Chapter 89
[Music: Fire By Barns Courtney]
God! I shouldn’t be drooling at him in this situation, but I was. Ares King, in a linen shirt, trousers, and leather slippers, was an appetizer before the main course.
Ares took his phone down and walked in like the calmness of the sea before the storm, keeping his eyes only on me as if nothing else mattered.
I rose to my feet, no longer caring about any other shit. When he got close, I placed my hands on his broad shoulder and pressed my lips against his in a soft but passionate connection.
My stiff body relaxed when he kissed me right back with the same intensity. His hand sank into my hair and angled it in a desired position so that our kiss deepened, altering into something more heated than I planned.
We were basically making out at this point, and his tongue tasted every inch of my mouth until I could feel a trail of saliva running down my chin.
I completely forgot we were in the presence of his dad, not until he pulled away.
His eyes raked me from head to toe, slow and patient as if to check for any bruise or mark.
“I’m fine,” I said softly.
It took a moment before his attention turned to the money on the table, and then his dad, who had a frown twisted on his face. Even though the look was scary, I was more than happy to see that disapproval.
“You crossed a line,” Ares uttered.
“What line p>
“Meeting my wife without my knowledge p>
“She came here at her own free will,” Isaac said, smirking. “No one forced her p>
“Only because of that snarky butler!” I yelled, before chewing the inside of my mouth at my outburst.
Ares kept his gaze on Isaac, who did the same, and it was almost like they were throwing words without so much as moving their mouths.
Wild.
Elias struck his cane on the floor, and I flinched.
“You can’t just come in here and throw accusations. I won’t tolerate that p>
“Neither would I tolerate this. Careful, father, you’re not long for this world. Every moment matters p>
“Is that a threat p>
“You may have power… but the limits are clear.” Elias took his glass in hand. “A wolf can howl without striking p>
“That doesn’t mean it won’t Ares led me out of the room, leaving whatever heat that was spiraling in there.
Before the door closed, I could feel Elias’ icy gaze on us. This wasn’t over. Those words were like a mantra in my head.
My shaky nerves began to have a grip on itself, and my speeding heart beat was much better to endure. They say meeting the in-laws was always an unnerving moment, but this was like a knife at my throat, or better yet, a gun pointed at my head.
I increased my pace until I was leading the way, but the next second, I slowed down before stopping, hands on my waist, feeling several things I can’t keep up with.
I sighed heavily, eyes closing briefly. “Your family is borderline dysfunctional p>
I faced him. “It’s not like I was expecting this to be easy. You’re a King, and that clearly means something these days. I’m not talking about rich people shit. This is chaotic p>
“I was either gonna piss myself in there or jump out the window. Either way, it wasn’t gonna end well. What’s the use of complaining? I signed up for this p>
“Isaac. Did he harm you in any way p>
“Actually… it was the opposite. I slapped him for running that mouth of his p>
It took two beats before an unbelievable smile stretched his lip, and his dimples crinkled into his cheek.
“That’s my girl,” he murmured.
My breathing hitched, and as he ate the distance between us, I didn’t move.
“Just so you know, if it weren’t for that contract, I would have taken the money p>
“Is that so p>
“A girl gotta dream p>
“To avoid any temptation, I’ll triple it p>
“Keep flashin’ that money of yours, and I might consider being your contract wife for more than a year.” I swirled to leave, but his hand grasped my waist and pulled me back against his solid chest.
I froze in place when his hand locked tightly on my neck, not to show his dominance, but something else between the lines I couldn’t describe.
“Don’t give me ideas he murmured as his lips touched the side of my cheek. “I might keep you p>
There was a darkness in his tone, almost like a warning.
I swallowed a lump in my throat, more shaken than I was in that room, and he doesn’t have a gun to my head.
“T-That sounds more like a threat than a suggestion p>
“Depends on how you view it p>
“I think Ares King, keeping me, is an invite to the end of the world p>
I felt his lips stretched against my skin.
“And here I thought working for you was I added, turning to face him. “This won’t get any easier, will it p>
I referred to what happened in that room as well as last night’s ordeal.
Ares tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “You won’t meet my father again, I’ll make sure of that p>
“How can you be so sure p>
“Because he’s starting to buy our act p>
Right. That kiss in front of him was an act, except I wasn’t really sure I was acting. I was simply overhyped by the thought of seeing Ares, and the only thing I could think about was having his lips on mine.
“Come with me.” He walked to move, but I quickly grabbed his hand and intertwined it with mine.
Ares eyed it like it was the most bizarre thing he had ever seen.
“Elias is very suspicious. It’s gonna take a whole lot to convince him otherwise p>
He pulled me closer to stand by his side as his grip tightened around mine. I smiled. I had a feeling he liked this.