I was sitting there, waiting for his next move. It took me by surprise when he effortlessly lifted me from my seat before he took my ce and finally settled me on hisp.


    It felt ufortable straddling him. Aside from our bodies being so close to one another, I can smell his familiar cologne and feel his warm, minty breath brushing against my exposed skin. He pulled my wrist and started checking the cuts and bruises caused by my struggle to break free from the ties. He reached for the cotton and alcohol from the first aid kit and started pouring some alcohol on the cotton. He was about to dampen it on my cuts when I snatc**ed my hands away from him. I saw his eyes darken and his jaw clench upon seeing what I did. But I didn''t let his intense gaze intimidate me.


    I can do that myself," I said, exining my action.


    He just grabbed my wrist back. "ver said you couldn''t," he replied casually before he started cleaning my cuts with the cotton.


    The moment the cold, wet cotton touched my wounds, a sharp pain shot. through me, making me wince involuntarily. His reaction was immediate as he leaned in and gently blew on the cuts while trying to ease the sting. The warmth of his breath against my skin sent a wave of conflicting emotions crashing over me.


    I knew I should hate him. I knew I shouldn''t trust him, not after everything he had put me through. But as his hand carefully tended to my wounds, the warmth of his touch made my heart race. My legs grew weak, and the walls I had built around myself began to crumble. How could someone who caused me so much pain also make me feel so vulnerable with just a single touch? My mind screamed at me to resist, but my body betrayed me, responding to him in ways I couldn''t control. It was maddening. This push and pull between


    79%  Chapter 37 what


    t I knew and what I felt makes me terrified of where it might lead.


    As he continued to clean my wounds with meticulous care, I co ''dn''t help but steal nces at him. His touch was gentle, as if he genuinely cared about the pain he was causing. But how could that be? How could someone capable of such ruthlessness now be the same person offering me this small kindness?


    I bit my lip, trying to suppress the turmoil inside me. The softness in his actions was breaking down the barriers I''d put up to protect myself. My heart was betraying me. I hate the fact that my heart responds to the warmth in his eyes and the way his hands moved with such precision and care. It felt as if there were two parts of me at war-the part that remembered the pain he''d caused and the part that was inexplicably drawn to the gentleness he was showing now.


    When he finished, he didn''t pull away immediately. His fingers lingered on my wrist, his thumb brushing lightly over the newly cleaned skin as if he were reluctant to let go. I looked up at him, my breath catching in my throat as our


    eyes met.


    "You shouldn''t have done that," he murmured, his voice low and hushed, almost as if he were speaking more to himself than to me. "Why wouldn''t I? I can''t just sit here and do nothing. At least I have to try," I replied, trying to steady my voice.


    A muscle in his jaw tightened, but he didn''t argue. "You''re so tough and stubborn, yet so fragile," hemented, followed by a loud sigh.


    "Yes, I''m all of that," I said, my voice tinged with frustration. "So, I don''t understand why you still want me to go back. Why can''t you just let me go and move on with our lives?" Exhaustion weighed heavily on me, the countless attempts to escape leaving me drained and weary.


    He chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that seemed to vibrate through every part of me. Sitting on hisp made it impossible to ignore the effect he had on me, no matter how hard I tried to resist it. The warmth of his body against mine, the steady rise and fall of his chest-it all conspired to weaken my


    resolve.


    "I have to apologize, kitten," he said, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch. "But I can''t do that."


    Can''t or won''t?" I shot back, my re sharp enough to cut.


    A smirk curled at the corners of his mouth. "The


    unbelievable!" I eximed, trying to pull away from hisp in a desperate bid for some distance. But before I could move an inch, his arm shot out, wrapping around my waist with lightning speed, holding me firmly in ce. Nope. You''re not going anywhere," he said, his voice low andmanding, est if it were the most natural thing in the world to keep me there, close to him, where he wanted me.


    I red at him, shooting daggers with my eyes, but he didn''t flinch. "You can''t expect me to sit on yourp for the entire flight!" I protested.


    His eyes sparkled with yful mischief as he leaned in closer, his breath warm against my ear. "Who says you can''t?" he replied, his tone teasing, almost daring me to defy him.


    The closeness was maddening; the way his body seemed to mold perfectly against mine, making it impossible to think straight. My heart raced, torn between the fierce need to break free and the unsettlingfort of being held, by him. The way he looked at me made it clear that he wasn''t nning to let go anytime soon.


    I tried to steady my breathing. But every time I met his gaze, I felt my defenses crumble a little more. It was infuriating, the way he could twist my emotions with just a look.


    I''m not going to sit here and endure your presence, Your Majesty," I spat out, my voice dripping with sarcasm.


    Determined, I tried to push myself up again, desperate to escape the Tue, Sep 17 DB


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    rwhelming closeness of our bodies. But before I could make any real gress, the ne lurched unexpectedly, hitting a patch of turbulence. The den movement sent me crashing back down onto hisp. The .orce of it ssed our bodies together in a way that was far too intimate for my liking.


    from him. admit.


    a split second, everything seemed to freeze. The worst part was the way. most sensitive parts were pressed against each other. The pressure itself ites a spark of electricity between us that was impossible to ignore. My ath caught in my throat as I felt the heat radiating ow groan escaped his lips. I can barely hear it, but it resonated deep within e. I could feel the tension coiling between us, thick and suffocating, as our dies remained pressed together. The air around us seemed to c**le with spoken desire, a hunger neither of us wanted to could sense his control slipping. The careful mask he usually wore began to ack under the strain of our sudden closeness. His breathing had be eavier, his grip on my waist tightening as if to steady himself. And as much as hated to admit it, I wasn''t entirely unaffected. My own body was betraying ne, responding to the heat of his touch. This wasn''t supposed to happen. I wasn''t supposed to feel anything for him out resentment and anger. Yet here I was, my heart pounding in my chest, my nind a whirlwind of confusion as I struggled to reconcile the man who held me so close with the man who had put me through so much pain. I can''t. I shouldn''t let my feelings get ahead of me. I will never allow myself to go down the rabbit hole.


    "Let me go, Titus," I uttered when I finally had the courage to speak. Those words have a lot of meaning.


    He looked at me with those blue piercing eyes, and I could see the loneliness lingering in it. He stared at me with an intense gaze before he replied. "I''m never going to let you go again, Sage. Never again," he said with finality. But his arms wrapped around my waist slowly loosened. "You can take your seat,"N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


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    I was a bit surprised when he said that. I was expecting him not to let me go. Even though I didn''t want to admit it, part of me wants him to insist that I stay seated on hisp.


    "But of course, you''re free to stay if you want," he teased, his voiceced with a yful challenge that sent a shiver down my spine.


    His words were like a sudden ssh of cold water, snapping me out of the haze that had clouded my mind. In an instant, the intoxicating pull between us was shattered.


    I quickly scrambled off hisp, my movements hurried and clumsy in my haste to put some distance between us. My heart was still pounding, but now it was more from anger than anything else. How could I have let myself get so caught up in the moment, even for a second? Without a word, I moved across the narrow aisle and dropped into the seat on the other side, putting as much space between us as I could in the confined space of the cabin. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.


    Sitting there, I forced myself to take a deep breath. I refused to look back at him, knowing that if I did, I might see that infuriating smirk still ying on his lips.


    I clenched my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms as a reminder to stay strong and resist the pull he seemed to have over me. I wasn''t going to let him win; I wasn''t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing just how much he had rattled me. Not now, not ever. "Myp is always free. In case you change your mind," hemented.


    I just roll my eyes without looking at him. "In your dreams," I replied, lifting my eyes from the window.


    "I''m always dreaming about you, kitten."