The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 111

Aveline

I splashed cold water on my face, gripping the marble sink until my knuckles went white. The lingering heat from that damn dream still pulsed through my veins, but I forced myself to focus on my anger instead.

"Get it together," I muttered, slapping my cheeks harder than necessary. "Today you're getting answers. No more games, no more confusion. Find out what the hell he was playing at yesterday."

I threw on the clothes Mitchell had provided and marched toward Orion's room with renewed determination. But as I stood outside his door, hesitation crept in. Mitchell had warned me to wait until he'd recovered...

"Come in."

His voice, rough with sleep and something else I couldn't identify, sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine. How had he known I was there?

I pushed the door open and slammed it shut behind me, the sound echoing like a challenge.

"Yesterday I was drunk," Orion said before I could speak, his back still turned to me. "Whatever I did or said was unintentional. I apologize."

"Oh, that's convenient," I shot back, my prepared speech derailed by his preemptive strike. "Just blame it all on the alcohol and move on?"

He turned slowly, and my breath caught. The silk pajama shirt hung open, revealing the sculpted planes of his chest, the defined muscles that spoke of countless hours in the gym. When our eyes met, something dark and hungry flickered in his gaze.

"The kiss I can understand," I continued, forcing myself to look anywhere but at his bare skin. "Men get stupid when they're drunk, especially when they've been... deprived for too long."

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. "Deprived? Is that what you think?"

The way he said it—like he was savoring some private joke—made heat flood my cheeks. "That's not why I'm here," I snapped. "I want to know about the way you looked at me. Like you'd seen a ghost. Like you owed me your life or something. What did you mean when you said you owed me so much?"

Orion moved closer, each step deliberate and predatory. "It was about Sera," he said, but his eyes never left mine. "I let you think there was something between us. Made you leave in a hurry. You were obviously waiting for someone special."

"That's it?" I laughed bitterly. "That's your big explanation?"

"Isn't it enough?" He was close now, close enough that I could smell his cologne mixed with something purely him.

"Not even close," I said, lifting my chin defiantly. "And for the record, I don't give a damn about your little girlfriend. Just like I told you yesterday—I'm not interested in you at all."

His smile was slow, wicked, and absolutely devastating. "Not interested in me," he repeated, closing the remaining distance between us until I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. "But your body tells a different story, doesn't it?"

My back hit the wall, and I realized he'd been backing me up without me even noticing. "What are you—"

"That kiss yesterday," he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper that seemed to caress my skin. "The way you melted against me, the little sound you made when my tongue touched yours... That wasn't disinterest, sweetheart."

"You bastard!" I gasped, but the words came out breathless rather than angry. "Don't you dare—"

"And right now," he continued as if I hadn't spoken, "your pupils are dilated, your breathing is shallow, and you're pressed against that wall like you're afraid of what might happen if you get any closer to me."

He was right, and we both knew it. My body was betraying me completely, responding to his proximity with an intensity that terrified me.

"Shut up," I whispered, but it sounded more like a plea than a command.

His hand came up to brace against the wall beside my head, caging me in. "You bit me yesterday," he said, his thumb tracing the small mark on his lip. "Want to know what I thought about all night? Whether you'd bite me again... or kiss me instead."

The heat in his eyes, the raw hunger in his voice—it was doing things to me that I absolutely could not allow. "Get away from me," I managed, though I made no move to push him back.

"I did say one thing wrong yesterday," he murmured, his lips so close to my ear that his breath sent shivers racing down my spine. "I shouldn't have said you belong to me."

"Damn right you shouldn't have," I said, my hands coming up to his chest. Whether to push him away or pull him closer, I honestly wasn't sure.

"But," he continued, his voice taking on that infuriating teasing tone, "sooner or later, you are going to be Ryan's mother. And when that happens..." He pulled back to look at me, his dark eyes burning with promise. "Well, let's just say I'm a very patient man."

The casual certainty in his voice, the way he spoke about my future like it was already decided, should have infuriated me. Instead, it sent a bolt of pure lust straight through my core.

"You're insane," I breathed, but my voice sounded weak even to my own ears.

"Maybe," he agreed, his smile turning predatory. "But you like it, don't you? You like the way I make you feel completely out of control."

He was right. God help me, he was absolutely right, and if I stayed here one second longer, I was going to do something that would destroy what was left of my dignity.

"Stay away from me!" I gasped, and drove my fist into his chest before bolting for the door like my life depended on it.

I didn't stop running until I reached my room, my heart hammering and my entire body on fire with need I refused to acknowledge.