Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3462

In the dim light, Carson's gaze darkened. He was just about to tap the notification when Marina's surprised voice rang out from behind him. "What are you doing here?"

Carson turned around with casual indifference. His eyes swept over the cocktail in her hand, and he raised a brow. "Drinking this late?"

"I still have a few things to wrap up. Just needed a little pick-me-up." Marina walked over to the desk and picked up her phone. Catching sight of Nocturne's message, a soft smile touched her lips as she typed out a reply.

Carson watched her, his voice dipping into a cool register. "I thought you two were just collaborators. Are you always this invested in each other's personal lives?"

Marina slowly turned her head, her brows knitting together. "Were you snooping on my phone?"

"You left it right there. I just glanced at it," he said matter-of-factly.

"He was just being polite!" Marina defended.

Carson leaned back against the sofa, his posture lazy but his tone perfectly measured. "Marina, let me remind you. You might share similar interests, but you only know this guy through a screen. You have no idea who he really is behind the keyboard. It's best not to drag your personal life into it."

Marina immediately bristled. "Our relationship is strictly professional. And for your information, Nocturne is an absolute gentleman."

"A gentleman?" Carson let out a slow, mocking laugh. "And what exactly makes a gentleman?"

Marina shot him a look of pure disdain. "Well, definitely not someone like you!"

Carson's brow twitched. Keeping his dark eyes locked on her, he pushed off the sofa and stalked toward her.

Marina immediately backed up. "Carson, don't take that as a compliment!"

"Who said I did?" Carson towered over her. Seeing her tense with defensive wariness, he simply snaked an arm around her waist, hoisted her up, and planted her right on the edge of the desk. He leaned in, bracing his hands on the surface beside her hips so they were finally at eye level.

Marina held his gaze without an ounce of fear. "You're reckless and shameless. The exact opposite of a gentleman."

Carson chuckled, the sound low and dangerously seductive. He tilted his head and brushed his lips against hers. "Like this?"

Marina kicked her legs out at him, but he pinned them down with effortless dominance. "You're my fiancée. Taking you to bed would be perfectly justified. How is a simple kiss reckless?"

"And who was the one begging for more last time?"

Stripped of the exhaustion and endless grind of her work, he dragged her into an entirely different dimension. Here, her pulse raced with raw arousal, every nerve ending pulled taut, leaving her dizzy and feverish like she was drunk on him.

He was the absolute perfect lover. Even a simple kiss from him was a masterclass—never too aggressive, never too practiced, just exactly what she needed, entirely attuned to every little sound she made.

"The drink tastes sweet on you," he murmured against her mouth.

Marina's cheeks burned hot as a soft, breathy moan slipped past her lips.

Carson's hands wandered as his scorching kisses trailed down her jaw to her earlobe. "Baby, when you crave a man, come to me. I can satisfy you infinitely better than some faceless guy hiding behind a screen."

The words hit Marina like a bucket of ice water, snapping her instantly out of the haze. A cold wave of anger and sudden panic washed over her.

The crisp autumn draft slipped through the crack in the window, shattering the steamy heat that had engulfed them just seconds before.

She pressed a firm hand against his chest to stop him, her voice remarkably steady. "That's enough."

Carson immediately sensed the shift in her demeanor. He pulled back slightly to study her. "What's wrong?"