Just A Stranger

Chapter 32

Just A Stranger.

Lyla Atelo.

The way his breath fanned my neck... The proximity... It was all too much.

"Sage..." A strangled sound escaped my mouth.

His cologne filled my senses, coiled itself around my entire being. His fingers were still on my lips, and his eyes were there... Staring at them... The yearning in his eyes to kiss them...

"What do you want, Lyla? Tell me." The low command of his voice sent shivers down my spine.

I wanted to let go of the remaining rationality of my mind, throw caution to the wind and just tell him how much I wanted him to touch me again. How much I wanted to squirm under his fingers...

"You smell so good, Lyla." He growled. "Did you choose these clothes just for me?"

That was when I realised what I was wearing. A body-hugging spaghetti strap dress that stopped two inches above my thighs.

"I... No... Sage... I just..." I was stammering, quivering under his hands.

He chuckled and drew away immediately, and my body missed the warmth that his body came with. He lumbered towards a sofa at the far end of his study and picked up a thick sweater, pulling it on and hiding the delectable view from my eyes.

"Thank you, Lyla. But you shouldn't be here." His voice had turned clipped and it stunned me how quickly his tone changed. "I will be in school tomorrow. Is that okay?"

I was about to reply when my phone rang. The caller ID flashed in my face to reveal my husband. I turned it off and pushed the phone into my little purse.

"It's getting late." There was a frown on his face. "Someone sure is worried about you. You should get going."

"Are you chasing me?"

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second. "Chasing? According to your words, if I heard correctly, you came here to drop off some soup for me. And you've done it. I see no reason why you should still be here."

The way he said it made my heart drop. How could he just make me feel all these things, and then turn around to act coldly about it. But then again, he was right. I came here to give him the food I prepared out of guilt, and to see if he was doing fine. And I've done just that.

Why couldn't I just leave? Why didn't my legs move towards the elevator and out of his house? Why was I rooted to the spot, still against the wall he had pressed me into, staring at him with desire-filled eyes?

He smirked. "You're not just here for that, are you? You want something more." He turned around and sat on the sofa, patting the space beside him for me to sit

I walked robotically towards him, pulse racing... Pussy pulsing. I was aware of all the stimuli in my body as I inched closer to him. He rested his head in his left hand, leaning backwards to take a good look at me as I sat.

"So..." I awkwardly tried to start a conversation with him under his heated gaze. "You live alone?"

"Didn't you see my butler and the guard?" His eyes twinkled mischievously. "How will that suggest that I live alone?"

I unconsciously punched his legs. "You know what I mean! What about your family? Your parents?"

His expression changed instantly at the mention of his parents. Did I strike a nerve? Did I get him angry?

"I don't talk to strangers about my family, Lyla."

A sharp pain twisted in my gut. This was what he saw me as— a stranger. I was just a stranger to him. The words hit me like a blow.

"I think we are done here." He stood up to his full height abruptly and picked up his phone from the table. "I will have my driver take you home. You shouldn't be driving by this time of the night." He dismissed me quickly.

I hurriedly got up to my feet, smoothening my gown in the process. I have never been more embarrassed like I was right now. I forced a smile on my face and clutched my purse tightly in my hands.

"I'm sorry for bringing up such topics. I didn't know they were sensitive." I said in a rushed voice, trying to hide my disappointment and embarrassment.

He turned so fast it gave me a whiplash as he flicked my face to face him with one finger.

"Why do you sound sad?" I could hear a hint of worry in his voice.

I pushed my face away from his finger and shook my head. "I'm not sad. And... Thank you for your offer, but I will drive home alone. There's no need to bother your driver about it."

"I wasn't negotiating that part with you." His voice was clipped, angry that I flipped my face away from him. "Taylor will drive you home, and that is final."

"And who are you to do that for me? Aren't we just strangers? Why would you go that far to make sure that some stranger gets home safely?"

He signed heavily behind me. "You've got a smart mouth, Lyla. A sweet mouth that has a lot of potential, but is really smart. Let me tell you something, Lyla." He inched closer to me again. "Anytime I say something, I don't need questions. I don't need to repeat myself. I don't need to negotiate with you. As long as you are around me, and I give out a word, you will have to stick to it... Adhere it." The thickness in his voice scared me. "Are you angry that I called you a stranger? That's what you are to me. A stranger." He enunciated every word, not caring that I winced at the sound of that. "A woman I fucked at the club. My teacher in school that I still want to fuck every damn time I see her. But still a stranger. I don't do friends."

I hated the fact that he was devilishly handsome at this point, but still...

"What about Elijah? Isn't he your friend? Sara?"I asked.

"I don't repeat myself, Lyla."

The elevator dinged and opened for Taylor to step in.

"Sir? You called?" He came in looking immaculate as ever, oblivious to the thick tension between Sage and I.

"Take Mrs. Lyla home." He commanded immediately, still facing me, "And Lyla?" His voice quietened a little. "Don't ever come to my house again. You don't know how lucky you got this time."