I Choose Him, Your Worst Enemy novel Chapter 195

After they finished shopping, Joanne dragged Wynette out for dinner, too.

When she found out Adriel had already moved in with Wynette, Joanne was stunned.

Figures. Leave it to her master manipulator of a brother to pull a move like this.

He hadn't just gotten a foot in the door—he'd moved all the way in.

When she and Wynette got back, they saw the man sitting on the living room couch like he owned the place.

"Hey, my dear brother," Joanne said with a sweet smile, greeting Adriel.

Adriel looked at her with open disdain. "The renovations on your house are done. There's no room for you here."

In other words, he was telling Joanne to take the hint and stop messing with his alone time with Wynette.

Joanne wiped the smile off her face and waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I won't be your third wheel."

As she spoke, she walked over and sat down beside Adriel, then held out her palm. "Hush money."

Adriel shot her a sidelong glance. "That card I gave you before? I already had Blaze put five million on it."

Joanne still had that card on her.

The second she heard that, a fawning grin spread across her face.

She immediately started pounding on Adriel's shoulder like a total bootlicker. "I knew my amazing big brother loved me most. All right, I'm leaving. I'll be good and won't interrupt you and my future sister-in-law while you two work on your relationship."

By the time Wynette came downstairs in a change of loungewear, Joanne was already gone.

She poured herself a glass of water, walked over, and sat beside Adriel. "Did Joanne head back?"

"Yeah," Adriel answered. "That girl's way too loud. She gives me a headache."

There was obvious annoyance in his voice, but there was affection in it, too.

Joanne really was a handful. Adriel's irritation was real, but so was the way he spoiled her.

Besides, he'd only just gotten Wynette to confirm his status, and what he needed now was more private time to be all over his woman.

After thinking it over, Wynette decided to tell Adriel about Eli.

Even though Joanne looked like she was fine, Wynette still couldn't stop worrying.

After hearing her out, Adriel frowned. "The Bradfords don't even want the last scrap of their dignity."

He had told Joanne a long time ago that a man like Eli was no good.

Back then, it hadn't been because he sided with his parents. He had simply thought Eli's character was trash.

Back then, Joanne had always been the one leading the charge, even brave enough to fight for love.

What kind of man couldn't even stand up to his own parents?

Joanne had carried everything on her own.

No wonder Adriel had looked down on him.

"She was blinded by infatuation back then, and there wasn't much I could've said to talk sense into her," Adriel scoffed.

Then, his gaze drifted toward Wynette, dark and meaningful, and his lips parted. "I finally get it. Now, I see exactly how you and Joanne became best friends.

"Two lovesick fools in one room. If even one of you had a shred of common sense, you wouldn't have ended up in such a mess..."

He let the rest of the sentence hang in the air, but his expression said it all—he was thoroughly unimpressed.

He went on, "Still, waking up now isn't too late."

"Adriel." Before he could finish, Wynette lunged onto him and clamped a hand over his mouth, refusing to let any more cold-blooded nonsense come out of that 98.6-degree mouth of his.

Why was this man so awkward?

Every time Adriel heard Wynette confess to him, it hit him hard.

His eyes burned as he looked at her, tenderness pouring through his gaze. "I love you too, Wynette. Promise me something. No matter what happens, don't ever leave me."

Wynette could hear the tension in his voice when he said it.

And hidden in the way he looked at her was a flicker of hope so faint most people would've missed it.

Wynette laughed softly. "Adriel, I can barely get enough of liking you. How could I ever bear to leave? I promise. I'll never leave you."

She made the promise with complete sincerity, then bent down and gently kissed him.

If he didn't feel secure, then she would do everything she could to give him that security.

Once Wynette fell in love, she wanted to say it out loud. She wanted Adriel to know, every second, how deeply she loved him.

She knew how to let go, but she knew how to love boldly too.

And once Adriel got the answer he wanted, especially when Wynette kissed him first, that hollow ache in his chest finally began to fill.

Even though they had already made their feelings clear to each other, he still couldn't fully relax.

He was afraid Wynette had only gotten swept up because of how relentlessly he had pushed forward, and that one day she would realize what she felt for him wasn't as deep as she thought.

This sudden intensity from Wynette brought him joy, but also a sliver of fear.

Squinting his eyes, Adriel pressed his hand against the back of her head and deepened the kiss.

His gaze was scorching, as if he wanted to embed her into his very blood and bone, his expression turning slightly obsessive.

Meeting his fiery gaze, Wynette felt her body go numb before softening into his embrace.

The night deepened, and the whole room turned soft and feverish with desire.