?Chapter 940:


    “Captain.” Freya wavered, unsure if she should say it.


    “Yeah?”


    “Is romance just… not your thing?”


    Where did thate from? Ellis quirked a brow. Was she calling him out on his game?


    “Who announces a kiss?” Freya said, dead serious, though her heart was still doing flips. “It’s supposed to just happen when the vibe’s right. You keep asking, and it throws me off.”


    The mood had been fine before, but his questions kept rattling her. She wasn’t signing up for this emotional rollercoaster again. This had to stop.


    Ellis’s eyes glinted with something knowing. “Oh, really?”


    “Yup.” Freya nodded.


    “Any other pointers I should jot down?” Ellis pressed.


    Freya blinked. Other pointers?


    She racked her brain but came up empty.


    Ellis kept her pinned between his arms, a smirk tugging at his lips. “How ’bout you show me how it’s done?”


    Freya saw it now.


    Time to bolt.


    She shoved his arms aside and made a break for it. He was trouble. She needed to steer clear.


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    As she darted away, Ellis snagged her hand, tugging her back into his arms.


    Freya mmed into his chest, caught off guard. Before she could blink, his face was right there, his lips pressing against hers.


    In that split second, her mind went nk, the world around her fading to nothing.


    His hand steadied her waist, the other gently cradling her head, as he deepened the kiss, the soft warmth nearly pulling him under.


    It was like a spell—her knees wobbled, barely holding her up. A momentter, Ellis pulled back, his eyes smoldering with want, his voice rough, holding something back. “Good enough?”


    Freya’s cheeks burned, her lips slightly glossy, looking like trouble he couldn’t resist. Her usual cool gaze was nowhere to be found. “Guess that’s a yes.”


    Ellis stole another quick kiss. “Don’t forget my five-star rating.”


    He didn’t dare dive in again. That taste alone nearly broke his restraint. Any more, and he might spook Freya for good.


    Freya’s heart thudded wildly in her chest, and she didn’t bother replying to the remark.


    She hade to a sobering realization: when someone typically cold and aloof actually fell in love, the transformation was spellbinding—something dangerous, maic, and so intoxicating it made the average person pale inparison. And Ellis? He was the best example.


    “I’ll make some honey water for n.” Ellis’s eyes shimmered with something raw, a restrained hunger lurking just beneath the surface.


    “Go sit on the couch and watch some TV for a bit.”


    “Okay,” Freya murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.


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