Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love novel Chapter 102

Rosemary pressed her lips, keeping mum, and just when Maxwell thought she had sobered up and recognized him, she shoved his face away again, irked, "Back off, just looking at you annoys me."

Jason watched from the side, scared witless. Mrs. Templeton might not be all sugar and spice, but she was definitely not this fierce and menacing.

He was terrified she'd tick off Mr. Templeton and get ditched right there and then.

Maxwell, holding back his irritation, opened the car door and stuffed her inside, following himself, "To Meadowlark Retreat."

"I'm not going to Meadowlark Retreat." Even though Rosemary was drunk, her subconscious resisted that place, "I’m going back to Silver Community. Take me back to Silver Community."

Silver Community was the apartment she currently lived. The mere mention of Silver Community made Maxwell think of its owner, casting a shadow over his thoughts. He ignored her, turned his head towards the window, and pretended to doze off.

If Rosemary were sober, she'd see he was at his wit's end, the frown on his face so deep it could squish a fly. But drunks didn't read the room; all she knew was he was ignoring her.

"Talk to me," she swung a slap his way, but before it could reach Maxwell, he caught her wrist in a flash.

A vein on the man's temple throbbed as he bellowed at her, "Shut up."

Rosemary looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, "You yelled at me."

He really got the message now: drunks were beyond reason, no matter how classy they seemed on a regular day.

"You yelled at me."

He conceded, "I didn’t yell at you."

She caught him off guard with her other hand; this time he couldn’t stop it, and it landed right on his neck - her nail scraped across his Adam's apple, drawing blood, "Talk don't yell, shut it!"

She went from a sulky cutie to a full-blown fierce Barbie in a heartbeat.

Maxwell's face was utterly dark. He silently took off his tie, looped it around her wrists, and pinned her down on his lap, "Don't move."

If Rosemary was going to listen, that'd be a day. The more he told her to stay put, the more she squirmed!

"Let me go, now!"

Her hands, even through the fabric, rubbed back and forth on his lap, making Maxwell press his lips together, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He stared out the window with a blank face, letting Rosemary carry on her antics. After a while, the woman beside him seemed to have had her fill and quieted down, but not even five minutes later, she leaned in, her ear against his chest, "Your heart's racing."

Maxwell pushed her away, his face even colder, "Sit tight, zip it."

Rosemary licked her lips, "I'm thirsty."

"Pushing your luck, drink it yourself."

Despite his words, Maxwell endured and helped her drink, careful not to let her choke, pouring in small amounts until she frowned and started to protest, then he finally withdrew his hand.

Silence reigned for a few minutes. Out of the blue, Rosemary blurted out, "Let me help you snag Victoria; what do you think?"