"You're going to make a mistake, Mr. Sullivan." I deliberately used his last name, knowing how easily it annoyed him.
I should have held back, but I couldn't resist teasing him.
His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened, my words clearly hitting a ner...
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"I bet you know just what you're doing You're not the type that's used to losing First, you build me up, then with just a touch Leave me here in ruins Something 'bout your eyes I can't even walk in a straight line"
Author’s POV
Nathaniel’s lips parted slightly, surprise flickering across his face at her sudden request.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he murmured, his voice just above a whisper, trying to keep his own emotions steady.
Seerat leaned in, her gaze unwavering. “I do know,” she insisted, though there was a slight tremor in her voice.
But he could see right through her. He was a lawyer, someone trained to read people, to notice the hidden emotions they tried to bury. He saw her pain, her desperation for a moment of escape.
As much as he wanted to give in, to pull her close and kiss her as if it were the only thing that mattered, he knew that right now, she wasn’t fully herself. She was too shaken, too vulnerable.
His breath hitched for a moment, battling his own urge to lose himself in her. Instead, he reached up and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering gently.
“Bella…” he said softly, his gaze steady and gentle. He leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead instead, feeling her tense slightly in confusion.
“You don’t really want this,” he whispered. “You’re just… trying to escape, trying to distract yourself.” His voice was calm, soothing, yet firm. “If I kissed you right now, you’d regret it as soon as it was over. You’d feel guilty, maybe even hate yourself for it.”
Seerat parted her lips to say something, but before she could get a word out, Nathaniel’s phone rang, cutting through the tension. His eyes flickered to the screen, but he ignored it.
“I’ll order something for you to eat,” he said, standing up.
The phone rang again, its screen flashing Zake’s name. He was about to silence it when Seerat spoke up. “It could be important,” she murmured.
He picked up the call, pressing the phone to his ear. “Hel—”
But Zake didn’t wait for him to finish. “What the hell, Nathaniel! Why the hell weren’t you picking up?”
Nathaniel’s brow creased. “Calm down, Zake. What’s the issue?”
“Calm down?!” Zake’s voice was frantic. “Do you even know what happened? Your mom, man! She’s in the hospital… critical condition!”
Nathaniel’s blood ran cold. For a moment, the room spun around him, his mind numb with shock.
