Pulse and Petals

Alec

I'm blocking her way out, she keeps slipping away like sand through my fingers, and I'm not having it today.

"Do not fucking tell me what to do," she spits, her eyes locking onto mine with anger.

No. She's not just angry. She's furious. And damn, she looks... absolutely fuckable. Fuck. My brain chemistry is altering.

As much as I'm used to getting my way, there's something undeniably refreshing about Evara's unwillingness to back down.

Her hand presses against my chest, a feeble attempt to push me away, but I hold onto it.

"Easy. You almost drowned," I say, trying to keep my voice calm despite the tension between us. I have no idea what or who pissed her off to this extent.

Evara's gaze practically shoots daggers at me as she meets my eyes. "Because of your side chick. She pushed me in!" she accuses, her words like venom.

"What side chick?" I demand, my voice edged with frustration and confusion. What is she talking about?

"The one you were playing Holi and holding hands with," Evara's voice cuts through the air like a sharp blade, her anger unmistakable.

It takes me a moment to register what she's referring to, but when it finally clicks.

Ashley. She's talking about Ashley. She pushed Evara inside the pool. She has no idea what's coming her way. Or how her dad's business suffered major losses overnight. She's going to pay for her actions. As soon as I'm done with dealing with my personal ticking bomb here.

Hold on a damn second. Evara's angry because I was holding Ashley's hand? Fuck. She's jealous, and it's...adorable.

Despite her fiery demeanor, there's a hint of vulnerability in her jealousy.

Evara pushes me away with surprising force, but I refuse to let her slip from my grasp. With a swift movement, I catch her hand behind her back and press her against me, feeling the tension crackling between us like electricity.

Lowering myself to reach her ear, I can't help but tease her. "Are you jealous, Princess?" I ask with a smirk, my voice low and teasing.

Evara turns her head slightly to meet my gaze, her eyes flashing with defiance. "In your dreams," she retorts, her tone sharp, but there's a hint of vulnerability beneath the bravado.

I tighten my hold on her, feeling the struggle as she tries to free herself from my grasp. But she's failing, and I can't help but feel a surge of satisfaction at the realization that she's not as unaffected by me as she pretends to be.

My voice low and deliberate as I speak directly into her ear, "You do a lot more than be jealous in my dreams."

Evara turns around, she's pressing against me as I still hold her hand behind her back.

There's a fire in her eyes, and her voice carries the weight of her determination as she speaks in her no-nonsense tone, "You cannot do this."

I raise an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "Do what, Princess?" I respond, playing dumb, though I know exactly what she's referring to.

Evara takes a deep breath before she continues, gestures emphasizing the space between us. "Whatever this is. You cannot just kiss me like your life depended on it and then go around flirting with other women," she declares, her voice tinged with frustration and anger.

But she's not finished yet.

"For all I know it's probably just a random kiss and it meant nothing to you. But we haven't even discussed it, and I'm not just another one of your conquests, someone you can kiss and discard without a second thought. I don't deserve that, Alec," she adds, her voice rising with each word, her anger boiling over like a hot volcano erupting.