The electronic bell rang again.

I stood quietly behind the door, my heart still racing from the chaos of my body and mind. I was still flushed from what Alex had started and failed to finish, still raw with need and frustration. My robe was barely tied around me, and my legs still trembled from the edge I had been pushed to and abandoned on.

I moved closer to the door cautiously, my eyes darting to the security screen before I unlocked it.

"Javi?"

The man standing on the other side of the door gave me a humble nod. He was tall. Broader than I remembered. That scar that ran from his brow to his cheek looked like it was starting to heal. Back when I first met him and Alex, I thought he was all muscle and the way he had been alert in helping Alex to ward off the men Dan had sent to get me at the warehouse, I was grateful for that.

"Alex sent me," he said, keeping his baritone voice low and calm. "He told me to keep an eye on things until he gets back. He had to handle something urgent."

I tightened my robe instinctively. "Urgent enough to leave without telling me a few words. Figures."

He didn’t respond.

He looked past me into the house, not saying anything. His presence filled the doorway like a wall. I stepped aside and let him in.

He moved through the entryway with slow, confident steps, the kind of steps that told you he was always prepared to break into action. I shut the door and leaned against it for a second, steadying myself.

That was when I caught Javi’s eyes dropping to my legs. I had unconsciously loosened my grip and my robe had fallen slightly open, baring the curve of my thigh. He did not pretend to look away. His eyes lingered just long enough to send a jolt through my body.

At that moment, I strangely liked the way he looked at me but what was this feeling?

I cleared my throat and tugged the robe tighter. "I’ll be upstairs. Make yourself comfortable or whatever."

"I will."

I walked away quickly, my feet barely making a sound on the hardwood floor. My heartbeat roared in her ears as my mind replayed Javi’s sexy gaze that was fixated on my body. I could still feel that gaze burning on my skin.

When I reached the bedroom, I shut the door behind me and locked it. I leaned against it for a second and breathed out shakily.

I felt embarrassed. And stupid. And too hot for my own good.

I pulled off the robe and tossed it onto the bed, my mind still swimming with the moment. Javi’s muscular arms looked like they had been carved out of some warrior’s dream. And that scar on his face? It was addition to his sexy masculinity. Of he looked so good on the surface, what would his dick look or even feel like?

I but my lower lip, almost drooling at the imagination.

My conscience hated that I was thinking about him. That my body was screaming for someone other than Alex to touch me.

I tried to shake off the thoughts of Javi, but they remained.

I lay back on the bed, my fingers tracing my belly, the

my nipples. I imagined Alex again. The way his hands had gripped my waist. The way his mouth had moved over my collarbone, then my neck and my breasts.

But that image faded fast, replaced by the memory of the way Javi had looked at me so tenderly.

I rolled over, pressing my thighs together, embarrassed by my thoughts. Still, my body refused to forget. Heat kept building inside me.

I closed my eyes, one hand slipping lower with each ragged breath. Just a little. Just enough to forget the ache. Just enough to remind myself that I was still in my own body. That I still had control.

My moan was quiet, swallowed by the silence of the room. I wasn't thinking anymore. Just feeling. Needing.

My breath came faster, thighs tightening. I meant to see Alex in my fantasies but instead, I imagined Javi’s fingers tracing mt skin, not gently but possessively. I imagined his chest against my back. His rough voice in my ear. All of it was wrong. But my body did not seem to care.

And then the softest knock came at the door.

I bolted upright, my heart leaping to my throat.

"Everything okay in there?" Javi’s voice came through the wood.

I did not answer. My body was still shaking from the edge I had just touched.

Another knock.

"Do you want some tea or anything? I found the kettle."

I swallowed hard and scrambled to grab my robe, hands fumbling with the knot. My face burned with heat. Not from desire anymore but from shame because the one who I had been imagining myself making love to was right behind that door. And he was my husband’s enforcer. His trusted friend.

"I’m fine!" I called out, voice higher than I wanted.

"Alright," Javi replied.

I waited until I heard his footsteps retreat before I let out the breath I had been holding.

This was getting dangerous. Not just because of the lust. But because I had no idea who I was becoming.

When I stepped out of the bedroom ten minutes later, wrapped in a hoodie and leggings, Javi was in the living room, watching the door like a sentinel. His eyes flicked up to me then he did it again. Running his eyes all over my body in a way that made me self conscious.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Until my phone buzzed.

I picked it up from the table and read Alex’s message.

I hope you're ready for me to fuck you hard tonight.

Will be back soon.