Chapter 0251
Alexander POV
I stared at Ella. The look on her face was teasing, but her eyes told a different story. They were dark, intent appraising. She wasn’t just joking. At least, I didn’t think so
Her confidence when she said I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference wasn’t misplaced. It unsettled me. I wasn’t completely convinced that she was serious, but for the first time in longer than I cared to admit, I found myself doubting my instincts.
That was unusual for me.
But maybe that wasn’t all there was to it. I knew I should resist this attraction to Ella. I should have been trying harder all along. This was a complication we couldn’t afford, not when so much was riding on the delicate balance of our deal.
It was too late, though.
We both knew our attraction was mutual, and if I were honest, it might have become something beyond the physical. At this point, Ella was more than a beautiful woman. She was enchanting, and that was the only word that came to mind.
I would never allow myself such a thought if I were sober.
She’d cast a spell on me, and I was utterly captivated. Resisting didn’t even cross my mind anymore. The truth was, I didn’t want to resist. Ella was a puzzle–a fascinating, complex puzzle–and I was consumed by the need to solve her.
I enjoyed being the only one allowed to try.
The only man who could get a rise out of her. Making her blush, making her angry, coaxing emotions from her that she usually kept so tightly controlled–it was intoxicating.
It reassured me that whatever magnetic pull I felt toward her, she felt something similar for me.
That wasn’t wishful thinking.
Now, as she looked at me, there was a challenge in her gaze daring me to respond. But there was something else, too. If I wasn’t imagining it, there was something hopeful in her eyes, as though she wanted me to meet her halfway.
I shouldn’t, but I wanted to. She was hard to resist.
Ella POV
“You’re staring,” I said after several seconds passed without Alexander saying a word.
I had never rendered him speechless before, and I wondered how many others could claim the same feat. Likely not many. The thought filled me with an odd sense of satisfaction.
Alexander Black: powerful, intimidating, charismatic, and intelligent. He wasn’t someone you teased lightly–he was the type to make others second–guess themselves with a single look. And yet, here he was, silent, caught off guard, staring at me as if trying to decipher whether I meant what I’d said.
I wasn’t even sure myself.
I was drunk and strangely emotional after the whirlwind of events over the past few weeks.
173
+25 BONUS
Chapter 025!
Being married to Alexander had turned out better than I ever could have Imagined. For something that was supposed to be fake, we were managing a remarkably real relationship.
It wasn’t just necessity driving us anymore. The adjustments we’d made to our routines weren’t for the sake of appearances they were for each other. Genuine care, consideration, and concern had crept into our lives, unbidden and unstoppable.
I swallowed hard. That wasn’t something you did for a contract.
The thought was dangerous, and I tried to push it away. But it lingered, refusing to be silenced. Was it worth it to keep pretending this was only business? What was the point of fighting what was clearly growing between us?
Right now, I felt untouchable, like everything was finally falling into place.
“You’re still staring,” I said, my voice quieter this time.
“Shouldn’t I?” Alexander replied, his tone steady and deliberate. “Is there somewhere else I should be looking?”
“No,” I admitted, heat creeping up my neck. “I like when you look at me.”
“Is that so?” he asked, raising a single eyebrow. “Funny. There are times you seem to have trouble meeting my gaze, or you blush just because I’ve looked a second too long.”
“That’s true,” I agreed, smiling faintly. “You do make me blush. Have you ever wondered why?”
11
“I have,” he admitted, his voice low and thoughtful. “Though I assumed it was because you were…‘ “Innocent?” I interrupted, my tone teasing but light. “Inexperienced?” I gave a small shrug, a faint smirk tugging at my lips. “That’s true enough.”
Alexander’s gaze sharpened, and the corner of his mouth twitched in response. “You don’t seem quite that way now,” he murmured. “And I’ve seen you drunk before–this isn’t just the alcohol talking.”
I tilted my head, meeting his gaze boldly. “Maybe not. Maybe it’s something else entirely.”
His eyes darkened, the weight of his stare intensifying. “What are you trying to say, Ella?”
The car hummed softly beneath us as it moved, but I barely noticed. I shifted, standing briefly to slide across the seat and settle beside Alexander. He looked momentarily startled by my sudden proximity, and even more so when my hand came to rest on his leg.
“What do you think I’m trying to say?” I asked, my voice steady but charged with tension.
“I don’t know how to answer that,” he replied, his voice low, almost inaudible over the quiet of the car.
“I think you do,” I said, my fingers lightly tracing the fabric of his trousers.
Alexander shook his head, a slight, reluctant motion. “It’s a bad idea.”
“Probably,” I agreed with a small, mischievous smile. “But aren’t you supposed to have bad ideas when you’re drunk?”
“It’s best not to act on them, though,” he countered, even as his hand slid to my lower back, pulling me closer.
“Then tell me no,” I challenged, my hand inching higher up his leg.
“You know I can’t do that,” he said, his tone soft but unwavering.
“You tease me all the time,” I pointed out, leaning in. “You enjoy it—I can tell. You think it’s funny to make me blush, to embarrass me.”
2/3
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0251
“I don’t think it’s funny,” he murmured, his eyes darkening
“Well, you had to know you couldn’t go on teasing me forever,” I said, my voice softening. “Eventually, you’re going to have to back it up.”
Alexander’s lips quirked, his gaze unflinching. “Is that what this is? You want me to back up my words with actions?”
“I want you to show me how great you are,” I replied, daring him.
Before I could process what was happening, Alexander moved, swift and deliberate. I found myself in his lap, my legs straddling his hips. His hands settled on my waist, firm but careful, and his bright, piercing eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that stole my breath.
“This is your decision,” he said, his voice steady, almost commanding. “So I need you to make it. No games, no talking around it. Tell me directly, or this doesn’t go any further.”
The sincerity in his expression hit me like a wave, dissolving my desire to tease. My breath hitched as I placed my hands on his shoulders, meeting his gaze without hesitation.
“No teasing,” I said quietly. “I’m not joking around.”
“Then tell me what you want,” he urged, his tone soft but resolute.
“I want you,” I said, the words clear and unshakable.
