The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 31. Going Down The Rabbit Hole.

Nicolette gasped.

Alaric was too close to her.

Her mouth was just inches away from his.

He could smell the lavender on her skin, the heat radiating from within her.

It had taken more than common sense for him to make that request. Her reaction, her blush, the way she spoke, the way she looked at him—made everything so much harder. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

But he held back, refusing to be carried away by her charm...

"Mr. Allens..." she purred, and he looked down at her.

Her eyes widened with desire, and he knew, in that moment, that if he wanted to kiss her, she would let him.

But that would be going down the rabbit hole, wouldn’t it?

The last thing he wanted was commitment. He knew that Nicolette didn’t want that either.

But why was she this tempting?

So willing?

It was that willingness that confused him.

"The jacket, please," he said through gritted teeth. He needed to show anger, that was the only way he was getting out of this.

She blinked, then swallowed as she pulled the jacket off her shoulders. His eyes lingered on her exposed neck.

God.

He just wanted to bury his mouth in that hollow spot.

"Here," Nicolette said calmly, extending the jacket to him.

He didn’t need it. He just needed to take control before he lost it completely.

He took the jacket, his hand brushing hers just a second. She flinched, her face turning pink as she clutched the towel against her chest.

His stomach flipped at the sight.

If only that towel would give way to...

Before he could stop himself, Alaric pressed his arousal against her stomach, pushing her against the wall, cornering her.

She gasped at the sudden movement and for a moment, he lost his mind.

"Cole..." he breathed, crushing himself against her.

Her eyes gleamed with desire and a vulnerability that rocked him to his core.

He would be foolish not to give in to this feeling.

But he would also be a fool if he did.

He groaned, clinging to the last piece of common sense still nagging at him.

Nicolette reached out, her fingers almost touching his chest.

He knew that touch would be the softest he had ever felt. If he let her, that would be it—he’d surrender to this primal need burning inside him.

Which would it be, Alaric?

With another groan, he stepped away before she could touch him. He looked away, unable to stand the hurt in her dangerously beautiful eyes.

"Uhmm." He cleared his throat. "Sorry I disturbed your massage. Take care."

Without another word, he left the room quickly, without looking back.

"What have you done?" he muttered under his breath as he made his way to his study.

Once inside, Bagel ran up to him. Alaric tousled the dog’s fur. He walked to his mini-fridge and pulled out a fresh bottle of scotch.

He poured himself a glass and downed it at once. And then another.

Maybe the harsh taste of scotch would burn down the desire in his chest and in his legs.

He sank onto the couch, running a hand through his hair.

How had the conversation gone so off course?

Oh, he knew how.

Jealousy.

He had been jealous of the other men in Nicolette’s life, the ones he hadn’t even seen, the ones he shouldn’t even care about!

She had chosen to marry him.

Not her boyfriend.

And definitely not Lucian Crawford.

Yet, he couldn’t help it.

He sighed as he sipped his drink. The emotion clawing at him was unfamiliar... and unsettling.

She was only his for a year—correction; a year and six months.

But still...

His phone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. He reached for it, his heart squeezing as he remembered what had just transpired.

Without checking the screen, he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, how did it go?" It was Richard on the line.

Alaric stiffened, leaning back against the couch. That had been the point of going in there, to tell Nicolette that the contract was over, until the whole conversation spiraled.

His body squeezed with pleasure as his mind drifted to the image of her curves—how soft she’d looked from where he stood.

That had been the beginning of the whole encounter.

He’d seen her ass, and desire had started building right then.

She had suggested a solution, and that had gotten him excited.

Then the jealousy. The thought of Lucian and the boyfriend had sprang up emotions, and he had acted on them.

"Alaric? Are you there?"

Richard’s voice came sharply in his ears, snapping him out of thought again.

"Yes," he replied, rubbing his face with his palms. Bagel lay lazily at his feet.

"I asked how it went?" Richard said, his voice tingled with concern. "Did she flare up?"

"No," he sighed. "She gave me an even better solution. We’ve having our wedding tomorrow, and she’s debunking the whole news with our pictures."

"Oh, Alaric." Richard’s voice dropped, and Alaric wasn’t sure if it was out of excitement or disappointment. "You can’t do that."

Ah disappointment.

"Do what? It solves all of our problems. The contract continues," Alaric replied.

"But it also sends the wrong message," Richard countered. "You’re telling the world she’s against her own father."

"Who cares?" Alaric snapped. "He went to the media first. If he was thinking clearly, he wouldn’t have announced his daughter’s marriage without her consent."

Richard went silent and Alaric knew he had struck a nerve.

"I know you’re looking out for me, Richy," he said, softening his tone. "But you know I need this."

"Right," Richard sighed. "I understand. So what plans are in place?"

Alaric relaxed a bit at Richard’s calmer voice. "Stelle’s handling everything."

"Alright. I’ll be at the house early."

"Thanks, Richard. Your support means a lot," he said genuinely.

"You’re welcome," Richard chuckled. "And don’t forget to call your mom. She’s been blowing up my phone."

Alaric frowned. "Mine too. I’ll call her later."

"Alright then. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Alaric said and ended the call.

When he dropped his phone, images of Nicolette’s body rushed back, and his body tensed again.

Bagel came closer, and Alaric scratched his head. "It’s going to be a long night for daddy. Come, let’s go to bed."

He stood, finished his drink, and left the study. On his way to his room, he spotted the masseur exiting Nicolette’s.

Before he could act on his feelings, he quickly turned to his room. It wasn’t entirely late, but he realized he would rather sleep his erection away than face Nicolette again.

He set Bagel’s bed by the foot of his own and stripped out of his clothes. Wearing nothing except a hard-on, he crossed to the bathroom and took a cold shower.

But instead of washing away his desire, the water made it worse.

Maybe sleep would take his mind off her.

He dried off, pulled on a pair of shorts, and climbed into bed.

But sleep refused to come. He kept turning and tossing, unable to stay still.

His mind wouldn’t let go of the image of her eyes, that look of desire in them, or the ravaging need to see what was beneath her towel.

After what felt like forever, he finally gave in.

He sat up, his chest heaving. Before he could change his mind, before common sense stopped him again, he got up and walked to Nicolette’s room.

He knocked and waited.

A few seconds passed, and then she opened the door.

She was in a sheer pink gown, and he could see all the curves of her body. Her eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Allens..."

He stepped forward, completely consumed by desire.

"What... are you doing here?" she asked, her voice trembling.

She stepped back, trying to keep some distance between them, but the movement drew his attention to her hardened nipples, and that was all it took.

Without thinking, Alaric pulled her closer and captured her lips.