Maeve''s heart raced. If she kept resisting, he might really lose it and go too far.


    She knew Byron was crazy, but she didn''t think he would push it like this. If Jaylen woke up now, she''d die of embarrassment.


    So, she gave in a little and touched him with the tip of her tongue, brushing it softly between his lips and teeth. As soon as he noticed she was taking the lead, Byron''s grip on her waist cased up. Maeve leaned in more, deepening the kiss. Her hands, pinned beneath his, started to curl up and rest against the back of his hand, gently massaging it.


    Just like that, the pressure on her wrists lightened. It felt like the rage of a wild beast had suddenly calmed, its roughness turning soft, as if the ferocity from before was just a mirage. thin sh


    Only Maeve knew how close she hade to danger; she could feel a thin sheen of sweat on her back.


    Byron''s expression softened, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her away from the bed, Maeve pulled back slightly, catching her breath. She whispered, "Let''s get out of here." "Why? Scared of what he''ll think?" Byron smirked. "Even if he sees us, what can he really do?"


    Jaylen didn''t even dare to im Maeve as his fiancée. Even if it came out to public, Byron would still go for it. He didn''t care about the Chatterly family.


    Maeve felt the frustration bubbling up. "Seriously? You want everyone to see me like this?"


    If anyone found out they were doing this in someone else''s room, people would think they were total perverts.


    "What? You''re scared of getting caught kissing me? But you seem so fine about kissing him?" Byron teased.


    "What are you even saying? When did I kiss him? Maeve shot back, bewildered.


    However, before Byron could respond, Jaylen erupted in a fit of coughs from the bed.


    Maeve spun around and saw Jaylen lying there with his eyes shut He didn''t look awake at all. Another cough, and a bit of blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth, staining the pillow a shocking red. Byron''s brow furrowed. "What''s going on with him?"


    "Daryl said it''s normal for him to cough up blood clots. He''ll be okay after he takes his meds," Maeve exined, her panic ring for a second before she pulled it together. She gently lifted Jaylen''s head, trying to help him avoid choking on the blood pooling in his throat. Then, she spotted his medicine bottle and pulled out a brownish-ck pill. Byron studied the fancy old lettering on the bottle, looking thoughtful.


    After Jaylen swallowed the pill, his coughing slowed down, and he drifted back to sleep.


    Maeve grabbed a towel to clean the blood off Jaylen''s face, but before she could start, Byron''s hand shot over. "Let me handle it," he said.


    "What are you doing?" she asked, puzzled,


    "You really expect me to just sit here while my ex-girlfriend touches another guy?" he said, a little annoyed.


    Maeve sighed. Sure.


    she got that they were exes, but really, she was just trying to clear him up. No need to be such a brat 07:15 Thu, Nov


    pter 334


    about it.


    Even though she wanted to roll her eyes, she still handed him the towel.


    K 96%


    However, Byron''s method was more like he was scrubbing a dirty floor than caring for someone. If Jaylen weren''t in such at deep sleep, he would probably wake up ready to throw punches Byron.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Maeve opened her mouth to say something, but when she saw that Jaylen''s face was clean and free of blood, she held back. Honestly, she couldn''t expect Byron to be friendly with his love rival. That would be a bit much, even for her.


    Later that evening, the car ride felt super awkward. Maeve''s scalp tingled with tension. Byron was driving, eyes glued to the road, looking like he was carved from stone.


    In the backseat, Jaylen leaned against the window, coughing asionally, his mask hiding whatever emotions he had going


    The air seemed to have frozen, making Maeve Reese feel suffocated. Thinking about it now, Maeve must be crazy to suggest they all go together like this a few hours ago.


    "Hey, there are snacks in the glovepartment. If you''re hungry, help yourself, Byron suddenly said.


    Maeve blinked, surprised. "Huh? What?"


    "You didn''t eat much at dinner, right?" He didn''t even look at her, just kept his focus on the road.


    She opened thepartment and found it filled with little bags of snacks-her favorites. They were low-cal and pretty healthy too.


    So, he actually prepared some snacks for her in the car. Initially, Maeve felt a twinge of jealousy that he was going to the birthday party with Serena tonight, but now, that jealousy was starting to fade.


    She opened a bag of cheesecake bites and popped one into her mouth, the sweet vor exploding in her mouth-totally satisfying.


    "Hey, gimme one," Byron said, still looking ahead. Just as Maeve was about to hand one over, Jaylen started coughing again, this time more violently. Her arm stiffened as she remembered her so-called fiancé was right there.


    Instead of handing it to Byron, she stuffed the cheesecake bite into her mouth, hoping to eliminate the evidence of her linle moment with Byron


    "Are you okay?" Maeve asked, ncing at Jaylen, her guilt creeping in. "You''re not going to cough up blood again, are you?" "No, just my throat acting up, Jaylen replied with a smile. I''m a little hungry too. Mind sharing some of those snacks?" Just as Maeve was about to hand over a few goodies, Byron shot in coldly, "Do you think this is a buffet?"


    Jaylen raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening. "Are you really that stingy, Mr. McDaniel? You can''t spare a few snack packs?"


    "Depends on who''s asking," Byron shot back.


    "You really seem to care about my fianc


    "Yeah, food tastes better when it belongs to someone else."


    Jaylen sneered "Doesn''t seem very gentlemanly to be longing for someone else''s fiancée."


    "Those who aim for greatness don''t sweat the small stuff," Byron answered.


    When


    hen the t


    blow up.


    two guys, who usually avoided each other, faced off, the air felt thick with tension, like something was about to


    Maeve froze in her seat, not wanting to move, afraid the fallout would catch her in the crossfire. Luckily, their silent battle didn''t spill over onto her.


    Once they reached Jaylen''s ce. Maeve helped him inside the vi. Just as she stepped into the living room. Jaylen suddenly asked. "He hurt you pretty badly four years ago. Do you still like him?" Maeve stood there, stunned and unsure how to answer. But Jaylen seemed to know what was up. He lingered on her in hair for a moment before saying in a hoarse voice, "Go home. Good night." Maeve opened her mouth to respond, but it felt pointless. She couldn''t give him what he wanted. She hadn''t worn the crimson rose hairpin tonight, and Jaylen probably got the message loud and clear.