Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 164

"I didn't..." she instinctively denied it, but his accusation inexplicably made her feel a little guilty.

"Randal, I..."

He suddenly kissed her, swallowing all the words she hadn't finished saying.

The kiss was very light, like a tentative test.

"Willa, the more you act like this, the less I want to let you go."

He held her even tighter, his eyes full of desire. "Can you... not go back tonight?"

"Just sleeping," he added. "We won't do anything."

Willa scoffed. "Randal, do you even believe that yourself?"

Men's words were nothing but lies.

Saying they would just cuddle and do nothing, only to push their luck in the end.

Randal's expression stiffened for a moment before a slow smile spread across his face. "Willa, the way you say that makes it sound like I'm totally unreliable."

Willa raised an eyebrow. "Are you reliable?"

She extended a finger and poked his chest repeatedly.

"We agreed to sleep in our own beds, but what happened? You snuck into my bed in the middle of the night."

"You said we'd just cuddle, but what happened? Where were your hands?"

Randal smiled unabashedly. "Willa, why is your memory so good?"

Willa let out an exasperated laugh. "So it's my fault?"

"It's not your fault." His chin returned to her shoulder, and he nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. "It's my fault. I just can't control myself."

He paused, a wicked grin on his face. "How about we test it tonight? Let's see if I can control myself. What if I succeed?"

Thinking it was Randal coming home early, she got up to answer the door. But when she saw the person outside, her expression completely froze.

Without waiting for an invitation, Eleanor Yates walked straight in. She surveyed the apartment with a half-smile. "Ms. Vance, what's wrong? Am I not welcome?"

"How would I dare not welcome Mrs. Yates?" Willa deliberately spoke with heavy sarcasm. "But does Randal know you're here? Aren't you afraid of making him angry?"

Eleanor's face stiffened at the remark. She held back her temper and managed to maintain her poise. "Ms. Vance, I'm not here to bicker with you."

She took a check out of her bag, placed it on the coffee table, and turned to speak coldly to Willa. "This is for you."

"What does this mean? The same old trick? Paying me off to leave your son?" Willa laughed out of sheer anger. "Tell me, how much is it this time? Let me expand my horizons."

Eleanor didn't get angry; she simply sat on the sofa with elegant posture.

"Ms. Vance, I heard that Randal's condition has improved a lot lately, and you deserve some credit for that."

"So?"