Chapter 796
His other hand tangled deep into her hair, cradling the back of her head. As he massaged her scalp with his dry palm, he seemed to lose a bit of control; she felt a faint, sharp sting at the roots of her hair.
Unable to take much more, she reached down and slid her small hand under the hem of his shirt, giving the skin at his waist a firm, warning pinch—a mix of protest and a plea for mercy.
Only then did Jonathan release her.
He looked down at his young wife as she leaned weakly against his chest, panting
for air, the corners of her eyes flushed red. His gaze was dark with an overwhelming intensity.
“What has gotten into you p>
Anneliese finally caught her breath and looked up to glare at the culprit.
Jonathan leaned his forehead against hers. “Does my girl not like it intense and exciting p>
Anneliese’s face heated up again.
She moved her lips, which were swollen from the kiss, and found she couldn’t bring herself to lie and say she didn’t like it. After a moment of silence, she managed, “I just feel like you’re acting… off p>
Jonathan raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly. He was definitely acting “off p>
The thought that Anneliese might be Steven’s sister-the realization that if nothing had gone wrong at her birth, they might have known each other since they were children and grown up together-haunted him.
He would have known her even earlier than Zacharias, claiming the title of childhood sweetheart for himself.
He felt a surge of emotions he couldn’t quite vent: a mix of lingering regret, melancholy, and a chilling sense of “what if p>
He was terrified by the thought that if the person who swapped her had made a different choice, she might have actually died.
He was terrified that any single variation in those events would have meant they never met, never reached this moment where the truth was surfacing p>
She was like an emotional switch for him. Whenever it concerned her, he was always stirred into states of mind that were entirely foreign to him.
Jonathan pressed another kiss to her forehead before speaking. “Honey, it seems you really don’t love me as much as I love you p>
Anneliese didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Where is this coming from p>
Jonathan smirked. “I came looking for you because I missed you, I kissed you, and your response is that I’m acting ‘off.’ Isn’t that proof enough p>
He feigned a look of hurt and disappointment, sighing as he shook his head.
Anneliese was momentarily stunned, almost beginning to reflect on
whether she really was as cold as he suggested. But when she caught the glint onamusement in his ey realized he was teasing her and gave a heavy huff.
“Is it a problem if you love me more? Don’t you want to love me more p>
Jonathan hadn’t expected her to dodge his trap so easily, let alone toss back two loaded questions of her own.
He brushed his nose against hers and smiled. “Of course it’s not a problem. I’m happy to be the one who loves more, forever p>
If the person who loved more in a marriage was destined to carry more anxiety, more vulnerability, and more tolerance, he was perfectly willing to be that person.
Anneliese gently nuzzled back against his straight nose, then looked seriously into his eyes.
“No! I’m going to love you more every single day, too, Mr. Fullbuster. We should both be the person who loves the other the most p>
Gazing into her smiling eyes, Jonathan felt like his wife’s sweetness was off the charts, tempting him to swallow her whole.
He instinctively leaned down again, their breaths mingling. But just as they were about to kiss once more, a man’s low cough echoed from not far behind them.
Steven had stepped out of the study.
Startled, Anneliese flushed and immediately pushed Jonathan away. She hurriedly smoothed her slightly
tousled hair going I
lightly
downstairs to check on dinner p>
With that, she gave a shy nod toward Steven at the study door and beat a hasty retreat down the stairs.
Once her footsteps faded, Jonathan turned toward Steven. “You shouldn’t be called Steven. You should be called ‘Spotlight p>
Steven caught the jab immediately-Jonathan was mocking him for being an unwelcome, high-wattage third wheel.
But this b*stard really had zero empathy for his frantic state of mind.
Moreover, Steven was already starting to mentally slip into the role of the protective older brother.
Seeing Jonathan pressing the delicate Anneliese into his arms and kissing her with such ferocity… it felt remarkably irritating to watch.
As Jonathan stood before him, the first thing Steven noticed was his slightly reddened lips they were probably stained with Anneliese’s lip gloss and looked a bit too shiny.
It was a total eyesore.