?<strong>Chapter 1157:</strong>


    But her eyes were clouded with alcohol’s haze, her long, dampshes fluttering like butterfly wings, silently speaking of unspoken desires. This very look hadpletely bewitched him three years ago. He had showered her with endless indulgence.


    After a while, Cliff swallowed his anger. With calcted coldness, he wiped away her tears and lifted her into his arms. “Did you eat anything tonight?”


    His show of restraint only emboldened Laney further. She draped her soft arms around his neck once more, her gaze lingering on his lips. “You look so much like Cliff, but not quite. When I kiss him, he is never thispliant and never lets me have my way.”


    Cliff fell silent, regretting that he hadn’t stopped her earlier. It would have spared him from these maddening words and her reckless actions.


    Laney leaned over, her alcohol-zed eyes dreamy. “Can I kiss you a little longer?”


    “No,” Cliff replied icily.


    Laney ignored his refusal. “I can, right?” she murmured before pressing her lips to his once more.


    This kiss was gentler, but midway through, something shifted. A wave of sorrow crashed over her, tears sliding down to mingle with their kiss, leaving behind a bitter taste.


    Laney broke away, her voice breaking into a soft sob. “Cliff…”


    The tension in Cliff’s heart shattered like ss. Raw, consuming desire overwhelmed him, threatening to break his carefully maintained control.


    The alcohol coursing through his veins stripped away his restraint. Cliff seized her chin, forcing her lips apart as he imed them in a fierce, retaliatory kiss.


    Laney gasped, breathless from his assault. She struck him weakly several times before finding her rhythm and clinging to him even tighter.


    Something primal possessed Cliff. His mind screamed warnings he couldn’t heed as his kisses traced a burning path downward.


    A shiver ran through Laney as his stubble grazed her sensitive skin. She pushed him away suddenly. “No, we can’t…”


    The words snapped Cliff back to reality.


    Still dazed, Laney fumbled with her clothes, shrinking from his touch and gaze. “Just lips are fine, but not there. Even Cliff hasn’t kissed me there.”


    His face darkened like storm clouds. Though he’d been drinking, he wasn’t drunk. His actions had been driven by pure, unrestrained desire. He wanted to strike himself, yet the lingering softness of where he’d just kissed beckoned him for more.


    Laney clutched her clothes tight, attempting to escape. She stumbled along the wall, using it as her guide.


    An inner restlessness prevented Cliff from taking her home himself. He grabbed her phone, easily unlocking it to contact the first name on her list, Kailyn.


    When Kailyn arrived, she found only Laney there. “Laney, did he just leave you here alone?” Kailyn asked, disbelief coloring her voice.


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