The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 311

“You’ve been acting weird ever since we left the restaurant today.” Lavinia leaned over Charley, reaching out to touch his face. Her fingertips lightly traced his taut jawline. “Were you worried?”

He remained silent.

“Say something,” she coaxed gently.

He suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look at her.

Their eyes met, the distance between them so close she could count his eyelashes.

“Why did you offer him those terms today? What if he actually meets them? Would you go back?” He stared intensely into her eyes.

Lavinia just realized that while his eyes usually appeared pitch-black, his irises were actually a deep, rich brown. The longer she looked, the more she felt pulled in.

Lavinia thought about it seriously. “But I really didn’t feel like I was making a genuine offer at the time. I was just venting. Besides, with a personality like his, he’ll absolutely never be able to pull it off.”

“But what if? What if he does?” He didn’t look away.

Lavinia laughed. “There is no ‘what if’. Garnett is a proud, arrogant little prince.”

His lips settled into a flat line; he clearly wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

Lavinia couldn't help but feel that his relentless line of questioning was a bit like a jealous spouse interrogating their partner about an ex.

She soothed him, “Taking a massive step back, even in the impossible event that he did manage it, I still wouldn't give him the time of day.”

“Also, you didn’t say a single word on the drive back. You looked completely lost in thought.” His voice was muffled and sullen. “What were you thinking about?”

Her eyes crinkled with a deeper, warmer amusement.

She finally understood. All his silence and awkwardness over the past few hours since they left the restaurant came down to this.

Without a second thought, she pressed his hand against the sofa and gently rested her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Thump, thump.

Then she slowly lifted her head, looked right into his eyes, and enunciated every word:

“Mr. Sheffield, I’m going to kiss you right now, and you don’t have a choice.”

Charley’s gaze sharply contracted, his body going completely rigid as he stared at her.

She freed her other hand and gently grabbed his chin. “I can be very demanding, you know. Since you’re being so completely unreasonable, I have to teach you a lesson.”

Regardless of whether he closed his eyes or not, she aimed for his lips and pressed hers against them.

Charley was stunned. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and the composure he had been fighting so hard to maintain shattered completely under her sudden touch.

His gaze softened, inch by inch. Like ice cracking to reveal the warm, rushing spring water beneath.

He lifted his arm. One hand cradled the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair to support her gently. His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer against him through the thin blanket.

“Don’t go,” he said, his voice raspy. “Don’t leave my side for a single second.”

Lavinia reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and tilted her face up to look at him.

Her eyes were misty, and her lips were slightly swollen from his kiss, but the corners of her mouth curved upward.

“Okay. I won’t go.”

Outside the window, the streetlights cast the shadows of the trees, swaying gently against the curtains.

The night stretched on, inch by inch.

He lowered his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck, his lips resting against her racing pulse. His breath was scorching.

***

Lavinia woke up early, made some comfort breakfast for her patient, then washed up and got ready for work.

Today was her first day officially transferring to the Post-Investment Management Department, so she needed to go in early to report.

Before leaving, she went upstairs to check on Charley. The curtains in his room were still drawn, and he was still asleep.

Low-grade fevers were often more miserable than high ones, requiring a solid period of rest. Fortunately, his temperature had dropped, so as long as he rested well, he would be fine.