Chapter 317: Did I Come on Too Strong?

Nat’s mouth moved over hers with a frantic, punishing hunger, his tongue tasting every inch of her lips as if he were trying to memorize her all over again. The metallic scent of the elevator shaft mixed with his heavy, masculine cologne, creating a heady environment that made April’s head spin.

"Mmm... Nat," she murmured against his mouth, her fingers tangling tightly in his messy red hair.

His grip on her waist tightened, his hand lifting her slightly so her heels barely brushed the polished floor. His leg slid between her thighs, making his hard penis rub against her, reminding her with every hot breath that his self-control was hanging by a thread.

"You’re going to break the mechanism if you push any harder," April panted softly, breaking the kiss just enough to catch her breath. Her dark eyes met his, completely unbothered by the wild, dangerous aura radiating off him.

"Let it break," Nat growled, his lips tracing down her jawline to press a series of hard, scorching kisses right beneath her ear. "Let the whole damn building fall. I’m not letting you go back to Reed looking all prim and proper after marking you all over."

April let out a raspy, breathless laugh. "Is that what this is about? Marking your territory?"

"Always," he purred against her skin, his thumb sliding up beneath the lapel of her shirt to stroke the sensitive skin of her collarbone. "You’re mine, April. Period or no period, you’re not getting away from me."

Before she could offer a sarcastic reply, a sharp metallic clank echoed from above the ceiling, followed by the heavy thud of boots landing on top of the elevator cab.

"We’ve located the cab!" a technician’s voice yelled from the roof. "Initiating manual override!"

Nat let out an annoyed hiss, his teeth grazing her neck one last time before he pulled back just an inch, his eyes burning into hers with a triumphant smirk.

"Looks like our time’s up, sweetheart," Nat whispered rasply, his thumb lightly stroking her swollen lower lip. "Now, let’s go home so I can finish what I started."

"No... no finishing," April breathed out softly, her voice raspy and laced with a sudden, genuine exhaustion. She placed both of her hands flat against his broad chest, pushing back just enough to create a sliver of space between them. "Nat, just... take me home."

Nat stilled, his dark eyes narrowing slightly as he searched her face.

April looked away, a subtle, uncharacteristic tension in her jaw. She felt that at this rate, she might truly lose her mind. Because he couldn’t actually touch her down there while she was on her period, this endless teasing and rising heat was becoming absolute agony. It was far better to stop now than to keep torturing herself.

Seeing the quiet, genuine resistance in her brown eyes, Nat’s fierce, predatory intensity softened into something a little more grounded. He let out a long, heavy breath, his large hand coming up to gently cup the side of her neck, his thumb lightly stroking her warm skin.

"Alright," Nat murmured, his rough voice dropping into a surprisingly tender register. "I won’t push it. I’ll take you home."

He reached out and smoothed down her collar, his fingers carefully re-buttoning the top of her shirt that he had undone earlier.

Above them, a loud mechanical click echoed through the shaft as the maintenance crew successfully bypassed the emergency hold. The stalled elevator gave a light jerk before resuming its smooth, steady descent down toward the private underground garage.

Nat kept his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her softly against his side—no longer pressing her with aggressive demand, but holding her steady until the heavy doors finally slid open to the quiet, dim garage below.

As he looked down at her—taking in her flushed face, her heavy breathing, and that quiet, unspoken discomfort—a rare flick of hesitation passed over his sharp features.

"Did I... come on too strong?" Nat asked softly.

April blinked, looking up at him in sheer surprise. "What?"

Nat looked away, his jaw tightening as he reached up with his free hand to awkwardly rub the back of his neck. "Maybe... you don’t like me being aggressive," he whispered, his usual cocky arrogance completely giving way to an unexpected, raw vulnerability.

April opened her mouth to speak, ready to clear the air and give him a subtle hint that her frustration wasn’t from his aggression, but simply from being very aroused when they couldn’t actually go all the way.

But before the words could leave her lips, a loud chime echoed through the cabin.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss, instantly flooding the space with the bright, harsh fluorescent lights of the underground parking garage.

Standing directly on the concrete platform, his sharp suit coat thrown off and his tie slightly loosened, was Xavier.

His chest was heaving with rapid, heavy breaths. The moment he discovered her cabin hadn’t touched down and the elevator had suffered an emergency stop between floors, he had abandoned all decorum—taking the stairs at a full sprint and personally calling the building’s top maintenance crew to override the system.

Xavier’s eyes swept over the interior of the cabin instantly. His sharp gaze locked onto the shattered glass of the emergency intercom panel, then flicked straight to Nat’s arm still around April’s waist, before finally landing on April’s flushed cheeks and slightly swollen lips.

A dark, dangerous storm surged into Xavier’s expression, his jaw locking so tight the muscle twitched visibly.

"April," Xavier rasped, his voice cutting through the quiet garage like a drawn blade as he ignored Nat entirely and extended a hand out to her. "Are you alright?"

Nat didn’t pull his arm away, but his grip relaxed slightly, his sharp, villainous smirk returning as he looked at the winded tycoon standing in front of them.

"Relax, Reed," Nat drawled, his voice carrying a cool, mocking edge despite the subtle, lingering tension in his own shoulders from his conversation with April. "She’s perfectly fine. We just had a brief... technical delay."

April looked between the two men, the unspoken answer to Nat’s hesitant question lingering heavily in her mind. Her body was still throbbing with that unresolved, agonizing heat, but with Xavier standing right there—eyes full of raw concern and barely suppressed fury—the window to clear the air with Nat had completely passed.

"I’m fine, Xavier," April said softly, stepping forward and naturally breaking away from Nat’s side. She didn’t take Xavier’s hand, but her presence immediately cooled the dangerous spike in his pulse. "It was just an emergency stop."

Xavier’s dark eyes searched her face, detecting the faint, raspy edge in her voice and the quiet exhaustion in her posture. He stepped in closer, effectively positioning himself between her and Nat.

"I’m driving you home," Xavier stated firmly, his tone leaving zero room for debate. "My car is right here. You don’t need to let Nat take you."

Nat let out a low, dry chuckle, folding his arms across his broad chest as he leaned casually against the elevator frame. "Now hold on, Reed. The lady already gave her word upstairs. She said I was driving her."

Nat flicked his dark, searching gaze over Xavier’s shoulder to lock onto April, a quiet, unspoken question hanging in the air between them: Are you coming with me, or letting him step in?