The Ultimate Chance-Chapter 54

"What’s so fun about sleeping in my car when you can stay here?" He changed his mind before she could decide to take the car just to keep her pride. Besides, she was likely to take the car and return to Imperium on the first chance she got, leaving him stranded in Deciville.

"You like doing that, don’t you?" She wanted to argue with him but was too cold to do so, and the thought of a hot shower was too inviting to turn down. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Seeing that she had accepted the room, the concierge dashed away as fast as she could before another argument could break out about her dislike for the room.

"Would you like to take a shower? You can join me." He took off his coat and then his shirt, leaving her speechless. "I’ve been working out." He bragged when he saw her flabbergasted eyes running up and down his abs.

"Uhm, Damon," she cleared her throat. "I really appreciate that you made the effort to ensure we had a place to stay in case a storm happened, but you also knew what to expect. You had the time to choose separate rooms but you didn’t so let’s not pretend we didn’thave a choice but to lump ourselves up in the same room, okay?"

"What’s your point?" He knew where she was going with her lecture.

"Let’s respect each other’s space. You can’t walk around naked like that." She pointed at his torso.

"Because it might accidentally spark something you thought was dead? An ember of feelings, perhaps?"

She shook her head helplessly. "Not everything is about you, narcissist. I just don’t want my vision filled with bare skin while I try to work, thank you very much." She brushed past him to her room.

All her clothes were soaked through and although the AC had just been turned on and the room was yet to warm up, it was much better in comparison to her clothes. So she stripped down to nothing and stepped into the bathroom. The warm water running down her skin felt like heaven and she shut her eyes to savor it—until unwelcome thoughts invaded her mind. Thoughts of the shirtless Damon in the shower with her...she opened her eyes and caught herself just in time to stop her mind from running wild.

He wasn’t wrong about her attraction towards him. She would have to be a robot to not have any feelings for a man like him, but he had her in his charm once and he didn’t hesitate to hurt her. He could very well do it again.

...

Her legs were numb by the time she got out of the shower and when she realized all she had to wear was a towel, she was on the verge of running mad. How could she not remember she would need a change of clothes?

She covered herself with the towel and it barely covered her butt. There was no way she could stay in the same suite with a man while only wearing this. As soon as she was back in her room, she gave him a call. The idiot must have known what she needed because he ignored her call.

Sure enough, he was in the living area when she went to find him, and unlike her, he was fully clothed and probably warm. He knew to bring his own change of clothes yet he... She sauntered over to him and grabbed at his t-shirt.

"Whoa! Are you trying to undress me?" He was more puzzled than amused. Why would Avery ever want to undress him while covered in nothing but a tiny towel?

"Take it off!" She ordered, and he did. Then she did the last thing he would ever expect. She slid it on her and pulled the towel from underneath it. "That’s better."

"Yet I’m supposedly the stubborn one." He glanced at her wearing his t-shirt which was at least two sizes too large, and covered half of her thighs. A chuckle left his lips. She might look tall wearing six inch high heels but in his t-shirt, barefoot, she looked tiny.

"What’s so funny?"

"It’s hard to believe that this helpless little woman is the very one that has been ruling my mind. Can you even imagine it?"

"I can’t. Can you?" She threw his own words at him.

"Yet I’m supposedly the stubborn one." He was amazed by how she could keep a straight face while knowing she was wrong.

She sat down opposite him and idly picked up a file. "This is nothing like I expected. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. It’s just..."

"You miss Angel." He saw right through her. "You’re worried about him."

"Yes."

It was expected. "I knew you would, so I promised him we’d video chat before his bedtime."

"You did what?" She found it odd that he was so prepared. "You knew all along we would be stuck here. Am I wrong for thinking your car didn’t naturally break down?"

"It did." He chuckled when she gave him an untrusting look. "Fine, I may have had a word with the mechanic so he’d slow everything down by two and a half hours. But who can blame me? It was worth a shot if I get to see you like this."

She looked down at her exposed thighs and placed the file on her lap to cover up. "Don’t get used to it. If I see the concierge anywhere, I’m getting some new clothes. Or maybe I could just order some."

"Feel free to use my card while, you know, your parents unfreeze your accounts." He poked fun at her.

"Shut up." She poked him. She was yet to uncover what had happened that caused her card to be rejected. "Who the hell is that man anyway? I had Mina run a background check on him and it’s as if right after leaving the hotel, he simply vanished."

"Never heard of him." He quickly steered away from the topic. "Probably some mama’s boy who thought it was a good idea to throw his name and stupidity around. Not that he matters. Your dinner’s almost here. I hope you’re in the mood for some oriental wings."

"I’d never ask for anything else." She stood. "I’ll get some work done while we wait."

She could have simply left the room but she made sure to circle the desk, tap his shoulder and slide her finger down his bare back. "You look good."

That was a first.

....

For the first time in five years, they had stayed in the same room for more than an hour without her vowing to kill him.

She’d brought her files to work at the same table with him, and although her aim was to catch up on work, she would end up staring at him every few minutes.

When he caught her for the fourth time, she pretended to be reading and gave up. "Sorry, you just...look different." She confessed. "You seem different. And your shirtless state isn’t helping much so you, know, hard to focus."

"Do you need me to cover up?" He offered.

"No, no. It’s okay. I’m the one who needs to ensure I’m not distracted or tempted." She giggled, which was a relief because he was not planning to put a shirt on anyway.

"Your tattoo," she brought up the snake he had noticed on his back earlier. "Does it mean anything?"

He looked over at her, making her panic. "I don’t mean to intrude. You hated snakes, that’s all."

"Things change. I had one as a pet." He stood and walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink, which she took a sign that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

"I’m sorry for your loss." She shut her files and snuck up behind him. He inhaled deeply when she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his back.

"Why are you doing this?" He knew it had nothing to do with her wanting to.

"You’re right. I shouldn’t be." She let go and picked up a glass, then joined him at the floor to ceiling window where he was gazing out at the downpour. "Care to share some?"

"Sure." He poured her some of the wine he had selected. "I’m in a dream. That, I’m sure of."

"Why won’t you believe it’s real?" She clinked their glasses and took a sip.

"You, standing this close to me and sharing a bottle of wine? No, that kind of thing only happens in dreams. You’ve been wanting to strangle me ever since you saw me in that amusement park, Avery."

"Maybe a storm is all you need. If the only other option is to let myself die in a storm, I’d rather stay in your suite...and it’s impolite to just ignore you."

"Not the kind of reason I like to hear but I’ll take it." He looked down at her. She was gazing out at the rain but she looked up when she heard his words, and their eyes met.

He inched closer and she didn’t move, her blue eyes looking deeply into his as they communicated the words she would never let out of her mouth. Her lips trembled as the distance between them shrunk inch by inch, and when the doorbell rang, they were both startled back to their senses.

"I think our food arrived." He stepped away from the window first. "I’ll go grab it."

"Of course." She tucked her hair behind her ear. What would she have done if the doorbell didn’t ring? Kiss the man she hated with her entire being?