Chapter 132: Fierce and Unruly
Alex's voice dropped, sharp and deliberate: "You don't know when to stop, do you?"
Lila's eyes flickered to his, catching the fierce intensity burning there.
"I was just…" she began, her voice soft, almost like she was making a harmless excuse. Yet every syllable dripped with something else... something darker, teasing. "…curious," she finished, letting the word linger.
But the thrill in her gaze betrayed her carefully measured words. Her pupils were wide, bright, almost sparkling with mischief.
She was enjoying every flicker of irritation crossing his face, every tightening of his jaw, every suppressed growl in his chest.
She tilted her head slightly, a faint, knowing smirk tugging at her lips.
"What a fierce brute..." She muttered under her breath, almost like a secret meant only for herself.
A subtle shiver ran through her, her thighs pressing together instinctively as the words left her mouth.
She had come with a finality today. This wasn't about testing the waters anymore;
Today, she was ready to go to any length, to push every line, to do whatever it took to break through that iron control of his and claim the man beneath it.
The silence in the car stretched, heavy and electric. Alex kept his eyes on the road, knuckles white on the wheel.
And he let it sit for a moment... a clean, hard pause he could use to sort himself out.
He wanted one thing more than anything: peace.
He needed somewhere to go. Home would have been easiest; a shower, a cigarette, the same four walls to think in.
He needed someone who would understand without a word, someone who would let him unravel for a moment without judgment, without trying to fix or flaunt it.
Victoria… the only person who came to mind, but she wasn't in the city today. Instead… he was stuck with this.
His eyes slid to Lila in the passenger seat. She lounged there like a cat who'd already decided the house belonged to her. His jaw tightened.
This calculating bitch, he thought, cold and precise. Does she think she can waltz into people's lives and rearrange everything?
Alex watched that look for a beat too long. A darker thought settled in his chest like a stone, cold and certain. I'll teach you a proper lesson if you don't learn your boundaries, he told himself
He could sense the plan behind her eyes... the neat little schemes going through her little mind.
He let his eyes meet hers once, slow and deliberate, letting the promise hang between them like a held breath. There was no mercy in the glance... only control, and the quiet warning of a man who was done being toyed with.
Then he looked away, forcing himself to focus on the road, on the white lane markers blurring beneath the bright daylight.
Lila's gaze, however, didn't waver. She watched him carefully, studying every line of his face, every subtle twitch of his jaw.
Finally, she broke it. Her voice was soft, almost hesitant... deliberately measured.
"Actually… I wanted to… apologize," she said, glancing down at her hands, tilting her head slightly. "For… the picture I sent you. I… mistakenly sent it."
Alex's eyes flicked to her, sharp now, finally catching her words. The edge in his gaze cut through the sun filtering into the car. His attention was caught, but suspicion sharpened it.
"You sent it willingly," he said finally, voice low, sharp, controlled... but with an unmistakable edge. "Don't pretend it was a mistake."
Lila's smile widened, slow and teasing. "Maybe I did," she admitted, letting the word hang like a challenge. "Maybe I wanted to… see your reaction. To see you… like it. Is that so wrong?"
Alex exhaled sharply, tension coiling in his chest. Every ounce of frustration, every suppressed thought of the impossible day he'd had, now found a target.
Her mock-innocence, her thrill in seeing him react, her audacious teasing... all of it became fuel.
He didn't let the temptation override the sharp edge in his voice. "Don't you think it's inappropriate to send me these types of pictures?" His tone was deliberate, almost cold. "What exactly are you trying to achieve by doing this, huh?"
But Lila pressed on, emboldened by his reaction. "No, really. It was... inappropriate of me to send them by mistake." Her lips curved wider, the apology completely undermined by the mischief dancing in her eyes. "Though I have to admit, I'm curious about something."
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. "Did you like what you saw?"
Alex's breathing grew shallow, but he refused to answer.
Lila's smile widened, triumph flickering across her features. "Your silence is telling, you know. I think you did. I think you looked at those photos more than once."
She shifted in her seat, angling her body toward him more deliberately. The movement made her skirt ride higher up her thigh, and she made no move to adjust it.
"If you want," she continued, her voice thick with suggestion, "I could send more. Better ones. Ones where you can see... everything."
Her hand moved before Alex could stop her, settling boldly on his thigh. Not tentative, not testing... claiming. Her fingers pressed against the firm muscle through his jeans, possessive and deliberate.
"Or maybe," she whispered, leaning so close her breath ghosted against his ear, "you'd rather see it in person."
Alex's entire body went rigid. The touch, the words, the blatant disregard for every boundary he'd tried to maintain... it all crashed over him in a wave of fury and something darker he didn't want to name.
"Lila," he said, his voice dangerously quiet.
But she didn't pull back. If anything, she pressed closer, her hand sliding slightly higher up his thigh, her lips nearly brushing his jaw.
"I'm not backing down today, Alex," she breathed. "I want you. I've wanted you since the moment I saw you. And I know... you want me too."
Her other hand came up to rest against his chest, feeling the rapid hammer of his heart beneath her palm.
"Feel that?" she whispered. "That's not indifference. That's not annoyance. That's desire, and you can't hide it from me."
Something shifted in Alex then. The frustration that had been building since Linda's confession, the impossible choices tearing him apart, the voice in his head that wouldn't stop whispering temptations... all of it coalesced into a single, dangerous thought.
She wants to be taught a lesson? Fine.
His hand shot out, catching her wrist in an iron grip. Not gentle, not playful... controlling. Lila gasped, her eyes widening with surprise and excitement.
"You want to play games?" Alex asked, his voice low and deadly. "You want to push and tease and see how far you can go before I break?"
He pulled her hand away from his thigh, holding it trapped between them.
"Then let's play," he continued, his eyes dark with promise. "But understand something first... when I play, I play to win. And when I'm done with you, you'll know exactly where your boundaries are."
Lila's breath hitched, but she didn't pull away. Her smirk trembled at the edges, but her pupils dilated. "Yes," she whispered. "I know what I'm doing."
Alex's jaw tightened. "You're really a slut, huh?" His voice was low, venomous, but not yelling... a hiss. "Despite having a boyfriend… ready to spread your legs for his best friend?"
Lila didn't flinch. If anything, her eyes glinted darker. "Yes…" she whispered. "I'm a slut. For wanting you, Alex. Your slut. I can be anything you want."
Her voice cracked with breathless honesty now. "I've been attracted to you from the first time I saw you. You're not going out of my head. You're that good, Alex… everything about you is different. Attractive. Hot."
She leaned closer, lips trembling with adrenaline and want. "I can't stop myself…"
"Do you even realize what kind of effect you have on your surroundings" she pushed, deliberately, whispering: "Do you think I'm alone in this? I'm just as sure Sarah... Danny's girlfriend... feels the same."
"Even Linda…" She stopped mid-sentence, the faint smile faltering as realization flickered in her eyes... she'd gone too far.
Alex's face hardened like stone. The mention of Linda landed like a physical blow... something visceral and raw tearing through his chest. His entire body went rigid, every muscle coiling tight.
The careful control he'd been clinging to, the last thread of restraint, snapped.
He slammed the brakes. The car lurched to a violent stop at the side of the road, tires screeching against asphalt. Lila gasped, thrown forward against her seatbelt.
Alex turned to face her, and whatever Lila saw in his eyes made her shrink back against the passenger door. Gone was the controlled anger, the calculated warnings.
This was something primal, dangerous.
"You fucking whore"
The words came out quiet. Too quiet. A whisper that carried more venom than any shout could. His jaw was locked so tight it ached, teeth grinding together. His knuckles were white where they gripped the steering wheel, like he needed something to hold onto before he did something he couldn't take back.
***
Author's Note:
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