The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 1031

Katrina fell silent.

...

A few minutes later, Naylor Wilson returned to the living room, his hair even more drenched.

Katrina had been putting a kettle on. Seeing him enter, she walked out of the kitchen and instinctively handed him a cold bottle of water from the fridge.

"No hot tea?" he asked, glancing at the bottle.

"Didn't you say cold water quenches your thirst better?" Katrina countered.

During his last visit, he had grabbed a bottle of ice water from her fridge and chugged it just to cool off—did he think she hadn't noticed?

And tonight, he definitely needed it!

Naylor let out a helpless chuckle, taking the bottle, twisting off the cap, and chugging it down.

Katrina watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. An inexplicable wave of heat flushed her cheeks, and she silently averted her gaze.

Finishing the water, Naylor looked down and caught her reaction. A teasing smile tugged at his lips. "Even swallowing ice cubes wouldn't cool me down tonight."

Katrina's eyes widened slightly as she looked up at him.

What was that supposed to mean?

Naylor definitely meant exactly what she thought he meant. They were consenting adults; there was no need to hide their desires.

But before taking things a step further, he needed to finalize the serious business.

He walked over to the table, set the water bottle down, and asked casually, "Should we hammer out the wedding details tonight?"

"What?" Katrina gasped. "You're... in that much of a rush?"

"Aren't you?"

Katrina shook her head and explained, "Actually, after everything that happened, my mom completely let go of her anxiety. She said she won't force me into marriage anymore. It's entirely up to my own wishes, and she respects my choices."

Naylor looked momentarily surprised before stepping forward and pulling her back into his arms. "She only said that to take the pressure off you," he murmured. "With the Lester family looming out there, how could she not worry about your future?"

Naylor was terrifyingly good at reading people.

He didn't just understand Katrina's heart; he saw right through Willa's inner thoughts.

He knew Willa was terrified that after she passed away, Waller would force her daughter into a transactional corporate marriage.

Katrina looked up at him, her eyes filled with astonishment.

Naylor lowered his head, gently brushing his nose against hers, and continued his persuasion. "Dr. Thorne must have been completely honest with you about aunt's condition, right? She has about six months left. I was thinking... if we move fast, we might even be able to let her see you pregnant."

"Pregnant?!" Katrina's jaw dropped.

His perspective had shifted.

Since it was a milestone he'd eventually cross, why not do it now and give both their families something to celebrate?

Hearing his reasoning, Katrina felt a swell of emotion. "You've changed so much these past few months."

"Yeah. During our time apart, I did a lot of serious soul-searching. Katrina, you made me grow up."

Katrina bit her lip, feeling a sudden wave of defensive vulnerability. "Then why were you blaming me earlier..."

"That's completely different. You hurting me was a fact, but that very pain forced me to change my mindset and figure things out."

Katrina fell silent, understanding the profound truth in his words.

Seeing her quiet, Naylor studied her delicate features, his thoughts slowly wandering back to darker, more seductive places.

During this period, they hadn't officially gotten back together, which meant zero physical intimacy.

Months of forced celibacy had left him utterly tormented.

Now that they had reconciled, whatever came next was purely inevitable.

He lowered his head, his lips gently grazing hers. "Now we can kiss properly, right?"