Chapter 343
Chapter 343
+25 Bonus
Chapter 343
Winter was soaked through. She had only been standing by the doorway for a moment, but a small puddle had already formed at her feet.
She walked into the room.
It was huge, easily the size of two bedrooms back at Blackwood Manor. In the center stood a king-size bed dressed in deep blue sheets, the dark color calm and heavy, like the ocean.
It made her think of everything that had just happened out at sea.
She pressed her lips together. They were swollen and sore from the kiss, and the spot he had bitten stung sharply, making her inhale.
Just then, slow and steady footsteps sounded from the stairs.
Chris came up, just as soaked as she was. He lifted his gaze and saw her standing there, still and silent, as if lost in thought.
For a moment, something in his mind overlapped with what he was seeing now. His gaze tightened, and his steps quickened.
Hearing him getting closer, Winter thought of what had happened on the water. Anger surged up again.
Without turning back, she walked straight into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
She stripped off her wet clothes and turned on the shower. Warm water poured over her, washing away the salt
and the cold.
After a while, his shadow appeared outside the frosted glass.
He stood there. “Open the door p>
“I’m showering,” she replied flatly, her voice barely audible over the sound of the water.
He didn’t say anything else.
Only when the water stopped did he hear her mutter something under her breath.
“There’s no robe in there,” he said, his voice low. “Open the door. I’ll hand you one p>
No response.
“If you want to come out like that, that works too,” he added, already turning to leave.
The bathroom door suddenly opened behind him.
He turned.
Winter’s arm reached out through the gap, pale and slender, water dripping from her elbow onto the floor.
The bathroom was filled with steam. Even through the haze, he could make out the faint outline of her profile.
But her lips stood out clearly. Red. Swollen. Striking against the blur of steam.
His throat tightened.
Something that had only just settled down stirred again. His brows drew together.
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Chapter 343
+25 Bonus
As long as he stayed close to her, it was always like this.
The hand holding the robe tensed, veins rising sharply beneath his skin.
He stepped closer and held the robe out.
His gaze stayed fixed on the blurred silhouette behind the frosted glass, on the curve of her waist and the line of her body.
“You want it?” he asked, his voice rough.
The moment the words left his mouth, his frown deepened.
Winter pressed her lips together, irritation rising in her eyes. Was that not obvious?
But with him, every word felt layered with something else.
“If you want to set conditions, just say it p>
It took him a moment to pull his gaze away. His face was tight, his eyes dark, faint streaks of red showing beneath them.
He stepped forward, shoved the robe into her hand, then turned and walked out.
The moment Winter grabbed the soft white fabric, her heart skipped.
Instinctively, she moved to close the door.
But what surprised her was the uneven sound of his footsteps fading away outside.
Back on the water, when he kissed her, and later when he held her while steering the yacht, his physical reaction had been impossibly hard to ignore.
She had thought he was trying to use the robe to bargain with her. She had already decided that if he did, she would just shut the door and stay inside until her clothes dried.
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.