The Unwavering Heart That Broke (Nathalie and Lance) novel Chapter 233

His voice was full of regret, but he didn't take his hand off her stomach right away. Warmth seeped into her, slowly chasing away the cold pain inside.

Nathalie pushed him away, her voice flat. “Can you leave now?”

Lance blinked at her. “Why would I leave?”

She shot him a mocking look. “It's not like I can do anything for you right now, so what's the point of you staying?”

That wiped the amusement right off his face.

“So that's all you see me as? Someone who can't think about anything but sex?” His words hung heavily in the air.

Nathalie stayed quiet, but her eyes didn’t waver. The message was crystal clear.

That’s exactly the kind of man she thought he was.

Lance gave a hollow laugh. In the next second, he scooped her up and carried her over to the bed.

She stared at him, stunned. “Have you completely lost it? I said I’m on my period.”

He set her down on the bed, his expression unreadable. “If I’m supposed to be the guy who can only ever think about one thing, why would I care if you’re on your period or not?”

Nathalie gaped at him, speechless. Then his mouth was on hers, rough and searching, stealing the air right from her lungs.

Something finally snapped and she started fighting back, pushing at his chest until she managed to land a slap on his face.

He froze for a second, but then his lips found hers again.

He kept kissing her until her mouth felt raw and swollen. When he finally let go, she was breathing fast and shaky.

“Lance, don’t make me hate you.”

He studied her, then shifted away a little. “So you don’t hate me yet?”

She sat up and raked a hand through her hair. “Can you please just leave?”

He didn’t budge. “When did you come out here?”

“After you were asleep.”

He crossed the space between them, gripping her chin to make her face him. “You really don’t want to sleep next to me that much?”

“That’s right,” she said, eyes meeting his without a single flicker of doubt.

A muscle twitched along his jaw, his dark eyes clouded with something sharp and wounded. He was silent for a long moment.

“You used to beg me to rub your stomach at night whenever your cramps got bad,” he said quietly. “You couldn’t sleep without me.”

Nathalie’s lashes fluttered. When she answered, her voice was brittle. “I won’t need that anymore. It’s just pain. I’ll survive.”