Chapter 118
At 10 PM, William's car pulled up to his villa in Shadow City.
By then, Ava had already showered and gotten into bed, ready to sleep. Hearing the commotion outside, a bad feeling washed over her. She climbed out of bed barefoot and sure enough, saw the big devil himself getting out of the car. Under the streetlights, his shadow stretched long, making his tall, elegant figure even more striking.
Ava never imagined he'd chase after her this late at night. She was just an insignificant assistant he'd placed in the design department—was all this really necessary?
At the end of the day, she was the one who'd broken her promise. She'd agreed on the phone with Abigail to go back, but then went back on her word. Ava lay back down restlessly, unable to come up with a good excuse after a long while. She decided to just pretend to be asleep.
William went straight upstairs to Ava's room. Seeing her lying flat and neat in the middle of the large bed, covers pulled up tight to her neck, he thought to himself: In this weather, aren't you afraid of suffocating?
He went to take a shower first, staying in the bathroom for quite a while before coming out.
Ava silently counted the time in her mind, hearing him finish his shower, apparently wash some clothes, and then use the hairdryer. When he lifted the covers and slipped in, her heart suddenly tightened.
"Why aren't you wearing clothes?"
William domineeringly grabbed the pillow and reached an arm out to her.
"Done pretending to sleep?"
After sleeping in the same bed for three years, how could he not know her sleeping positions? When asleep, she'd curl up like a cat, with half the blanket tucked between her legs. How could she possibly sleep so properly like just now, unless she'd been kidnapped?
Before Ava's eyes were his well-defined chest and abs—not the bulky kind that gym trainers specifically build, but the natural muscle of someone bursting with testosterone, lean and powerful, each muscle perfectly contoured, like a Renaissance sculpture.
She was momentarily distracted. Come to think of it, it had been a while since they'd lain together under the same covers like this.
William sensed the slightly warm breath in front of him, his chest trembling.
"Go ahead and touch if you want."
It wasn't the first day he knew she craved his abs—which night didn't she fall asleep touching them?
Ava swallowed, not wanting to seem so pathetic, her thoughts seen through in a second, completely under his control.
"Why aren't you wearing pajamas?"
She asked again.
"I came in such a hurry, I didn't have time to pack. Meanwhile, you left pretty decisively—playing the runaway game with me?"
Ava was silent for a moment, then said stubbornly,
"Who ran away?"
"You packed your bags and left without even saying hello—what else would you call it?"
Ava was left speechless.
"Go find some clothes to put on."
William stretched out his long legs in a giving-up gesture.
"Why wear clothes in this heat? This is most comfortable. If you feel bad about taking advantage of me, why don't you take yours off, too? Then we'd be even."
Ava: "???"
He really had some nerve, saying such things so matter-of-factly. Who knew who was trying to take advantage of whom?
Seeing her not moving for a long time, William took her hand and placed it on his chest, letting her touch her fill. He closed his eyes to rest—he'd been physically and mentally exhausted these past few days, but lying beside her at this moment felt inexplicably relaxing, the kind where he could fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes.
But then that hand on him started wandering downward restlessly. He couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Your aim is pretty good. What do you want to touch?"
Ava wasn't sure if he was completely naked below and wanted to test the waters, but unexpectedly touched something huge. She quickly pulled her hand back, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest from nervousness.
"I didn't mean to, I just wanted to see if you were wearing pants."
William became interested in this topic. Propping himself up on one elbow, he looked at her with dangerous eyes.
"Should I take them off for you to touch? Or you tell me how you want to touch."
Ava pulled her hand out from under the covers, a bit embarrassed and angry.
"Who wants to touch you? I told you I just wanted to see if you were wearing underwear."
William let out a soft laugh from his throat, his tone slightly teasing.
"Think about whether you'd even believe that yourself. If you wanted to know if I was wearing underwear, you could have checked from the outer thigh. Would you go straight for that spot?"
Taking advantage and then refusing to admit it—this woman was such a hypocrite!
Ava was at a loss for words.
"If that's what you want to think, there's nothing I can do."
William rolled over and pinned her beneath him.
"What's with the attitude? Am I wrong?"
Ava turned her face to the side, going along with him. "Fine, you're right, okay?"
William felt frustrated. She'd studied that playboy manual inside and out—normally it was men saying these things to women, but with her, she used it all on her own man.
"Come back with me tomorrow."
He lowered his head and pecked those full lips once. Frustrated as he was, he couldn't get angry. All that unhappiness in Emerald City—the moment he saw her, he couldn't voice a single complaint. He just wanted to take her back.
Ava's head was controlled by his hand.
"Can I not go back?"
"No."
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard his straightforward answer.
"Can I make my own decision for once? Aren't you tired of this after three years?"
William's eyes swept over those rolling curves, his voice low.
"Who said I'm tired?"
He leaned in again, kissing her bit by bit. Once she was kissed enough, she'd become obedient.
"Ava, the company's new season launch is next week, and there'll be a celebration party. The piece we originally planned to release had problems, and now we need your pink diamond bracelet design to save the day. As its designer, how can you not attend?"
Ava's chest felt tight.
"You're not bothered anymore that it imitates someone else's style? Doesn't it deserve better? How can the Morgan Group's seasonal masterpiece carry traces of another designer's shadow?"
William realized she was bringing up old grievances, still upset with him about this.
He kissed while coaxing.
"The fact that you could design that piece and receive recognition from countless netizens shows your ability. I've never denied that, have I?"
He'd given all the rewards he should—prizes distributed, salary raised, everything given.
"So you're not bothered that I imitated?"
William had apparently prepared his script before coming, his words airtight.
"Once you drew that thing with your own hands, it became unique. Beautiful things deserve to be shared with everyone at the launch—that's a designer's joy. Don't you want to see the finished product?"
Ava's heart softened at his coaxing. Without noticing, in just a few sentences, he'd already slipped her nightgown straps down.
He stopped talking, like a devout diner, his burning kisses sliding down from her chin, all the way to her heart, to her sensitive spots, his tongue teasing and savoring.
Thunder exploded in Ava's mind, alarms blaring.
She tried to stay calm, controlling her emotions so as not to follow his lead. Even her outstretched arms felt numb—she was sensitive to his touch to a degree she couldn't imagine.
He was like rosemary, luring her emotions away from her body, her brain controlled by desire.
"William, we can't..."
She tried not to lose herself, her hands climbing to both sides of his head, grabbing his ears. She thought she was using force, but on William, it felt like being scratched by a kitten.
"Be good, don't move."
His voice carried restraint, his magnified desire melting into the night, endless.
Once that line of defense was torn through, it became a wildfire of desire.
Ava felt like her body and mind had been rolled through a pot of oil. By now, they were both stripped bare.
"William, get up!"