But Aliana was not the only one who had upped the ante, as the devil himself possessed his own wicked tactics.

No sooner had she started wearing beautiful, sensual nightgowns in their room than Gavriel seemed to abandon his shirts entirely.

He regularly roamed their room shirtless, often with water glistening and dripping down his sculpted torso, forcing Aliana to practically wipe away her drool before forcing herself to snap out of it.

Heavens only knew that her best defence against his counterattacks was to simply lie down on the bed and play dead, pretending he didn’t exist within the same breathing space as her.

Thankfully, exhaustion from the day usually dragged her into sleep almost immediately. At the very least, it kept her from pouncing on him like a feral cat every night.

The presence of other people around the house also helped maintain a semblance of civility whenever they crossed paths elsewhere.

However, here they were... completely alone in each other’s company, with no one around to interrupt them.

Jade had returned to her parents since they missed their daughter. And since Aliana was going to be away from the Valentine Residence anyway, Jade had found it to be the perfect opportunity to reunite with her family.

Meanwhile, Nigel and Cillian had stayed behind to oversee the company affairs, ensuring that company work did not pile up during their absence.

As a result, the only other people accompanying them were the air hostesses.

The same air hostesses who somehow always found a reason to lean just a little too close to Gavriel whenever they approached him with just about anything.

It thoroughly ticked Aliana off, but if nothing else, the irritation at least stopped her from acting on her own reckless impulses.

It had been four hours since they had boarded the flight. Seated across from each other, they were both trying to keep it together, but Gavriel’s gaze had not left her even once.

When she could no longer take it, Aliana let out a resigned sigh and snapped shut the magazine she hadn’t been reading anyway before finally breaking her silence.

"You know, at this rate, you’re going to drill holes into my head with your eyes." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The moment she looked up, she found him scowling slightly at her. He looked ridiculously handsome in his high-neck black t-shirt, crisp black overcoat, and perfectly tailored trousers.

’He looks like he is about to walk down a fashion runway,’ she muttered to herself, checking him out thoroughly before forcing her focus back to his face.

When he offered no immediate response, she raised an expectant eyebrow.

Only then did he lean his head back in his seat and comment,"Your dress is way too short."

Aliana’s mouth fell open for a moment at what he had just said.

"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.

Gavriel maintained his unreadable expression as he continued, "At this rate, you are going to freeze."

Her mouth opened and shut before she crossed her arms, offering a careless shrug. "Well, I have my overcoat."

When his gaze narrowed on her exposed legs again, a sly smile finally bloomed across her face. "Besides, you never actually told me where we are going."

"I told you we are going to a cold place," he replied. The words rolled off his tongue in a smooth, low rumble that sent a delicious shiver straight down her spine.

But Aliana pushed forward anyway. "How am I supposed to know exactly how cold it is? It could be mild for all I know. Plus, I have a high tolerance for the cold, especially since my body has been running a little hotter than usual lately, as you know."

She slowly uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her face against her knuckles. Blinking at him slowly through her thick lashes, she purred, "In fact, I think I won’t even need this blazer I am wearing right now. Maybe... I should take it off."

The moment the suggestion left her lips, a low hiss escaped Gavriel. His hand shot out with terrifying speed. One second she was leaning toward her own seat, and the next, she was straddling his lap with his fingers wrapped around her waist in a vice-like grip.

A sharp gasp left her lips when his palm slid lower, cupping her butt cheek and squeezing it firmly.

Deep blush rushed to her cheeks as his face hovered inches from hers, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I know exactly what you are doing, baby. You had better stop before it is far too late for you to regret it."

The warning was crystal clear in his low, velvety voice. Yet, instead of fear, Aliana felt a thrill of pure delight zinging all the way to her core at the sensation of his hands roaming possessively over her skin.

Smirking in pure triumph, she leaned closer to his ear, letting her warm breath brush against his skin as she whispered, "Does this mean you accept defeat? Wait, I distinctly remember someone confidently telling me that I would be the one to lose first."

She let her words linger, listening to the sharp breath he sucked in. Biting the inside of her cheek to control her smile, she leaned back only to find his eyes tightly shut, a vein visibly pulsing against his forehead.

But she refused to stop there.

Her daring hands slid up from his chest, wrapping slowly around his neck.

She felt a wave of heat pool low in her belly as she leaned in until her lips almost brushed his, murmuring, "What’s the matter, Gav? You look like..." She paused to stifle her laughter before continuing, "...you are struggling just a little. It’s alright. We all lose sometimes, don’t we? This could be a historic first for Gavriel Valentine."

His eyes snapped open.

The raw fire burning within them made Aliana genuinely wonder if she had pushed him too far. He looked like a devil capable of devouring her whole without leaving a single crumb behind.

The thought should have frightened her.

Instead, she found herself questioning her own sanity because she couldn’t decide whether she was supposed to be afraid of it... or excited by it.

Suddenly, Gavriel’s hand gripped her jaw, yanking her forward as he growled in his dark, velvet voice, "You naughty little thing."

His other hand, which had been resting on her hip, travelled lower to her inner thigh, and Aliana shuddered.

Her eyes widened as he continued his slow ascent and whispered, "Maybe you need a reminder of what happens when you play with fire."

A devious smirk graced his handsome face. "And I’m more than happy to teach you."

With that, his hand grazed against the lace of her underwear. The touch was barely a whisper of movement, but the effect was profound. Aliana closed her eyes instantly, her head falling back as a wave of euphoria rushed through her.