He Never Noticed Me Until I Loved Someone Else novel Chapter 26

Stella lowered her gaze. "Whether you believe me or not, it was just an accident."

Jarrod didn't confirm or deny her statement. Instead, he asked casually, "You don't get along with your father's friend's son?"

At the mention of Logan, Stella's fingers curled into tight fists.

She forced down the bitter lump forming in her throat before answering quietly, "He doesn't remember me. How could we get along?"

After she spoke, she could feel Jarrod's heavy gaze linger on her.

She remained perfectly still.

After a long beat of silence, Jarrod coolly instructed the driver, "Head to the plaza."

That was the location for the launch event.

Was he having the driver drop her off?

"Thank you," Stella murmured, keeping her eyes down.

Jarrod didn't say another word to her.

The interior of the car fell completely silent.

Stella waited a few moments before cautiously lifting her eyes to look at him.

He was leaning back against the leather seat with his eyes closed, his jawline tense and sharp, his profile striking in the dim light.

Stella finally let out a breath and relaxed slightly, leaning her head against the cool window pane to watch the city lights blur by.

The temperature in the car was perfectly comfortable, lulling her into a hazy state.

They were still quite a ways from the plaza, so she decided to shut her eyes for just a minute.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly, she felt a heavy weight settling across her waist. She blinked her eyes open, feeling completely disoriented.

She was lying on the massive bed in the master bedroom, and Jarrod was asleep right beside her, his arm draped possessively over her waist!

Unless he specifically demanded her for his physical needs, Jarrod never spent the night in the master bedroom.

Panicked, Stella shot upright in bed!

The sudden movement woke Jarrod. He slowly opened his dark eyes, a flash of annoyance in them. "What are you panicking about?"

Stella switched off the hairdryer and asked softly, "Mr. Fuller, did I wake you?"

Jarrod walked up behind her and leaned in, wrapping his arms around her.

The intoxicating, masculine scent of him, laced with cool cedarwood, enveloped her, so potent it made it hard to breathe. "Mr. Fuller..."

"You did," Jarrod replied, his voice a low, gravelly rasp.

Stella shrank back slightly. "...I'm sorry. I'll stop drying my hair."

Jarrod stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her large eyes were wide and nervous, her cheeks flushed, her lips soft and inviting, and her curves completely undeniable beneath her thin silk nightgown.

"Too late, Mrs. Fuller," his deep voice vibrated against her skin as his lips brushed the shell of her ear.

His hot breath sent a violent shiver cascading down her neck.

Over the past two years, physical intimacy had been the absolute core of their arrangement.

Stella knew exactly what Jarrod wanted.