Even in Darkness She Chose to Rise (Tatiana and Jasper) novel Chapter 477

Chapter 477 A Lesson in Distraction

Finished

The alcohol, wrapped in the sweet scent of peach, slid down her throat and bloomed into a warm mist in her chest. A faint, rosy flush instantly crept up to the tips of her cars.

“It’s too strong… Did you do that on purpose?”

Despite her words, she couldn’t help but take another sip. This time, she caught the tart, lingering note of lemon on the finish, making her squint slightly like a cat dazed by the sun.

He leaned against the bar and smiled, watching her unconsciously trace the beads of condensation on the glass with her fingertip. Her lips, stained by the spirits, shimmered with a soft luster, and she was entirely unaware of how she looked with a mint leaf caught between her teeth–that dash of green only made her look more like a vivid, living painting.

His eyes darkened suddenly, his throat tightening. He half–closed his eyes, veiling the turbulent emotions surging within.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s very good. I didn’t realize you were so skilled at this.”

“Want to try?”

She felt a spark of interest, a sudden urge to give it a go. “I don’t know how.”

“I’ll teach you.”

She stood up immediately. “Fine.”

She had never mixed a drink before, but seeing how effortlessly he did it, she figured it couldn’t be that difficult. However, once she started, she realized it was anything but simple. Just as she was about to give up, a familiar scent drew near.

He suddenly moved behind her, his arms reaching around her sides as his palms covered hers on the shaker.

“Use your wrists, not your fingers,” he murmured near her ear, his voice carrying the faint, heady scent of whiskey. Her hand trembled, sending the ice clattering against the metal walls, but the chill did nothing to dampen the tingle racing up her spine.

A drop of lime juice accidentally splashed onto the web of her hand. He naturally wiped away the tart droplet with his thumb, but as he pulled back, his fingertip purposefully brushed against her wrist bone.

She turned to glare at him, only to lock eyes with his smiling gaze–his pupils reflected the

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Chapter 477 A Lesson in Distraction

shimmering light of the glassware and the deep red of her carlobes.

Finished

“Focus,” he whispered, guiding her fingers to pluck the stem of a mint leaf. “The biggest mistake in mixology is… being distracted.”

Yet it was clearly his warm breath that had first muddled the air in the room, turning a simple task into something agonizingly slow and intimate. As the scent of crushed mint bloomed at her fingertips, she realized belatedly that she was pinned between the bar and his chest.

The so–called lesson had long since devolved into a flirtatious game, his nose grazing her hair with every breath as he leaned in.

He was doing this on purpose.

This show–off had likely planned this entire move. Not only had he dressed to impress, but he was also shamelessly tempting her.

And yet, she didn’t hate it.

When the product was finished, she pushed it toward him. Her meaning was clear: You try it.

Jasper, of course, complied. He took the drink she had mixed, his fingers lingering against her knuckles, a playful glint in his eyes. As the rim touched his lips, he paused pointedly, locking his gaze onto hers before slowly taking a drink.

The moment the liquid hit his throat, his eyebrows shot up. It was excessively sweet, rawly tart, and the alcoholic balance was a total disaster.

“Delicious,” he said huskily, his thumb slowly wiping a bead of water from the glass.

Pleasantly surprised, she leaned in to take a sip herself, but immediately wrinkled her nose. “Liar. I even put in too much syrup.”

He chuckled low in his throat and suddenly leaned closer–so close she could smell the fermentation of her own cocktail on his breath.

“It is too sweet,” he admitted, his gaze dropping to her lips. “But it makes me want another

taste.”

The ice at the bottom of the glass clinked softly, like a heartbeat skipping a beat. Tatiana pushed him away with forced resolve. “I’m done drinking.”

If she kept going, she really would be ‘drunk.‘

A flicker of regret crossed Jasper’s face—he had been so close. But he wasn’t in a hurry.

That night, Tatiana sampled many different spirits. Alcohol is the kind of thing that, once you

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Chapter 477 A Lesson in Distraction

Finistied

develop a taste for it, becomes hard to stop. Later, when Jasper tried to intervene, he earned himself several sharp glares.

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

Looking at the flush on her face, Jasper said helplessly, “True. I have no right to manage you. You are free.”

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