The Forbidden Throb (Emma and Daniel) novel Chapter 145

Chapter 145

“What do you want to do, then?” I asked quietly. “If not sleep?”

She took a breath. Let it out slowly. Then turned to face me, and the look in her eyes made my heart stutter.

“I want to be with you. Sleep with you.”

The words were simple. Devastating. I felt my throat work, swallowing hard.

“Emma-

“Hermann told me.” She moved closer on the seat until her knee pressed against my thigh. “He said I’m the love of your life. That you’ve been in love with me for years.”

My ears burned. I could feel the heat creeping down my neck.

“And if that’s true-if you really-” She stopped, gathered herself. “Then I want to be with you. As your wife. Just show me your love.”

Her hand settled on my leg, light as a bird. I stared straight ahead, hyper-aware of

every point of contact between us.

“We’re still in public,” I managed. “You shouldn’t-”

She leaned in, close enough that her hair brushed my jaw. “I like

you so much, Daniel.”

My entire body went rigid.

“I like you more than anyone.” Another brush of her lips, this time against my temple. “You’re the best person I know.”

“Emma.” It came out strangled. “You need to stop.”

“Why?” Her fingers traced the line of my jaw. “Don’t you want-”

“The driver,” I said tightly. “Is right there.”

She glanced forward, seemed to remember where we were, and subsided slightly. But her hand stayed on my thigh, warm even through two layers of wool.

By the time we reached the hotel, I was holding onto my composure by a thread.

I helped her out, held the lobby door, maintained the careful distance I’d perfected over weeks of living together. The elevator arrived empty-a small mercy and 1 guided her inside with a hand at the small of her back.

The moment the doors closed, Emma moved.

Her hand slid up my chest to my collar, fingertips brushing the exposed skin at my throat, I froze, every muscle locked, as she traced the line of my jaw with her thumb.

9:02 am pppp.

Chapter 145

“Emma.” My voice was barely recognizable. “What are you-

She touched my Adam’s apple, and I couldn’t suppress the shudder. Couldn’t stop my throat from working under her fingers, betraying exactly how affected I was.

‘I’m being very good,” she said, eyes bright with something between mischief and determination. “I’m not even kissing you.”

“That’s- I had to stop, breathe. “That’s very restrained of you.”

I knew she was teasing me. Testing boundaries, seeing how far she could push.

But knowing it was a game didn’t make it any less effective.

Her touch burned through my shirt, made my pulse hammer against her fingertips. Made every carefully constructed wall I’d built over the past

years feel paper-thin.

She had no idea what she did to me-how the slightest brush of her hand could unravel my composure, how her proximity made it difficult to

think clearly.

But not here. Not in an elevator where anyone could see her.

The elevator chimed.

I stepped out first, needing the distance. But she followed close behind, her presence a constant warmth at my back.

I kept my stride measured. Professional. As if my hands weren’t trembling slightly as I pulled out the keycard. As if I couldn’t feel her watching

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