Free Web NovelChapter 184: Past The Threshold
The ride back to the chalet was quiet but charged with an intensity that neither of them dared to touch. They both knew that if either of them crossed that line, there would be absolutely nothing stopping them from going completely feral for one another.
By the time the car finally pulled up to the chalet, Aliana’s heart was racing as if it had run a marathon inside her chest.
Throughout the journey, she kept her gaze fixed firmly out the window, as though looking at Gavriel would set her on fire, as if she weren’t already burning.
She possessed a high tolerance for alcohol, so the amount she had consumed at the club was nowhere near enough to make her drunk. However, it had successfully caused her body to loosen up. The pleasant heat within her helped her fight off the biting winter cold outside.
The moment he opened the passenger door for her, her gaze finally collided with his. Both could see the raw, unchecked desire staring back at them. Swallowing hard, she placed her hand on his extended arm, allowing him to lead her inside.
The second the front door clicked shut, her heart thrummed so loudly it echoed in her ears. She could feel him closing in on her from behind. Remaining absolutely still, she closed her eyes as his warm breath brushed the shell of her ear.
"Aliana," he murmured, his voice resonating so deeply within her that her knees grew weak.
"Y-yes?" she breathed, and Gavriel immediately felt the alarming amount of nervousness pouring out of her.
Whatever he had been about to say next, he swallowed the words back. All the desire he had been feeling for her was drowned out by that single quivering response.
Thinking that maybe it had all been a heat-of-the-moment decision and that perhaps she wasn’t actually ready, he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath to compose himself before taking a step back.
"You should rest. It’s been a long day." That was all he said before walking away towards the room, leaving her blinking in surprise where she stood.
Her brows slowly knitted together as she whispered, "What the fuck?"
Staring in the direction he had disappeared, she couldn’t help but question. ’Did I completely misread the room? Because I swear the look he gave me in the car said he was going to rip my dress apart like a beast.’
Frustrated and confused, she made her way into their shared bedroom, only to find it completely empty. He wasn’t there. The cold, vacant room did nothing but worsen the ache in her chest, making her feel as though she had just been utterly rejected.
Stripping off her clothes, she stepped into the shower and washed away the sweat and grime of the long day while continuing to stew over the agonising thought that Gavriel simply didn’t desire her the way she desired him.
For a moment, she wondered if she had pushed him away too hard.
Was it because of her strict conditions before the marriage? Had that condition put him off so completely that he decided it was best not to pursue her at all? He was the one who had explicitly stated that sex was a major part of his relationships, openly listing the things he enjoyed in bed and warning her about his kinks.
’Does he think I won’t be able to handle him?’ she wondered bitterly. ’Or has he simply lost interest, preferring to look for fulfilment elsewhere?’
As these toxic thoughts continued to swirl, her dejection quickly morphed into raw anger. The anxieties she had successfully forgotten at the club began to circle back with a vengeance. freewēbnoveℓ.com
After stepping out of the shower, she looked around the vast bathroom. Her eyes fell on the scenic view of the lake and the snow-covered mountains outside, but the breathtaking landscape only amplified her isolation.
’What is the point of being in such a beautiful place when all it does is make you feel lonely and unwanted?’
With that thought lingering in her mind, she stepped into the walk-in closet, dressed in a deep-blue lace nightgown.
But her footsteps came to an abrupt halt when she found Gavriel standing there, dressed only in black silk pyjamas that hung dangerously low on his tapered waist while his broad chest remained exposed.
His dark hair was pushed back, with only a few damp strands falling over his forehead. Droplets of water still clung to his skin, making it obvious that he had also just stepped out of a bath.
His gaze immediately locked onto hers.
The second it did, he felt the heavy wave of negative emotion emitting from her, making his brows pull together.
Not bothering to reach for his robe, he crossed the distance between them until he was towering over her. "What’s wrong? Are you uncomfort-"
"Do you not want me?" She cut him off, demanding the truth directly.
Gavriel was taken aback by the sudden question and stared at her in silence.
When he failed to reply immediately, it ticked Aliana off even more.
Swallowing the small lump rising in her throat, she took a bold step closer to him. "Answer me."
"Ana, why do you even need to ask such a question?" he asked back, utterly confused.
"Why? Because you left me standing out there, making me think that... that..." She struggled to find the right words before cutting herself off, terrified of sounding like one of those desperate, needy women who constantly buzzed around him.
Biting her lower lip, she dropped her gaze and turned on her heel. "Forget it." freēwēbnovel.com
She had barely taken a step forward before he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her back towards him.
Her hand collided with his bare chest, and a sharp hiss slipped past his lips at the sudden contact.
Hearing the sound, Aliana snapped her gaze upward to meet his eyes, and a shudder ran through her body.
There it was.
The raw, needy hunger gleamed in his blue eyes so intensely that her heart slammed violently against her ribs.
Gavriel was far past his threshold. He had been barely hanging on by a thread.
Wordlessly seizing her jaw in a firm, possessive grip, he tilted her face up to his.
His breath was hot against her skin. "I don’t know if you are truly ready for this or not. And I have no idea what gave you the impression for even a second that I don’t desire you. But I am finished trying to hold back."
With that, he closed the distance between them and crashed his lips against her with a force so raw that it sucked out all the remaining oxygen from her lungs.
