The Rose He Showed Off Is Putting Down Roots in a Garden of Her Own novel Chapter 149

Seeing that Zane hadn't caught onto her blatant hint, Elara asked, "How long will it take?"

"Seventy minutes," Zane replied tightly.

"Should we have another drink while we wait?"

She wasn't wearing underwear, and the T-shirt she had on was criminally short. Zane felt like if he took even one more sip of alcohol, he was going to lose his mind and pin her against the wall.

"Let's... let's sit out on the balcony." At least out there, they wouldn't have to turn on the harsh overhead lights. The shadows would offer him some desperately needed restraint.

Zane quickly grabbed a fresh towel and draped it over the woven lounge chair for her.

He sat down rigidly on the chair adjacent to hers.

Elara was starting to second-guess herself. Had she completely misread the situation?

Maybe he wasn't interested in her at all. Maybe he only preferred casually entertaining the young, unattached girls at his club.

Throwing away her dignity like this felt incredibly degrading.

A wave of deep humiliation washed over her, but thankfully, the dim lighting on the balcony hid her flushed cheeks.

Zane's balcony was an open-air setup. He had installed motorized sheer screens that rolled down in the summer to block out insects while letting the cool breeze through. During the winter, it transformed into a sunroom, and in the spring and autumn, it was left wide open to embrace the seasons.

Tonight, the late summer air was perfectly mild, carrying a soft, sweeping breeze, but internally, Elara was suffocating with embarrassment.

"Zane, the alcohol is catching up with me. I think I'm going to head to bed."

Zane was crushed by a wave of crushing disappointment, but considering she was barely dressed, he couldn't exactly beg her to stay. Letting her retreat to the bedroom was probably the safest option for both of them.

Elara stood up. As she walked past him, Zane deliberately turned his face away, terrified his eyes would wander.

Elara thought bitterly that he was indeed a perfect gentleman. He absolutely didn't want her.

As she walked barefoot across the sleek decking, her toe suddenly caught hard on the uneven edge of a tile. "Ah!"

"Are you okay?"

Zane shot up out of his chair purely on reflex to catch her. Because they were standing so close, his momentum knocked into her, sending them both tumbling backward onto the wide lounge chair.

She landed squarely against his chest. He froze entirely.

He knew perfectly well she was completely bare underneath that shirt. Even though he forced his hands to remain still, there were certain physical reactions he simply could not control.

Through the thin fabric of his shorts, Elara could feel the sheer, corded tension in his heavy muscles, radiating an undeniable heat. She realized with a sudden thrill that she was intensely attracted to him, too.

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