Chapter 24
After finishing shopping at the mall, I drove Jasper home.
Through the rearview mirror, I saw Jasper dozing off in his child safety seat. His soft, chubby face leaned against the car window, his cheeks squished and his lips unconsciously pouting.
He looked utterly adorable. [
Arriving at the apartment complex, I parked downstairs. Opening the back door, I carefully carried Jasper out. []
Jasper let out a few murmurs, showing signs of waking up.
I steadied Jasper with one arm, gently patting his back with the other, soothing him softly, “Be good, Jasper.”
In my other hand, I held several shopping bags, the white plastic straps digging into my skin, leaving deep red marks before long.
As I waited for the elevator, I started regretting buying so much.
Once inside the elevator, a new dilemma dawned on me: how was I supposed to retrieve my keys without waking Jasper? [
Iwrestled with this problem until the elevator doors opened, and I still didn’t have a solution.
Exiting the elevator, I looked up and saw Adrian leaning against my door.
He was still wearing the black suit I had seen him in earlier that morning, his tall figure accentuated by his narrow waist and long legs. At his fingertips was a digarette, unlit, as he gazed down slightly.
Adrian stepped forward, his tall frame casting a shadow over me. Within that shadow, my lashes trembled uncontrollably. [
The crisp masculine scent of him, faintly tinged with tobacco, enveloped me entirely, filling my senses until even my pores seemed to scream.
“Is he asleep?” Adrian asked, referring, naturally, to Jasper.
“Mm,” I replied softly.
The moment I saw Adrian that morning, I knew that in the years since leaving him, there was nothing I could truly hide. [
Adrian made a faint sound of acknowledgment and reached out, taking the shopping bags from my arm. [
I froze.
His fingertips were cool as they brushed against my skin, leaving behind a tingling sensation. Wherever his fingers touched first felt cold, then ignited like fire, leaving a scorching ache in their wake.
With the bags gone, my arm felt lighter, and I held Jasper more tightly. [
“Adrian Lancaster,” I said, lowering my voice. “We-” [
Before I could say the word “breakup,” a finger pressed against my slightly parted lips. [
Adrian’s index finger rested on my lips, silencing them with a whisper, “Shh–“[
His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as a deeper, magnetic voice reached my ears. “The baby’s sleeping,
My ears flushed crimson in an instant. [
Adrian’s gaze dropped to the red marks on my arm left by the shopping bag straps. His finger pressed a little more firmly against my lips, grazing over their softness.
Tinstinctively stepped back, only to be pinned against the wall. [
Jasper was now like a cream filled cookie wedged between Adrian and me.
O
The pressure on my lips didn’t ease. []
I thought back to a previous time when Adrian had kissed me, also at dusk. []
I’d been in a bad place then, stuck on a design draft I couldn’t seem to get right, no matter how hard I tried. []
Chapter 24
In search of inspiration, I had grabbed a cigarette. Before I could light it, Adrian had taken it from me.
Facing his gaze, 1 felt guilty and explained, “It’s just for inspiration.” []
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“How exactly does it inspire you?” Adrian asked, his eyes lowered as he examined the cigarette between his fingers. []
“Maybe I hesitated, searching for the right words. “A man, perhaps..” [
“Man? You’ve already got one.” Adrian interrupted, tossing the cigarette aside and leaning in to kiss me. []
I hadn’t resisted, allowing him to press me against the easel. My hands, pinned behind me, grasped the rough edges of the easel frame as I leaned into it, surrendering to Adrian’s passion. []
That dusk, as the light faded bit by bit, I could hear Adrian’s breathing grow more and more urgent. []
Snapping back to the present, I looked at Adrian with a calm expression, still holding Jasper. []
Up close, I noticed the faint shadows of fatigue under Adrian’s eyes.
“Come to a dinner with me,” Adrian said, his eyes half closed, []
I didn’t respond, a faint smile tugging at my lips. “Mr. Lancaster, how forgetful you must be,”
We’ve broken up, and he still thinks I’d obediently attend a dinner with him? Dream on. [
