my voice came out much like a moan with his hot tongue directly against my burning skin.
My hands gripped his strong shoulders when he turned me to him, and our gazes met. The intensity and desire in his stormy grays had me stop breathing.
“Those turquoise eyes of yours, they’ve captured my heart and locked it under their spell the moment they fell on me,” he whispered, kissing my closed eyelids one by one. And then on my forehead, then both of my cheeks.
When he pulled me against him, with not even an inch between us, I let out a shaky breath, snuggling my face against his. Warmth and many emotions soared into my chest.
My arms went around his neck as a whisper left my lips. “Ace.”
“My Rose.” A breath escaped my lips when he placed a lingering kiss on the corner of my lips.
Sagging against him just as I let myself get lost in his warmth, the blare of my phone pulled me out of my bubble.
Blinking, when I jerked away, he didn’t let me. His brows furrowed in disturbance. Fighting with him was useless, so I fished out my phone from my pocket and checked the name of the caller.
Guilt hit me like a truck seeing Warner’s name flashing on the screen.
We were still in a relationship when I was…
I felt Ace growing tense against me, his eyes set on the phone, strong jaw clenched.
“I have to take this.” I got off his lap, but a hand on my arm stopped me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked. Voice rough.
I was surprised to see the sudden malice in his orbs. Was that—jealousy?
“To talk to Warner.”
“Ignore it.”
I frowned. “I can’t. He—”
“He’s more important to you than our moment?” He cut me off, his grip tightened on my arm.
“He was always important. He’s my b—” I squeaked when he tugged me to him and the next thing I found was, I lay flat on the bed, with him above me. “Ace! What are you doing—”
And again, he cut me off. But this time, with his lips. Right against mine.
“He’s nothing to you, you understand?” he growled against my lips, biting my lower one hard. “Nothing! You’re fucking mine!”
My mind went haywire. Shock, rage, warmth and… desire shot through my veins like a wildfire. Pushing against his hard chest, I attempted to snatch my lips from the capture of his scorching ones, but he only deepened the kiss. Grabbing my wrists, he placed them above my head with one hand, while the other went to run over my body with freedom, raising a painful tug in my abdomen.
“Only mine.”
An unintentional moan left my mouth as he sucked my lower lip into his mouth with ferocity. My body was on fire. His free hand ran down my waist to my thigh. Sneaking behind, he grabbed my butt, getting another gasp from me.
He took this chance to enter his tongue in my mouth, devouring me. Just as his hot tongue touched mine, a jolt of pleasure ran through me. My body hummed into delight. My eyes closed on their own as I kissed him with equal urgency and desperateness.
I’ve never been kissed like this. Never this deep, rough, and intense. My hands struggled into his hold. This time not to get away, but to pull him closer. To feel him. It wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I needed more.
“Ace,” I managed to whisper out in between his earth-shattering kisses. And he understood as he released my hands.
There was no going back. I clung to him like I was falling, and he was the only thing to grab on in this whole world. Molding our lips around each other, we got tangled in a momentum of want and desire.
Another ring of my phone reverberated across the room. At first, neither of us acknowledged it, but then senses started to kick in my brain.
Disbelief and shame fell over me as I realized what I just did.
How could I do this?
Pushing him away, I grabbed my phone and ran out of the room, not waiting to see his expression.
“Emerald, wait!” he called out behind me, but I was already out of the room. I heard him coming after me, but I didn’t stop.
I ran and kept running until I was safe in the four walls of the elevator. Clutching my chest, that was still pounding from his touches and kisses, I leaned against one of the walls and closed my eyes. A tear slipped down my cheek.
I cheated on Warner. Though it was unintentional, though I didn’t love him and soon was going to reveal it before him, it didn’t justify my actions. I did wrong to him. I did wrong to the person who was always there for me.
Why couldn’t I control myself? Why couldn’t I just push him away? Because I can’t. I can’t resist him. I never could.
Still weak in the knees, I let out a choked breath and rubbed my face in frustration and guilt. It was wrong. I couldn’t do this anymore. I knew it could happen again because my heart just didn’t know where to stop around him. I needed to fix this.
I have to talk to Warner. As soon as possible.
Wiping my cheeks, I dialed his number. But it went busy. I dialed again, but it was still busy. Getting out of the elevator, I sent him a message.
Sorry, couldn’t receive your call. I called you but it went busy. Call me as soon as you’re free. I need to talk to you.
It hurt to even think of breaking his heart, but I couldn’t lie to him anymore. I needed to tell him everything about my feelings, about Ace and… about the kiss.
I hope he can forgive me because I don’t want to lose a friend like him.
Putting back my phone, as I was about to walk away, I caught a figure around the corner that led to another hallway. Half of their body could be seen from where I stood, the other half was covered by the wall. I squinted.
Liza? She was on the phone with someone, eyes flickering her left and right. As I was behind her, she didn’t notice me.
Frowning at her tensed shoulders and alert movements, I took a few steps ahead.
“Yes!” she hissed over the phone. “The job is done. Everything happened just as you wanted. Now I want you to fulfill your promise.” She listened to whatever the other person said and nodded. “All right. I’ll call you later. I’ve to go now. Bye.” Disconnecting the call, she glanced around again. I squinted when she took out something from her purse with shaky hands and threw it into the bin.
As she rushed away, I went to the place where she was just a second ago with my eyes still on her.
What’s wrong with her? She looked extremely nervous and tense.
Looking down into the dustbin, I saw a big, crumbled plastic packet. Some white substance lay at the bottom inside it.
My eyes narrowed. What’s that?
My gaze went back to where Liza had just disappeared. Something was wrong with her. Maybe I’d just talk to her later at lunch. Then my mind went back to what happened upstairs. My hand went up and touched my still tingling swollen lips. Warmth and guilt washed over me at once. The worst thing was, I loved every second of it. And I hated myself for that.
Letting out a sigh, I headed back to my office, with a lot of thoughts jumbled in my brain.
When I was just outside my office, I saw Tess rushing in my way. My eyes widened seeing her disarranged state.
“Tess?”
She grabbed my hands with her cold ones, her face pale with panic. “Em! Where’s Achilles? I’ve called him so many times, but he’s not picking up his phone! Where is he?”
“Hey, hey, relax. What happened? Why are you so riled up?” I grabbed her shoulder, trying to comfort her.
She shook her head. Her blue eyes were moist with unshed tears. “Caleb…”
“What? What happened to him?”
Her lips quivered as tears fell down her face. “He’s in jail.”
