by Lola Gabriel
“I want to apologize if what I said came out wrong or if it was inappropriate. You deserve to be treated with respect, and even if you don’t want to go out with me, I believe you fully deserve the promotion and we can keep it strictly professional.”
“Thank you,” she said, fidgeting with the strap of her wristwatch. “The thing is, I’ve never been on a yacht. Ever, in my life,” she uttered uneasily. Oryn studied her carefully. “I’m terrified of water, so I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”
“Why are you terrified of water?” he asked, motioning to the chair in front of her.
She nodded in acknowledgement and sat down. “When I was four, we lived in this house with a big backyard. It was so much fun running around it with my older brother. It had a pool, too. One afternoon, about this time of the year, Jeremey and I were playing around it, completely ignoring my mother warning us that it was dangerous, and we could fall in. I fell in. My brother ran into the house to get my mom, instead of just crying out for help and trying to get me out of the water. My mom said I was unconscious for about five minutes. I don’t remember it at all. I almost died that day, and I carry that memory, along with that fear, inside me. It’s been twenty years, and I haven’t been able to shake it. I just can’t let it go.”
Oryn sat motionless, staring at her. He couldn’t believe it. Twenty years ago, he had been in Thailand, and he still remembered a strange feeling come over him, as if something was wrong. In his mind, he remembered a vision of person underwater. The feeling was so overwhelming and vivid, he still thought about it from time to time. He didn’t know it at the time, but it had been his True Mate almost dying. Of course, he couldn’t tell that to her, despite how desperately he wanted her to know this.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” he finally said.
“It’s not your fault, so don’t feel bad,” she assured him. “You couldn’t have known.”
“Still. It’s a traumatic thing to live with. I know how that feels.”
“What happened to you?”
“A lot of things. It’s way too much to tell, you know,” he shrugged.
“You should write a book,” she suggested with a smile. “A hot guy like you, you’ll hit the bestseller’s list in no time.” A small smile formed on Oryn’s lips as he watched Adley’s cheeks flush, and she averted her gaze to the fireplace. “Do you ever light that thing?”
“The fireplace?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes, when it gets really cold in here, or if I want to relax after a stressful day. The sound of the fire and the wood crackling is really relaxing for me,” he told her.
“For me, too. It reminds me of going camping with my dad and Jeremy. I absolutely hated sleeping in a tent, but sitting by the fire with the two most important men in my life was the best feeling in the world,” Adley sighed sadly. “Did you go camping as a kid?”
“Sometimes, yeah. I went with my brothers a few times.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“Three. They’re all younger than me.”
“Brothers are the best, or mine is,” she chuckled. “Are they here in Auckland as well?”
“No, we’re scattered all around the world. Dax is in Canada, Nyx is in London, and Pyre was in Mexico last time I heard. He likes to move around a lot.”
“Why is that?”
“Who knows. He could never stay in one place for long. He probably tries to get away from all the women who want him,” Oryn scoffed.
“Oh, so he’s a ladies’ man?”
“Yeah. He’s the best looking of all of us.”
Adley’s pink lips curved slightly. “I highly doubt that.”
The sight of her sent shivers throughout Oryn’s body, and he straightened his shoulders. Her eyes were fixed intently on his, and he stood from his chair. He slowly walked towards her and took her hand. She stood from the chair and gazed up at him.
“I promised myself I wasn’t going to do this, but I just can’t help myself. Can I kiss you?”
She nodded.
Oryn pulled her close to him, one hand on her waist and the other cupping her chin. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, allowing the warmth of her body to light the spark he had thought would never burn.
Surprisingly, her lips parted, allowing him access to her mouth, and she tasted even better than he had imagined. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and he pulled her even closer to him, melting into her.
A seductive moan escaped from her mouth, which drove Oryn crazy, and he wanted more of her, but all in good time. His grip loosened, and she slid out of his embrace, their lips separating. She glanced up at him in a trance-like state. Her lips were swollen from his kiss. Both of their breathings were ragged, but their stares were not awkward at all. It was clear that Adley felt exactly what he felt inside him, because she looked at him the same way he looked at her. Her brown eyes sparkled in the light overhead, and the corners of her mouth curled upward, revealing the dimple on her right cheek.
Oryn reached out and brushed a lock of hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear.
“I have to go,” she mumbled. “But before I do that, there’s something else I’ve been wanting to do.”
“And what’s that?” he asked, intrigued.
Adley reached over the desk and grabbed a pen. Then she took his hand and flipped it over, palm up. She gently pulled up his sleeve and wrote a number, which Oryn believed was her personal number, on his skin. When she was done, she stepped away, handed him the pen, and smiled. “Call me.”
Oryn watched in amazement as Adley left the office and closed the door behind her. He looked down at his arm and the number written on his skin. Her number. She had willingly written her number on his arm, which meant she wanted him to call her. Success!
A stupid and goofy grin formed on his lips, but he didn’t care. Things were moving exactly into the direction he wanted them to, and everything else was just background.
His phone vibrating on the desk brought him back to reality, and he quickly answered it.
“It’s me,” said Lync.
Oryn’s smile faded, and he cleared his throat. “Hey. What’s going on?”
“The pack was sighted near Mount Aspiring National Park a few days ago.”
“They’re getting closer.”
“Yeah, pretty fast, too. My scouts haven’t been able to find their exact location yet, but we have eyes all around the park.”
“Find them. I don’t want them to cross over onto the North Island.”
“Yes, Oryn.”
“This is important, Lync. Please. If you see them, take them out.”
“I will. I just love a bit of wolf meat.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“I’ll call you when it’s done.”
Oryn listened as the call disconnected and lowered his phone. He turned, jaw clenched, and walked over to the window. He stared out at the Auckland skyline in front of him, lights flickering, and a feeling of dread replaced the warm and fuzzy feelings Adley had made him feel.
They knew where he was, and they were coming for him. Luckily, he was ready.
6
Adley glanced out the window of the car Oryn had sent to pick her up from her apartment and took a deep breath. She was feeling very nervous about meeting him at his house, even though it was only to talk marketing strategies. Ever since he had kissed her in his office, Adley felt like she was living in a dream, walking on air, and all those horrible clichés there were about being in love, only Adley was convinced it wasn’t really love. It couldn’t be.
She hadn’t known Oryn for very long, and although she wanted to kiss him again and again and again, it couldn’t be love. Love was complicated and difficult, but the feelings she felt when she was with Oryn were easy and natural. Was that what everyone meant when they talked about how love was supposed to be? Could it really be as simple as that?
Adley had never known love like t
hat. To her, love was painful and terrifying, tiring and soul wrenching. In retrospect, maybe that wasn’t love at all. Maybe Adley had simply had the terrible skill of attracting the wrong men; the dangerous and manipulative kind. Now she had the chance to finally have something with a good man who made her feel things she had never felt before. Plus, he was an incredible kisser, and even just thinking about it made Adley’s cheeks flush.
She glanced down at herself, hoping she had picked the right clothes for the occasion, although she wasn’t really sure what the right clothes were and whether it was an occasion at all. At least her bran and underwear matched, and that only made her feel more nervous. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about what it would be like to have sex with Oryn, but it would be so much more than that. He was the kind of man who would make love to a woman—hopefully her—and treat her like the goddess she was.
The car suddenly came to a stop, and Adley glanced out of the window. She hadn’t even realized that the car had driven through the large gates, which were now behind the car, and onto the steep driveway leading to the house. Even before she climbed out, the driver was already opening her door, and she smiled at him.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, miss. Allow me to escort you into the house.”
Adley climbed out of the car and followed him to the house. He opened the door with a key card, almost like a hotel, and once she stepped inside, her jaw dropped. It was the most beautiful, elegant design she had ever seen in her life. It had crafted woodgrain concrete walls and high ceilings. The floors were from the same wood as the walls, and the full-length windows finished off the architecture of the house. The entire place, as well as the furniture, reminded her of Oryn’s office, and for some strange reason, she felt instantly at home.
“Mr. Veskovic is out on the terrace. Follow me.” Of course Oryn’s house would have a terrace. The man had a driver, for heaven’s sake.
Adley looked around her in awe. The house electrified her senses, and the anticipation of seeing him in his own home was almost too much to bear. She wondered, for a moment, what he would be wearing before shoving a possible visual out of her mind.
No funny business, Adley, she reminded herself. She was just there to talk about the company’s marketing strategies. Sure, and I just went into his office to apologize.
The driver opened the glass doors to the terrace, and she stepped outside.
The view was absolutely breathtaking, and she gasped. The ocean lay before her, shimmering in the sunlight, and small boats were floating around in the water. The white clouds moved slowly along the sky, while green trees framed the bottom of the view. The wooden deck boasted an outdoor fireplace to her right, a swimming pool in front of her, and a set of wooden stairs disappearing into the trees below.
Her eye caught movement on her right, and when she turned her head, she saw Oryn standing close to the fireplace, holding a drink in his hand. He was casually dressed in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt making him look like just another normal guy. A normal guy who was incredibly hot.
“Hey,” Adley greeted him with a shy smile. Luckily, she had decided to wear something just as casual: also a pair of jeans and a black off the shoulder top.
“Don’t you look nice.”
“Thank you. I could say the same about you.”
Oryn grinned and slowly approached her. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Sure, I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she replied.
He raised his glass to her, and poured her a vodka soda. “Same as mine. Just not as strong.”
He handed her the glass, and the pungent smell of vodka filled her nostrils. Adley wasn’t a big drinker, so she wasn’t sure how well this would go down. She may just do something that she wouldn’t normally do. Maybe that was exactly what she needed, something new and exciting; something she wouldn’t regret not doing.
She raised the glass to her lips and took a small sip. Much to her surprise, it tasted mildly sweet and slid down her throat quite smoothly and comfortably.
“Your house is amazing, and this view? I have never seen anything like it,” Adley commented. She was glad she had the drink to keep her hands occupied as she felt really nervous and out of place.
“Thank you. I bought this house solely for the view, and of course, the interior matched my personal style,” Oryn explained. “When I stepped inside for the first time, I felt like I was home, like the wooden floors and the walls were calling out to me. Then, if I wasn’t already sold on the house, the realtor made me stand right here where we’re standing now and showed me this view. I was instantly smitten.”
“It’s magnificent. It must be amazing waking up in the morning to watch the sunrise,” she sighed dreamily.
“Maybe I’ll show you sometime,” he offered coyly.
Adley looked at him and cleared her throat. “We should talk about the marketing strategies.”
“Right,” Oryn said and finished his drink. “Let’s get to it then.”
They sat down on the outdoor couches in front of the fire and talked a little business. Oryn shared his vision for the company, and Adley came up with a few great ideas on how to minimize advertising and marketing costs, although it didn’t seem like Oryn needed to worry about overspending. His company was flourishing and was highly successful, but Adley understood that he was still a businessman, and the less he could spend on marketing, the higher his profit margin would be.
He listened tentatively as she went on about using local press for their advertising, as opposed to foreign companies who charged nearly triple the price a local one would. Oryn seemed to be very impressed with her ideas as he leaned in to listen more closely.
Once business talk was over, Oryn poured another round of drinks.
“I’m curious,” Adley said. “Why data storage?”
“Why not? It is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. With everything going digital, people want to know their data is safe without having to back everything up on hard drives. It’s less complicated, very compact, and people don’t have to cart around drives with them all the time. They can access their veils, as in GreenVeil, anywhere in the world, wherever they log into from any computer or laptop. Even their data on their tablets or phones is backed up with us,” Oryn explained.
“And are you the brains behind this whole thing?” she asked.
“Surprisingly, no. I am not a hardcore software developer, and sometimes I have trouble with even the most trivial thing. I just had the idea, and I hired a bunch of people who are experts in their field. They made it all happen, and I just paid for it.”
“So you were rich before you started the company?” she asked bluntly, and no sooner than the words came from her lips, she regretted them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“That’s okay,” Oryn chuckled. “I have been lucky to have help from my family. My father made sure my brothers and I were set for life with land, businesses, and other financial resources. Although I have built most of my empire on my own.”
I can imagine,” Adley smiled. “You’re very good at running a company, which is obvious by how successful GreenVeil is. Did you get your business savvy from your father?”
“One of the very few things I got from him, yes.”
“Is your father still in the business game?” she asked.
“He keeps himself busy with smaller projects, but recently, he’s been doing volunteer work with my mother. They’re out saving the world one orphan at a time. When my mother isn’t visiting us, you know.” He shrugged.
“Does she visit often?”
“I would say too often, but that would make me a terrible son.”
“I doubt that. You can’t be terrible at anything, even if you tried,” Adley said. She briefly glanced at Oryn before gazing down at her drink.
“You know, that kiss in my office,” he said softly, which caused her to look at him. “It was so good; I h
aven’t been able to stop thinking about it since it happened.”
“Neither could I,” she admitted. “Why do you think that is?”
“I have a theory.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Oryn shifted closer to her to her. “I think that everyone on this earth has someone who is perfect for them. Someone who was made especially for them. Now, most people don’t get to experience this in their lifetime, because they decided to settle for someone who they feel only lukewarm about and makes them feel lukewarm inside.”
“You really believe that?” she questioned, her voice low.
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t really know what exactly I believe. I tried to follow my heart, but that just led me to the wrong paths, and when I tried to follow my head, it landed me in even more trouble.”
“It’s not about following your heart or your head, Adley, it’s about listening to your soul and whose soul talks to your own.”
“That’s pretty deep,” she said.
“All I can say is, sitting here with you, my soul is going absolutely crazy for yours,” Oryn murmured.
“Mine, too,” Adley breathed and leaned in, kissing him on the lips.
They tasted even better than before. The taste of the vodka on his tongue caused her to shiver with delight. His strong arms pulled her onto him, and she allowed it without a shred of hesitation. As their kissing grew more intense, Adley felt like she would burst into flames. She wanted him, all of him, right at that moment. She pulled away from him slowly and stared deeply into his green eyes, filled with desire.
“I think we should continue this somewhere else,” she whispered.
“I think so, too,” he agreed. In one swift and effortless move, Oryn scooped her up in his arms, stood from the couch, and went inside. As he walked through the house and up the stairs, not even breaking a sweat with her in his arms, Adley tried to reason with herself whether this was the right thing to do.
She wasn’t the kind of woman who would just have sex with someone without getting to know him first, but as Oryn set her down gently on his very comfortable bed, her mind went completely blank. She watched him take off his shirt, revealing his lean and toned torso. She finally saw what was hiding underneath those expensive shirts of his.