"Get your dirty hands off me!"

Avery coils her legs against Evan's chest, but she doesn't use much force because of his back wound. It's easy for Evan to grab her wildly waving hands. He holds her tightly and his familiar smell envelops her. Gently, he kisses every inch of her body.

Avery was prepared for rough sex, but Evan's gentleness surprises her and makes her melt. He is as tender as if he's cherishing a priceless and fragile treasure. His eyes are soft too as he caresses her wet hair and gently kisses her forehead and cheek. He knows she doesn't love him, but it doesn't stop him from loving her.

"So what if she doesn't love me back? I already gave her my heart," he thinks,

"Nothing will stop me from loving her and trying to get inside her world."

Faint light comes in through the gaps in the curtains the next morning. Avery feels like she's been thrown in the washing machine and tossed around over and over. Every muscle in her body aches, but the pain gives her a secret shiver of pleasure.

Avery opens her eyes and looks at the man on top of her. The bed is too small for both of them to lie side by side and Evan is a big man. She looks at Evan and examines his thick eyebrows, profound complexion, and determined lips, and wonders if he's even more handsome in sleep than he is when he's awake. It's the first time in a long time that Avery has paid so much attention to his appearance.

"There's no denying that his face is impeccable," Avery thinks, "He may be one of God's finest sculptures."

She squirms beneath him to push him away, and her movement arouses a response from a particular part of his body. He's practically inside her as he sleeps.

"That's shameless!" Avery thinks.

Avery tries as hard as she can to push him off, but he's too heavy. She can't help wondering what miracle prevented him from completely flattening her in his sleep. Avery has no choice but to grab a handful of her hair and skim it over his neck and chest to tickle him.

Evan frowns and scratches at the ticklish spots in his sleep. Avery tickles the same spots again. Evan rolls onto his side to avoid the tickling, but the bed is too small and half his body falls out of the bed.

Avery looks at the bandages on his back and wonders how he managed to make love to her so many times with such serious injuries.

"Get up!" Avery says, "You're falling."

Avery mischievously wants to kick Evan off the bed, but she's worried he'll hurt his back if he falls. She feels annoyed because she'd kick him down if he didn't incur the wounds while protecting her.

"I won't fall if you don't move," Evan says, suddenly wide awake.

He holds her tightly and rolls her underneath him. It amazes Avery that he gets even harder as he slips inside her. Avery turns livid.

"How can Evan be so shameless?" she thinks.

"I'm hungry," she complains.

"Me too," Evan says seductively, "How about dessert before breakfast?"

"Evan Howel, get off me!"

Avery feels like Evan is driving her to the edge. She hates the way her body is reacting to him and she hates his arrogance. She wishes she had her ring with her so she could poke him until he lost his erection or fainted again.

"I can't unless you open your mouth down there," Evan says in a good mood. He thrusts gently and lowers his head kiss her above her eyes, "She's not ready for me to leave yet and bites me so hard."

Avery blushes. She was almost devoured by a lion yesterday but Evan seems to be traumatized one. He seems to have turned brazen and unrecognizable.

"That's too filthy of you," Avery objects, "Besides I already gave the room key to Miss Lisa, and it's not gentlemanly to stand her up."

Avery's voice is serious, but she turns her face to the side to avoid looking at him. Her self-control is tenuous and she doesn't want to lose it.

"Who is Miss Lisa?" Evan asks thrusting harder.

Avery wants to moan but she makes her voice severe and hostile.

"Evan! Miss Lisa is the woman you complimented for having a high IQ. You accused me of buying the same dress as her and made me change."

Avery pauses and gives him a significant look, "Are you using her to try to get me back?"

"That's enough!" Evan growls, suddenly unpleasant, "I don't want to hear it. Don't ever talk about her again."

"I don't think so," Avery argues, "If you invested in her so heavily, you ought to make the most of her, right?"

"Make the most of her?" Evan says thrusting wildly as if he's punishing her, "I'm making the most of you now."

After they finish, Avery is sweating all over and doesn't have any strength left. She doesn't even want to lift her fingers. Evan gets up first then picks her up and carries her into the bathroom which is really only fit for one person. It seems crowded with two people in it, especially when one of the people is as tall and strong as Evan

"I can shower on my own. Get out."

Avery brutally shoves Evan out of the bathroom. Evan doesn't persist because the bathroom is small. After she finishes, he goes in to clean up, taking care not to soak the wounds on his back.

Later he calls Robert and the butler comes bearing clothes and information. He tells Evan that the nightclub incident has been taken care of. The Howel Group has purchased the club, and the operator handling the wires and staff who mistook Avery for the lion tamer have all been taken care of.

Robert then looks at Avery who is wearing a bathrobe and drying her hair with a hairdryer. He hesitates nervously but eventually speaks: "Miss Lisa waited in the presidential suite for you all night."

Robert immediately feels Evan's anger. He keeps his head down and avoids his boss' gaze. He didn't want to bring it up but Lisa insisted on waiting for Evan and sitting on the couch all night in the presidential suite. She's still there. If he doesn't tell Evan, he'd accuse him of withholding information when he and Avery decided to go back.