The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 45: R18: Jealous.

Nicolette gasped as Lucian’s mouth found the top of her breasts.

"Fucking stop it!" she mumbled against his hand clamped over her mouth, struggling to break free from his grip. He didn’t even budge—and that terrified her. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Think.

Her mind raced, scrambling for ideas.

She had to act fast. She couldn’t let him touch her anywhere else.

When Lucian’s mouth moved to her other cleavage, she froze. Panic surged through her.

"You’re so delicious," he said, voice hoarse with lust. He pressed himself harder against her, and her stomach twisted with disgust.

Think.

And then it clicked.

She relaxed slightly, allowing him to believe she was giving in, feeling his sloppy spit trailing on her skin.

It worked.

Lucian’s grip loosened, and slowly, his hands dropped. He lifted his head, his eyes softened with something almost tender.

If she didn’t know he was a piece of shit, she might have believed him.

"You know—"

She didn’t let him finish. Her knee shot up to his crotch and made a solid contact.

Lucian grabbed his balls, but he didn’t go down like she had expected, so she gave him another one.

This time he dropped, and she scrambled to escape, to flee his disgusting touch. But he caught her arms.

"What the—"

How the hell did he still have the strength to hold her down?

She squirmed, trying to free herself, but his grip was too strong. Panic simmered inside her.

Damn, she was too weak for this fight.

Lucian held her as he slowly recovered from the blow. He straightened up, and instead of anger, the lust in his eyes only deepened.

"You’re too feisty... and I love it." He laughed, the sound scraping across her skin like sandpaper.

"You’re a sick man," she spat, though her voice wavered with panic, low and unconvincing.

Lucian chuckled and his eyes fell to her lips.

She knew what was coming.

She quickly braced herself.

Lucian lowered his mouth to hers, and she bit him.

Quick. Hard.

He hadn’t expected it, and that gave her the leverage she needed. She shoved him with everything she had, and he staggered.

Her heart leapt with joy as his grip loosened.

Just as she successfully left Lucian, she met Alaric in the hallway.

"Alaric," she gasped, a wave of surprise rushing through her.

He had seen that? Why didn’t he help?

Alaric stood there, his eyes sharp with fury that pierced her unexpectedly, making her heart plummeted.

Before either of them could speak, Lucian joined them. Nicolette watched as Alaric’s burning gaze shifted to Lucian.

If looks could kill, Nicolette was certain Lucian would be dead.

"Mr. Allens," Lucian said, standing so close to her. She could almost feel his hand reaching for hers. "Congratulations on the wedding." His tone dripped with amusement and mockery.

Alaric caught it too and his jaw clenched. "Thank you," he replied, his voice as cold as ice.

Lucian stepped forward, extending a hand. "Lucian Crawford. We haven’t met."

Nicolette watched as Alaric’s eyes flickered with realization, before anger took over them again.

Alaric’s gaze lingered on Lucian’s hand.

One second.

Two.

Three.

Then he reached out and shook it.

"Nice to meet you," he said, the words sounded like they were rotten in his mouth.

Nicolette’s stomach sank.

The air between them thickened as their handshake lingered a little.

Both men stared at each other. She could almost smell the testosterone, the masculinity, the fight for dominance.

"Wonderful party," Lucian said, cracking first as he dropped his hand.

"Yeah." Alaric’s reply was emotionless.

Nicolette swallowed, her heart pounding. She didn’t even know how to react.

Her body was still tense from Lucian’s actions, and here was Alaric with a gaze as sharp as a knife.

If this tension lasted much longer, she would break.

"I think I’ll take my leave," Lucian said, smirking as he nodded at Alaric. Then he turned to Nicolette and lowered his mouth to her ear, "We have unfinished business. I’ll see you around, Lettie."

Nicolette clenched her fists, irritated by Lucian’s audacity.

How dare he do that—with Alaric standing right here?

She caught the twitch in Alaric’s expression just before his face hardened. "Thank you for coming."

If she had thought his tone was cold before, she was wrong. This was steel.

Lucian got the message and stepped back. He winked at Nicolette, earning a glare, then nodded once more at Alaric and left with his minions.

Once they were alone, Nicolette wrapped her arms around herself, her cheeks burning under Alaric’s glare.

"You couldn’t wait, huh?" he snapped. "You couldn’t wait until after the wedding before parading yourself like a..." he paused, his face twisting in disgust, his eyes smoldering, his voice echoing down the hallway, sharp and hollow.

Nicolette felt shame crept inside her even though she knew she had no reason to feel it.

Lucian was to blame. He had no right to show up, let alone try to touch her. At this point, she wasn’t even sure if he had come on his own or if her father had a hand in it.

How had he even gotten in?

Alaric stepped closer. She gasped as his eyes dropped to her body, lingering on her breasts.

Her stomach knotted with the look in his eyes. He was looking at her with so much revulsion, yet she could see the desire too.

Her legs tightened and she pressed them together.

Lucian had looked at her like this, but her body hadn’t reacted then.

Why was it different with Alaric?

He hissed, the sharp sound slicing the air. "Why did you change? My mother’s gown wasn’t slutty enough for you?"

She gasped at his insult.

"Oh, my bad," he added, mockingly placing a hand on his chest. "I should’ve had someone cut a slit down your chest so everyone could really see that cleavage!"

Shock rippled through her. "Alaric!"

His eyes flashed, and his voice turned more venomous. "Or better yet, I should’ve left you naked in the hallway when I had the chance—since you clearly want to show yourself to the whole damn world!"

Her shock turned into anger. She surged forward and struck him hard on the face. "Fuck you!"

He didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Like her slap was an insect bite. He simply tilted his head, eyes still burning.

"When? Or do I not get the chance?"

She blinked, hurt and furious. How dare he imply she was some kind of whore?

She clenched her fists, refusing to show how much it cut. "I’m done talking," she said and turned to leave.

But Alaric was faster. He grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Let me go!"

His grip loosened slightly, but he didn’t release her. He pulled her closer, his eyes glinting with anger.

Her knees nearly buckled at his touch, but she fought the reaction. She bit her lip to suppress the moan threatening to slip out.

"Let you go? So you can run off to another man?" he growled, his voice so harsh... yet so possessive. "A handjob for me, a kiss for Lucian—who gets to dive into your ocean next?"

She whimpered, his words slicing through her. She struggled, but even through the pain, her body betrayed her, reacting to his fucking touch.

Fuck, he was jealous.

And he couldn’t even hide it.

Own it.

Don’t let him see you break.

"Why do you care who dives into my ocean? I’m not your problem," she shot back.

His expression flickered with surprise, before the anger returned.

"But you are my problem," he said, his voice low. "I don’t need reporters whispering that my wife is screwing around on our wedding day."

She blinked.

Pain crawled inside her.

She struggled again, and he chuckled, clearly enjoying the control, enjoying her discomfort.

Rage surged in her. "Let me go. I don’t want to keep my fuckmate waiting."

Fury exploded in his eyes, and it made her gasp.

He yanked her closer. Tighter. So close that there was no space left between them.

"Let me go," she whined, her heart pounding at the look in his eyes.

His hand slid down to her waist, pressing her even closer to him, and she felt his arousal against her stomach.

Her eyes widened at the discovery.

"Oh, don’t flatter yourself," he sneered. "This dick would rise for anyone in such a gown."

"Fuck you!" she screamed, her voice finally cracking with pain.

"Oh, you will," he said darkly. "But first you’ll tell all the guests what you were doing with another man."

His face twisted with rage as he began dragging her back toward the wedding.

Nicolette gasped, a tear slipping down her cheek.