Chapter 321: Alpha’s Shameless Flirting
Evaline:
I padded my way down the stairs, my fingers nervously grazing along the cool banister as I descended each step.
The house was quiet... eerily so. I wondered if either Oscar or Draven had returned home yet. It was already ten in the morning, far later than I usually slept in, but my night had been far from restful.
I knew River might already be gone. He usually left around eight sharp for work. And that would have been convenient. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face him again after last night. My heart still hadn’t decided if it wanted to flee from him or cling to him and never let go.
But as soon as I stepped into the living room, my stomach plummeted.
Because there he was.
He was standing tall by the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that overlooked the side garden, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, the other hand tucked casually in his pocket.
He was dressed to perfection in his expensive CEO attire - a tailored black suit that fit him like it had been designed by the gods themselves. His emerald-green tie brought out the sharp gleam in his eyes even from here. He looked powerful, in control, untouchable. Every inch the Alpha and the rich CEO that the world feared and respected.
And I had kissed him.
My heart stumbled in my chest as his head turned, his gaze colliding with mine. That piercing green stare slammed into me, shattering the fragile wall of denial I had been building since the moment I woke up.
The memories of last night came rushing back in an unstoppable flood - the way his mouth had claimed mine, the desperate hunger in his kiss, the heat of his body caging me against the pool wall.
And worse... the fact that I was the one who kissed him first.
My stomach twisted, and I felt my palms going clammy. Even now, I still couldn’t believe it had happened. That I had leaned in and pressed my lips against his. That I had given in to the pull instead of running like I had made myself believe a hundred times.
No wonder I didn’t get to enjoy a peaceful sleep. The entire night was an endless torture of reliving it all - the spark in my blood, the fire he ignited with nothing more than his lips, the way he left me both terrified and craving more.
It was madness. I had never wanted to run away from and cling to the same person so badly in my life. And the worst part? Both urges had equal strength. They fought inside me without pause, leaving me suspended in limbo, helpless and utterly clueless about what I should do.
I rubbed my hands together nervously as I forced myself to move closer to him. My voice barely came out, just a whisper, but I managed a soft, "Good morning."
The corner of his lips curved upward in that maddeningly subtle way, his smile soft yet enough to make my heart leap into my throat. "Good morning," he replied smoothly.
I quickly averted my gaze, terrified of drowning in the depths of those deep green orbs. My cheeks heated, and I bit down on my lip, pretending to find the rug beneath my feet fascinating.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked suddenly, his voice velvety, probing.
I nodded quickly, too quickly, hoping he would drop the subject. But of course, River was River.
"You are not a good liar, Evaline," he said, his tone deceptively casual as he sipped his coffee. His eyes glinted with amusement.
I froze. My mouth opened to deny it but no words coming out.
And then... oh, stars above... his next words made my knees weaken.
"Were you missing me last night? Couldn’t fall asleep because of that?"
I nearly choked on air. My head snapped up and my eyes went wide. Was he actually... flirting? River? The man who usually spoke with cold precision and terrifying calm? He was standing there, smirking at me, throwing out shameless lines like he did it every day?
"No-! I-I mean-" My words tangled into knots as my face burned.
His smirk widened ever so slightly, as if my flustered reaction was exactly what he wanted.
Desperate to regain some composure, I scrambled for a safer topic. "Why... why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be at the office by now?" My voice wavered, but at least it wasn’t betraying just how much his teasing affected me.
He tilted his head, then gestured toward something behind me. I turned instinctively, following the direction of his signal. Only then did I notice the sleek laptop sitting open on the coffee table between the living room couches, the screen alight.
And on it - a dozen sharply dressed people were staring directly at me.
My jaw dropped. Horror crashed over me in a tidal wave. They had seen everything... they had seen me!
Mortification swallowed me whole. I moved on pure instinct, darting forward and grabbing River’s arm, hiding behind his tall frame like a child clinging to a shield. My face burned hotter than it ever had in my life.
Then River’s calm, commanding tone cut through the chaos in my head. "This meeting is over," he said flatly.
I peeked over his arm in disbelief just in time to see him close the laptop with a decisive click. He slid out an earpod from his ear and placed it on the table with unhurried grace.
His every movement was steady, confident, deliberate... as if he had been in control of the entire situation from the very beginning.
And then he turned to face me.
I wanted to dig a hole in the marble floor and bury myself in it forever. "I-I’m so sorry," I stammered, mortification spilling out of me in a rush. "I didn’t realize you were in a meeting... I just walked in like that - oh stars, they saw me-"
I groaned loudly, burying my burning face in my palms. My stomach twisted itself into knots. How could I ever recover from this? How could I show my face at his company again knowing half his board members had just witnessed me stumbling around his mansion like some awkward schoolgirl?
But then... I felt firm fingers wrapping gently around my wrists, prying them away from my face. His touch was warm, grounding, pulling me out of the storm of shame. I had no choice but to meet his eyes as he made me look at him.
There wasn’t a trace of irritation on his face. No anger, no frustration, not even mild annoyance. In fact, his expression was infuriatingly calm. Almost amused.
"River..." I whispered, my voice trembling. "You are not... mad?"
The corner of his lips twitched, that dangerous almost-smile playing at them again. And the way his gaze held mine... it was almost as if he was silently telling me I had nothing to apologize for.
He let go of my hands only to reach out and rub the back of my head gently. "You are my mate, Evaline. I’m so proud of you that I want to show you off to the entire world, let alone these board members."
How could he... say something so romantic with such a straight face? I wondered. But his words eased some of my embarrassment.
"Looks like you two didn’t waste last night after all."