Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 342

Chapter 342 Since Before Dawn

Samuel’s POV:

I didn’t expect her to press down so hard. For a woman who usually seemed so slight, she had surprising strength. The poke made me gasp sharply.

“Hey, Lily, take it easy! Are you trying to kill your savior?” I said.

“You said ‘just rub it. I don’t know how to do this. I thought people who liked massages liked firm pressure?” Lily shot back, annoyed, but she did lighten her touch.

“I don’t like it. I hate pain,” I grumbled in response.

Lily’s fingers pressed into my back and shoulders through the robe. I could sense her slight discomfort and her effort to maintain her composure. The atmosphere in the room suddenly felt a bit charged.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the admittedly unprofessional massage.

“A little higher… Yeah, right there on the shoulder. It’s stiff there, too.” I directed, my voice a bit lower and lazier than before.

Lily followed my instructions, her fingertips finding the tight muscles near my shoulder blade.

After a few minutes, I found myself relaxing. This simple, physical contact, free of calculations of interests, actually eased my tense nerves a little. Before I knew it, I said, “Alright, that’s enough. And… thank you today, too.”

Her hands stilled, clearly confused.

I added quietly, “Thanks for not treating me like a complete jerk tonight.” Given her personality, she wouldn’t normally have let me get involved in Harry’s troubles.

For some reason, even though I was the one who helped her, it actually felt pretty good.

She was silent for a moment. Then, very softly, she said, “Mr. Scott, you know… you’re not that much of a jerk, really.” I knew she probably didn’t entirely mean it, but it was still nice to hear.

“So, how’d I do today?” I asked with a low chuckle,

“Um…” Her eyes darted away, avoiding my direct gaze. Her voice was almost a whisper. “I thought you seemed… pretty reliable when you were helping Harry.”

“Just ‘reliable’?” I felt a strange sense of dissatisfaction. I suddenly turned around to face her. The collar of my robe fell open a little, revealing the defined line of my collarbone. Our eyes met abruptly.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she jumped up, startled. “It’s late. I’m tired. I should go back,” she said in a rush, and immediately headed for the door. She didn’t look back, no matter how many times I called after her.

Looking at the closed door, I rubbed my chin. Reliable, huh? Well, it wasn’t the worst evaluation.

Natalie’s POV:

“Why didn’t you… kiss me awake?” I asked in a very small voice, continuing to tease him. Soon, his entire neck was tinged with pink, and his Adam’s apple bobbed sharply.

“Couldn’t bear to,” he murmured, his warm breath brushing my ear. Those words hit me hard- my fake calm melted, and a heat rushed through me.

His kiss followed the words, trailing from behind my ear downwards, hot and urgent. I responded, my fingers tangling in his silver hair, feeling the taut lines of the muscles in his back and… the scars that seemed to grow warm under intense emotion.

Just as we were about to drown completely in each other, a jarring doorbell rang.

At the same time, one of our phones on the nightstand-who knew whose-started buzzing.

Leonardo was kissing my lips, and the sudden interruption made me gasp.

I couldn’t speak because he showed no intention of stopping.

He frowned, holding me firmly, clearly wanting to ignore everything else.

But the doorbell kept ringing.

The doorbell stopped, then the phone started.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed against his chest, forcing him to let me go.