Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3449

The situation only grew more embarrassing for Marina. She forcefully brought her knee up, but having learned his lesson, Carson beat her to the punch. He trapped her leg with his own, his arm wrapped tight around her waist to plaster her against his body, eyes falling shut as he continued to devour her mouth.

He smelled faintly of something clean and woodsy, like sandalwood. His technique was flawless. Marina didn't hate it; in fact, she found herself slowly melting into it.

It wasn't until his lips trailed down to the curve of her collarbone that she violently snapped out of her daze and shoved him away with all her might.

Carson had been completely lost in the moment. Caught off guard by the shove, he stumbled back, his chest heaving slightly as his dark, turbulent eyes fixated on her.

Marina raised the back of her hand and fiercely wiped her smudged lipstick, grinding her teeth. "I'll settle this with you later!"

A wicked, almost ethereal smirk tugged at his reddened lips. "Make it quick. I'll be waiting in bed."

Marina had been about to open the door, but her spine went rigid at his words. She spun around, wiped the lipstick residue from her hand squarely onto his pristine white shirt, and mouthed a single phrase: "Get out."

"Of my clothes?" the man teased, a roguish glint in his eye.

Furious, Marina grabbed a plush toy off the nearby cabinet and hurled it at his face.

Carson caught it effortlessly. "A token of your love?"

Marina felt her blood pressure spiking. Refusing to look at him for a second longer, she grabbed the doorknob, stormed out, and slammed the door behind her.

Bang!

Sitting in the living room, Yuri jumped at the sound and snapped his head around in a panic.

Realizing she had lost her composure, Marina forced a tight smile. "The wind caught it!"

Yuri offered a sheepish grin. "Maybe I should head out. I'm really sorry for interrupting you and Mr. Foster."

"There's only one page left, it's fine!" Marina said, taking her seat and forcing her scattered thoughts to focus on the final document.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yuri noticed the swollen, slightly smeared state of her lips. A flicker of gloom darkened his gaze.

He nodded, adopting an expression of polite attentiveness.

"Even though our relationship exists somewhere between friends and an engaged couple, we had an agreement to just maintain the status quo. Did you forget that?" she asked.

Carson offered a faint smile. "I didn't."

"If you didn't forget, then you did it on purpose, which only pisses me off more," Marina said sternly.

His deep eyes locked onto hers. "Have you ever thought about tearing up that agreement? I think we'd be pretty happy together."

Marina shook her head, her gaze crystal clear. "You think we'd be happy because I never interfere with your life. Even if you're out partying and flirting, I cover for you. You like the convenience of this arrangement. But the moment we tear up that agreement and become a real couple, this whole dynamic shatters. I would have higher expectations of you. If I actually developed feelings for you, things would get dangerous for both of us."

"I'd get jealous when you're with other girls. I'd start fights. By then, we'd just end up exhausting each other."

"The agreement is what keeps our relationship stable."