Chapter 3

Avery Whitmore

"Avery!"

Someone called my name, tapping my cheeks gently.

"Avery,"

My eyes opened slightly, adjusting to the dim light, then settled on the face staring down at me.

"Thank goodness you are awake," Roman exhaled as he relaxed back into the car seat.

I blinked back tears but I couldn't hold them any longer, making me burst into tears. Just the thought of the ordeals I had passed through in two days made me cry more.

Roman pulled me into his embrace, patting my shoulders until I stopped crying. "It's okay. Everything is under control," he said, softly.

I raised my head to look at his face and my stomach flipped, heat crawling through me as I melted away under the weight of his intense gaze.

"How did you find me?" I asked, my voice barely steady as tension between us finally cracked open.

He cleared his throat slightly, tearing his gaze away. "I happened to pass by and I can't leave someone who needs help," he said, his voice full of concern. "Why are you out here by this time?"

"Why do I always run into you?" I asked,my voice barely above a whisper.

"I should be asking you that. Your appearance tends to be a bother," He said, his brows arched as he sent a pointed look my way.

I pulled away from him, "What's wrong with my appearance?" I asked, finding his words annoying.

"Not only do you bother me, I have to bother about how you almost ruin my nephew's wedding too," He said, his voice thick with irritation.

My lips curled into a faint smirk, "I'm sorry but that serves him right," I said, the words slipping with cold satisfaction.

Roman's eyes darkened slightly, his jaw tightening as the words left him,"What you did was the most foolish thing to do," he said, his tone low and cutting. "You have no idea what you have caused today."

His words cut deep through me making me want to cry but I held myself back. Did this man always have to be harsh? Despite how much I knew that he was right, my heart still bled for what Cole did to me.

My lips curled into a thin straight line, "I don't give a fuck about it," I said, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. I rubbed my aching temple, "Can you stop attacking me already?"

He shook his head and faced his side of the window.

The car came to a halt, "We have arrived," the driver said.

"Where are we? I didn't even tell you my house address," I said, looking out of the window. what I saw made my jaw drop in awe.

"This is where I live," he said, a hint of something unreadable in his voice.

Why would he bring me to his house? I had been nothing but a burden to him and not only that, how could he still accommodate the person who almost ruined his nephew's wedding? I turned to face him, searching for a hint in his expression. His face was neutral, yet the intensity in them made my chest tighten. His gaze burned through my body, lingering in a way that sent heat rushing to my cheeks. Just some minutes ago I was pissed at him for not seeing things from my point of view and next, I was feeling weird, just by being close to him. This man's gaze seemed to undo some things in me that I didn't understand. I didn't feel this way around guys who were my age, not even Cole.

The ghost of his touch from last night crawled between my legs, couldn't help but hold myself back, reminding myself that he was that asshole uncle but then the urge to kiss him was so strong. I shouldn't be thinking about this when I'm in a close range with him but I couldn't help it. I clenched my fist together, suppressing the turmoil going on inside of me.

His voice broke into my dirty thoughts, "It's quite late," he said, measured and firm. "I'd advise you to go back tomorrow," he said, icily, like I was not allowed to decide for myself.

He opened the door and stepped out, stretching his hand out for me to take. "Why are you so kind to me?" I said, taking his hand, and stepped out of the car. "What if I get chased out by your wife?"

"Take it as compensation for misunderstanding your intentions last night," he added, his voice low and sincere. "There's no wife...yet."

I felt my heart warm at his manliness, he was nothing like Cole at all, if only he knew how I wanted him to touch me like he did last night and how come someone who was this wealthy didn't have a woman?

We entered the house, my eyes widened at the sprawling glass front with marble floors, high ceilings, it was as if I were in a paradise.

He took me upstairs, opening the door to a room, the room was even bigger than my whole apartment. I had never thought Cole's relative was this rich, I had never really known about his family because he always came up with one excuse after another.

"You can stay here for tonight, if you need anything, let me know, I'm in the next room," he said,his voice low and steady, as if trying to ease the unease trembling beneath my skin.

He exited the room giving me some privacy. It had been a long stressful day and my body ached so badly. I locked the door, stripped myself bare and went into the bathroom to have a cold shower, taking my time in the bathroom.

I went to bed, and pulled the duvet up to my chin, the warmth swallowing me as the steam from my shower still clung faintly to my skin. My phone wasn't with me so I couldn't reach Ava. She was probably pacing her room, worrying sick over me, the guilt settled in my chest.

My eyes were devoid of sleep, making me roll on the bed, my stomach also growled because of hunger reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything all day.

'Roman must be asleep by now, the last thing I wanted was to disturb him after everything he had done for me today.'

I stood up from the bed, putting on the robe I found hanging in the bathroom. The empty wardrobe showed that he didn't have a woman. It was soft and the only thing in the room that wasn't soaked through like my drenched clothes.

I unlocked my room door and tiptoed downstairs gently making sure that I was careful not to make noise. I had seen the kitchen earlier and tiptoed to its direction.

The lights in the kitchen were off and I could only see the switch with the reflection of light from the dining room. The bulb in the kitchen came on immediately I set foot into it and my jaw dropped at the big and elegant place.

I walked to the refrigerator and opened it, my mouth salivating at the various types of food stocked with them. I thought he said he didn't have a wife. So then, how could his refrigerator be so stocked or did he do grocery shopping himself? Wait a minute, why was it my business? He was a billionaire and could do anything he wanted.

I grabbed the food I could eat and was about to close the refrigerator door when I heard a sound behind me and immediately I froze.

The chicken I carried dropped to the floor as I saw Roman standing behind me, hands in his pocket, his eyes boring holes into my body.

My gaze dropped from his face down to his bare chest, he wasn't putting on any shirt, leaving room for imagination.

His trousers sat dangerously low on his hips, hanging there like they couldn't wait to get stripped off. The line along his torso didn't help matters.

"I...I" I stammered, my eyes roaming his chest but then I dropped my gaze when I realized that I was staring too much.

He closed the distance between us, standing all tall while I had to raise my head to stare back at him.

He tilted his head, leaving a little space in between our faces, our lips almost touched, and his breath fanning my face. His gaze fell on my open shoulders, I pulled the cloth to cover me well before I met his gaze again.

"What are you doing in the kitchen wearing...almost nothing?" He asked, his voice lowering as his gaze lingered, warm and unguarded

"I...I didn't want to bother you. I was hungry so I decided to help myself," I said, forcing steadiness into my voice even though my hands tightened at my sides.

His eyes wouldn't leave mine as silence fell between us, I swallowed a bit of saliva as I broke the stare.

"I remember telling you to let me know if you need anything, didn't I?" he said, his voice calm but authoritative , concern settling in his tone.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm not bothered so don't think I am. You are a guest in my house so let me treat you like one," he said, unruffled, eyes sharp but composed.

I nodded my head slightly.

I exhaled, my cheeks heated as he took a step away from me and bent to take the chicken on the floor. He disposed of the chicken, turning to me.

"It's late to eat heavy food. How about I make a filling yogurt mixed with cereal and oat?" he suggested, his voice gentle.

"That sounds delicious," I said, relaxing to the warmth exuding from him.

I watched him prepare the meal and I couldn't help but imagine Cole preparing it for me. I couldn't believe myself for thinking about that asshole.

Roman served me a bowl while he sat opposite me, I scooped a spoonful into my mouth earning a moan from my lips. My eyes brightened as the sweetness and flavor hit, making me raise my hands in thumbs up to him.

My heart was also warm at his kind gesture and thoughtfulness, the food almost made me forget all that I had gone through in the past few days. I dropped the spoon slowly, tears pooling in my eyes but I was holding them back.

I couldn't hold back the tears again, as they trickled down my cheek.

"What's wrong?" Roman asked, standing up to his feet, and came to my side, pulling me into his embrace.

I let out a dry laugh, "God! what's wrong with me? Why am I being so emotional?" I said to myself then tilted my eyes to look at Roman.

I was about to open my mouth to thank him but the words didn't come as I got cut up in his ocean blue eyes. The air suddenly felt tense and I felt his grip tighten around me, but not too tight. His eyes dropped to my lips, making me lick my lips nervously.

His hand reached out to my face, his thumb wiping away my tears, our eyes locked for a moment as the tension in the air intensified, making me lose every reasoning. My hand held his hands slightly, then I stood on my toes slowly and leaned in and placed my lips on his.