Fortune Favors The Bold

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: TOO LATE

Sadness overwhelmed her heart as Alaya stared in a pair of olive-green eyes which beheld the sincerest expression. She wished they weren’t so beautiful, that she had no trouble resisting that gorgeous man, but she did. He was eye-candy, the best-looking man she’d ever come across with.

It wasn’t just about his looks though, the way he struggled to hide his vulnerabilities from the world was endearing. And irresistible.

But it was time for her to face the truth – he was all wrong for her. They were both heading in different directions, they both had difference priorities in life. The case was not just a hurdle, it was just a reality that couldn’t be avoided.

In retrospection, she figured he wasn’t doing such a bad thing after all, it was what Nik or Alek or any of her brothers would have done for her, without question. So, who was she to judge him for protecting his family?

But being with him tended to blur things for her, she got to keep her priorities right. If she f*cked this off, there was no second chances for her – she was going to make it to Detective Sergeant to prove to her father that glass ceilings were a myth.

“You don’t have to promise me anything, don’t you see? I get it alright. I mean I would have probably done the same thing if I were in your shoes. I would protect my family with my life, but I don’t want you messing with my head. I need objectivity to be able to do my job.”

“I swear I am not here to prevent you from doing your job,” he retorted back. “I am here to help you. We’re a good team, why can’t you see it?” he protested vehemently.

“No, you think you’re helping me but you’re only complicating my life by getting involved. I will no longer deal with you personally about the case. I am biased and it’s not good for the case.”

He tsked. “For your career, you mean?”

She c****d her eyebrows unapologetically at him. “I never hid my ambition, and I am not going to apologize for being career-minded. This is not something a man would ever have to regret. I’m going to achieve my goals either way.”

The determined expression in her eyes must have told him that she wasn’t joking. That she meant whatever she said. It wasn’t just about the case anymore. There was more on the line for her.

“But I don’t even care if I’m on the case anymore if you don’t stop pressurizing or harassing me. I mean it Adonis. No more f*cking around!”

A loud sigh sounded in the room, and Alaya felt like the argument wasn’t going anywhere. Adonis was as headstrong as her. They would never see eye to eye in anything, which was part of his charm, but she couldn’t afford any more distractions during the case.

With an abrupt movement, she stood up, and caught her coat from the back of his chair to walk away from him.

“I am serious here Adonis. I don’t have a perfect life like you all paved out for me. Some of us have to struggle to make our own way in this big bad world. So, I would ask you to stay away from me. If you still want to be on the case, I advise you speak to my colleagues as from now.”

“Yah run away like you always do! That’s the best thing you can do anyway,” he lashed out furiously, and she turned around to face him with seething anger.

“I am not running away!” she shouted furiously.

“Oh yeah? Are you sure this has nothing to do with what’s going on between us? Are you seriously telling me now that you’re not fleeing from me because you’re scared shitless of what’s going to happen for us?”

“There is no us!” she protested loudly, her heart jackhammering in her chest at his words. He couldn’t be further from the truth. She didn’t give a damn about him. “I am afraid of anything, and I got nothing to prove to you.” She was still enunciating on the words and completely missed the fact that he was grabbing her near, plastering his lips over hers.

And just like that, all her bravery evaporated into thin air as she adjusted against his, tongue lashing out to mesh with his in a hunger she couldn’t contain. Everything was so complicated with him. Why had he appeared in her life so out of the blue and messed all her laid-out plans? Why?

But when his lips invaded hers in that possessive manner, there wasn’t much she could do about it. He didn’t need to ask, her body melted voluntarily against him, willing to serve and serve herself. Shamelessly.

Arching her back, she thrusted her breasts towards him in a desperate to rub them against his broad chest. His body looked rock solid from outside, but she knew how it felt under her fingers. Like that of a marble statue, hard and uncompromising but yet so soft and pliant. The intimacy of feeling his skin was too tempting, and she unbuttoned his shirt in frantic haste.

It worsened. Instead of dousing the fire consuming her, all she could think of now was about him sinking deep inside her. Like last time. She heaved a huge sigh of relief when he grabbed her breasts through her blouse.

Adonis knew exactly what she needed.

His hands worked surely on the buttons of her blouse, and she encouraged him by nipping his shoulder as she desperately required him to ease that hunger gnawing at her. Nothing mattered anymore.

When his hands moved to probe inside her skirt, moving the offensive garment up, she nearly swooned in relief. Swinging her into his arms, he settled her over something solid behind her and placed her in a position where she was the perfect height. They automatically found the missionary position.

He nudged his way between her thighs and lifted her hips away from the table to give her a few seconds to remove her panties. Which she did acting in perfect synchrony with him. What was ironical was that no matter how she’d protested that they were different, this was one thing they really connected to.

As he sunk into her, she felt her whole being tremble under him, and was glad that she was somehow being supported by something solid otherwise she would have sunk to the ground or something. He really plunged all the way inside her, and the pleasure which hit her came from everywhere.

And he wasn’t even moving inside her yet.

“You okay?” he asked roughly, and she stared into his eyes with a nod. A lock of hair had dislodged from his forehead, and even in that sweaty disposition, he managed to look sexy and gorgeous.

“Hmm-hmm,” she said, biting her lips in anticipation of what was about to come. She really didn’t know why he was taking it so slow this time, but it felt like he was savoring the instance.

When he was assured, he removed his length from inside her, and plunged deeply inside once again, hitting her G-spot. She nearly buckled as starlight exploded in her head, and she held on to the edge of the table to welcome more.

“More,” she moaned in languid wantonness. “Please, more,” she nearly begged in helplessness. “More.”

The movements became more fluid, more urgent as he started to increase the pace of his thrusts. Her toes curled in pure pleasure as something more fundamental started to build inside her shaking her whole foundation.

Adonis Fortune had inadvertently become someone so important in her life that there was no place to hide anymore. She was in love with him.

It was with that revelation that her orgasm came, she cried out in total abandon allowing the pleasure to rake over her, shattering every lies she’d been telling herself lately. This wasn’t just about s*x. This wasn’t just about the case. This was all about the man himself.

This time as well, she had to bite her lips to prevent the truth from spilling out of her in the most inopportune way possible. A sudden jolt flung Alaya back to life. Her consciousness returned and she realized with surprise that she was in her office.

Naked with her back against her work desk. All her papers were scattered all over the floor – when the hell had all that happen? What the hell had she been thinking? Had her brains been functioning at all?

As awakening went, this was a terribly rude one and she resisted the urge to bury her face somewhere. Out of pure shame. But how could she hide from herself?

It was time to go. Time to put back her clothes and get things going. Would she ever get over that insane desire she felt for him? It felt almost like her fingers were tingling whenever he was around.

Without a word, she nudged his shoulder, an unspoken demand for him to move. He jumped off quickly probably afraid that his weight was crushing her, but she really needed to escape to get her thoughts together.

She started to dress, and he watched her for a while not interrupting or offering a single comment. Alaya knew that there was a storm brewing, and it was just the eye before hell broke loose. She wasn’t sure she could handle him right now, she was still processing the news that she’d fallen in love with the wrong man.

Talk about being totally stupid. Or masochist.

When she was fully dressed, and he still hadn’t spoken a single word, she glanced furtively in his direction. He was gloriously naked, propped against his hand supported on his elbow, looking at her dispassionately.

“So, is that it? Are you really going to walk out right now?” he drawled silkily, and in mutinous rebellion, she threw her jacket over her shoulder before walking out of the office right under his nose.

Once alone in the elevator, she had all the time in the world to hit her palm against her forehead out of sheer self-recrimination. What was she doing? Hooking up with him right after breaking up wasn’t exactly credible. She was a homicide detective for Christ’s sake, she should know better.

What was wrong with her?

Head still filled with regrets, she drove to her apartment still trying to arrange her thoughts to make a decision. It wasn’t happening. Absent-mindedly, she turned the keys of her door without paying attention. The keys fell from her trembling hands, and she wriggled her way inside in an ungraceful manner.

Once inside, she felt marginally better. Her familiar sanctuary brought her a certain amount of control, but it was short-lived.

Her breath was knocked out of her body when somebody grabbed her from behind, gagging her mouth with a hand when she was about to scream the whole town down. It was no use, just as she was about to kick her attacker in the shin, she was efficiently blocked, and fear gripped her heart as she realized that her opponent was no wimp.