Chapter 3

Leilani

“So, there’s this new model the company’s working on and that’s why I’m here with the rest of my team,” Adonis said, squaring his intense gaze on me.

My belly quivered but I tried my best to seem unaffected by his proximity. And that god-damned mesmerizing smile of his. We were having lunch together, and I had sent Neil a text earlier informing him that Adonis had arrived. Thankfully, he was no longer shirtless.

But sweet sin, the thin black shirt he had on now was worse than the previous one. This one clung to every dip and contour of his biceps and toned torso. It even had a hoodie thingy that he pulled over his head, gazing at me with electricity in his dark eyes.

“Neil mentioned you’re pretty good with cars,” I took a bite of my apple. And froze when his gaze dropped to my mouth. Why does he keep looking at me like that? It was making me nervous.

“Yeah,” He nodded, crossing his arms loosely, big and broad in his seat, with his long legs spread.

“Neil said you both used to race when you were younger, I remember he said you always got him in trouble,” A genuine smile crossed my lips at the expression on Neil’s face when he had told me about it.

Adonis let out a low chuckle, flashing perfect white teeth. “Nah, he was just a chicken. We used to race, alright. But I was way better at it. I’ve always loved cars,”

I laughed and tossed Chase a piece from my plate. As my laughter died down, there was a sudden silence in the kitchen. And I felt my face heat again knowing his eyes were accessing me. Like, does he realize how uncomfortable he’s making me? Or is it just something that he does?

Meet his gaze, a voice in my mind suggested. But just thinking of doing that made my pulse stutter. If it were Neil, or any other man, gazing at me so intently, I would meet their gaze without hesitation. But what is it about Adonis?

He’s off-limits yet you want to fuck him. That’s why.

Hell no! I don’t want to fuck him. He’s just very attractive, and it’s natural for an attractive man to make me feel a kind of way. Besides, he’s my fiancé's step-brother.

Exactly. It’s wrong. But that’s what makes it exciting.

No. I lost my bearings because I never expected him to be so sexy. But now, I’ll get used to it and move on with my life. I am engaged to Neil. All other men are off-limits. Including Adonis. I was sure I had won the internal battle with my conscience and I looked back up with resolve. But that resolve faltered drastically when I met his gaze again.

“Tell me about yourself, Leilani,” He said in dulcet tones, that deep voice caressing my name sensually.

I blinked, and my hand stroked the lock of hair that fell across my chest. “Um. I-”

The sudden clicking of heels cut me off -not like I really had anything to say- and a slim figure walked into the kitchen. The swaying lady with short blonde hair and sharp dark eyes was unmistakable. It was Brooke. I raised my eyebrows at my business manager, wondering why she was here when we just spoke on a call not too long ago.

“Hey Leila, hey Chase,” She grinned, moving her hand to pet the huge German shepherd but he growled in warning. He never really liked her. She moved away with a startling jolt. “Uh, I met the front door half open and-”

Whatever explanation she planned on giving died prematurely as she turned and her eyes landed on Adonis. Her mouth dropped, literally popped open like that of a gaping fish. He stared at her right back from the shadows of his hoodie, still reclining confidently in his seat. My eyes widened slightly when his eyes brazenly raked down Brooke’s body, taking in her appearance with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

If I was surprised, Brooke was blown away. Her cheeks were red and she could tell she was trying to stay cool and collected.

“Um,” I cleared my throat lightly, the air in the kitchen suddenly felt hot. And that hotness has nothing to do with the weather. “Brooke, this is Neil's step-brother, and Adonis, this is my business manager,”

I did the introductions, trying to get Brooke to look at me, but she was still trapped in Adonis’ gaze. I really couldn’t even blame her.

She closed her mouth and pressed her lips together as if trying to gather her bearings. “Nice to meet you, Adonis,” She said, stretching out a hand. Her voice came out clear and firm but a little breathy. She still didn’t take her eyes off him.

Neither did he. He took her hand in his, completely enveloping it with his large one, and squeezed briefly. “My pleasure,” His magnetic voice said through a mesmerizing smile that slowly appeared on his handsome face.

My breath caught. What the hell is going on here?

And it seemed like there was a naughty promise hidden in those words. With just one look at Brooke, I could tell she was flustered, though she hid it pretty well.

He let her hand go and leaned back in his seat.

A nagging thought echoed through my mind. Did he just flirt with her? Or was he just being polite? With Adonis, you really couldn’t tell. The lines were all blurred. He had a way of doing things that made me think of something really dirty.

Brooke finally looked at me, eyes still slightly wide. “Uh…I came to discuss something really important. I couldn’t do it over the phone,”

“Oh. Sure. You can wait in the living room, I’ll be right with you,” I got up from my seat.

She nodded and turned, eyes flicking in Adonis’ direction as she took a step forward, almost bumping into Chase. He growled in warning again. Brooke gasped and stepped back.

“Chase,” I called. He ignored me, shooting a canine glare at Brooke. They really did not like each other. At least Brooke tried to be friendly sometimes, but Chase? He had no problem with making her uncomfortable.

“Is this dog generally a jerk or what?” Adonis arched an eyebrow at me, an amused glint in his eyes. I was still thinking of how to reply when he held Brooke’s wrist in his hand -that large masculine hand- and pulled her closer to his seat so she could walk past Chase's huge body without earning herself another growl.

A weird feeling pooled in my gut.

“Oh, thanks,” Brooke sounded breathless as she tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. I could swear she was blushing tomato red even though I couldn’t see her face from where I stood. Chase growled again for some reason and Brooke jolted, accidentally rubbing her ass against Adonis’ biceps.

My eyes widened as that weird sensation grew in my guts. Brooke gasped. “Sorry!” She sounded really flustered. And I had never heard her sound like that before.

Adonis let out a sexy chuckle. For some reason, she looked back at him, smiling, and then walked through the doorway, the sound of her giggles accompanying the clicks of her high heels.

I stood there like some invisible statue, and then when Adonis looked at me, I slid my gaze back to the table as I gathered the plates. That feeling still churned within. It felt familiar.

“Your business manager huh?” His seductive intonation seemed thoughtful.

“Hm,” I responded, turning towards the sink.

“What’s your business though?”

I paused at the sink, feeling his gaze on me, and for the first time, I started feeling conscious about my choice of clothing. That man's gaze made me feel naked. And the body-hugging clothes that clung to my buttocks and breasts were not really helping matters.

“I own a lingerie and bikini line,” I said softly, turning around.

His eyes heated. Taking in my appearance as if he was just seeing me. “That sounds fucking sexy,” A smirk accompanied his words and I felt my cheeks heat.

Did he just- did he…?

Holy fuck! He is so fucking naughty!

His gleaming eyes never left mine. “Does Brooke also model for you?”

The warm fuzzy feelings in my cheeks died abruptly when I heard him say her name. Was this about her? He was thinking of her in lingerie? I suddenly realized what that odd feeling in my guts was. It was jealousy. Jealousy!

Wait. What?

Why would Adonis make me jealous? Because he flirted with Brooke? What the hell is happening to me?

I realized he was waiting for an answer. “No. I have girls who do that,” I moved back to the table to gather some more plates. Chase pawed my feet, wriggling in front of me, trying to catch my attention. I sighed. He was blocking the way with his massive form.

“Move,” I prodded him. He stuck out his tongue, panting but not moving an inch. I sighed again and leaned down, across him to gather the plates in front of Adonis. But Adonis’ hand was there first, and I ended up holding his hand instead. Jolts sizzled through my arm and straight to the sensitive spot between my thighs.

The electricity of his touch was overwhelming. Staggering. My eyes moved to meet his hypnotizing ones and my heart started to race. He looked so fucking handsome.

His eyes trailed over my ponytail spilling down my shoulders and then down to my…breasts? I inhaled sharply, remembering I was wearing clothes that showed a lot of cleavages and bending down like this, right in front of his face was giving him a very sexy view.

Shit!

I pulled my hand away and straightened back up, still feeling the electricity of his touch buzzing in my skin.

“Let me help with these,” He motioned to the plates and got up from his seat, deftly gathering them.

“Okay,” My voice was a whisper. I still couldn’t understand what just happened. Peeling my eyes away from him, I moved to the sink and dropped the plates gently.

What are you doing, Leilani? My conscience whispered in panic. I closed my eyes briefly and opened them again, wishing I would understand this crazy effect Adonis had over me. We literally just met an hour ago. He is literally family.

“Where can I keep this?” Adonis asked, raising an unused mug. It looked so small in his hand. His clingy black shirt complimented his skin so nicely. I really couldn’t stop staring.

“Over there,” I replied distractedly, motioning to a spot by my side. And then realized that for him to place the mug over there, he had to get really close to me. Like in-my-space kind of close. That was dangerous. I opened my mouth, glancing sideways to tell him to pass it over instead but it was too late. He was coming. Dangerous and close.

My breath hitched and I snapped my head forward to stare at the faucet wide-eyed. He stepped right behind me and I felt all my feminine instincts erupt to full attention. His warm, unique, and male scent filled my nostrils and my skin pebbled. He stepped in really close, moving his hand carefully to place the mug down. I had completely stopped breathing. I could feel his body heat now, his raw testosterone and if I dared move, my ass would press into him. Oh shit…!

Now that he was so close, so so close, I realized the real difference in our body mass. He was so big, he would completely wrap his arms around me and I’d be completely and utterly helpless. He would feel so delicious.

He moved backward and stepped towards the table, and I released a quiet breath, knees slightly trembling with the tense attraction that sizzled when he stood right behind me. I closed my eyes, trying to mentally talk back some sense into my brain. I had to stop feeling these crazy sensations. It was stupid and irresponsible.

I would never hurt Neil.

This had to stop.