Chapter 245: A Dangerous Question
[Music recommendation: Michael DuBois - The Way She Moves Through Me]
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Surprise flickered across Aliana’s eyes as she saw Gavriel stepping out from the driver’s seat and slowed to a stop in front of him.
"Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?" she asked, gazing up into his icy eyes.
Gavriel closed the distance between them. Leaning down, he whispered close to her ear, "You were later than usual."
He pressed a light, lingering kiss just beneath her ear, causing her heart to somersault at the sensation.
When he pulled back, a beautiful blush had bloomed across her face, prompting a ghost of a smile to curl his own lips.
"Come." Placing a possessive hand on her waist, he guided her toward the passenger side and held the door open.
She quietly slipped inside as she tried to calm her racing heart.
After closing the door, Gavriel walked around to the driver’s seat and zoomed off.
Both of them were completely oblivious to the starstruck crowd of office workers left behind in their wake. Who collectively sighed at the dogfood they had just been fed and murmured, "So unfair."
.....
On the way back to the Valentine residence, Gavriel broke the silence, "What kept you so late today?"
Aliana released a sigh, sinking deeper into her seat as she replied, "I was trying to complete all my work for the next three days, so I do not have to worry about it during our trip."
Gavriel shifted his gaze to give her a quick side-long glance before focusing back on the road. The traffic was light given the late hour, allowing him to drive fast.
"You don’t have to push yourself so hard," he murmured quietly.
A small smile touched her lips, and she turned her head to look at him. "Were you worried about me?"
He simply kept a straight face before responding, "You didn’t inform me."
"I’m sorry," she replied as a slight pang of guilt gnawed at her. Raising a hand, she ran her fingers through her hair. "Honestly, I didn’t realise how much time had passed until Nigel came in to tell me."
At the mention of Nigel, Gavriel’s brows pulled together. "Why did he have your phone?"
"Oh, right. I usually give him my phone whenever I’m too occupied with work so he can answer my calls for me." She looked at him again, studying his sharp features as they were illuminated by the passing streetlights before admitting, "I still should have remembered to let you know. I hope... you’re not upset with me?"
Gavriel changed the gear before giving her another side glance, his voice dropping low. "What will you do if I am?"
Her heart skipped a beat at the sudden shift in his tone. Swallowing hard, she replied, "I will make it up to you."
"How?"
She thought for a moment and could not help but let her mind go to the gutter once again.
It had been a while since they had shared any physical intimacy, and her own exhaustion was to blame.
Gavriel never openly expressed any displeasure regarding the way she simply slept like a log every night before he had a chance to initiate anything.
Still, with her schedule being so hectic, she could not ignore the simple fact that they were still very much newly married.
She knew that even if he did not say anything, he must surely want it just as much as she did. That was the reason she had been hell-bent on clearing as much work from her plate as possible, so that she could spend uninterrupted time with him.
So she asked, "What would you like me to do?"
This time, Gavriel turned his head to look at her, his eyes meeting hers in the darkness, making her pulse quicken before he shifted his attention back to the road.
"That’s a dangerous question," he murmured.
"How so?"
"I don’t think you can handle it," he stated.
"Really? Try me." Aliana always welcomed a challenge.
She saw a small smile curl up on his handsome face. "Hm."
When he didn’t say more, she asked, "What kind of a response is that?"
"An appropriate one. I’ll tell you... on a better day."
Gavriel’s reply was simple, but it held a far darker meaning that Aliana was no fool to take lightly.
After they arrived home, Aliana stepped into their bedroom before tiredly making her way to the walk-in closet to leave her handbag and take off her heels.
Gavriel followed her into the room just as she removed her blazer, exposing the slender slope of her shoulders above the long black business dress.
Without looking behind her, Aliana reached for her zipper when a hand came to cover hers.
She paused, hearing him murmur, "Let me."
Silently, she dropped her hands to her sides and felt him step closer before the smooth drag of her zipper sliding down filled the silence.
He was not even touching her skin yet, but a nest of butterflies fluttered in her stomach the moment the cool air kissed her bare back.
Her breathing hitched when the back of his fingers brushed against her spine. And felt him lean over her shoulder, his fingers gingerly pulling the straps of her dress down before he pressed a lingering kiss near her neck.
A soft gasp escaped her lips when he dragged his wicked mouth to her earlobe, nibbling it gently.
"Gavriel," she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed at the sensation as she leaned back against him.
He pulled her dress down until it pooled beneath her feet, leaving her in nothing but her black lacy lingerie.
Letting his hands roam across her flat stomach, he leaned in and whispered against her skin, "Bathe with me."
He did not even wait for her to respond.
In the next second, he scooped her into his arms, bridal style, before walking into the expansive bathroom and placing her gently on the sink counter.
Wordlessly, she watched him with desire-filled eyes as he walked over to the large bathtub and turned on the faucet, allowing the water to begin filling it.
One by one, he dropped in custom-made bath bombs crafted from natural ingredients that he preferred, filling the room with a calming, refreshing scent that reminded her of the forest after the rain, making her briefly close her eyes.
When she opened them again, Gavriel was standing in front of her.
But that wasn’t all.
To her surprise, in that short span of time, he had already discarded every piece of clothing, revealing his sculpted physique for her hungry eyes to admire.
Wordlessly, he stepped closer to her, only for her to lift her hand and rest it against his chest. She slowly trailed her palm downward, passing over his tight abs until it reached the V of his tapered waist that led to his glaring arousal.
Once again, that scandalous thought crept into her mind, and she unconsciously licked her lower lip.
This time, however, Gavriel caught the subtle gesture, and his eyes darkened as he understood exactly where her thoughts had wandered.
A rush of thrill washed over him at the thought of claiming that pretty mouth of hers.