Chapter 21 What Exactly Happened Last Night
As Collin''s lips hovered mere inches from Linsey''s, his fingers clenched the bedsheets with an intensity that betrayed his inner turmoil.
He inhaled sharply, a desperate attempt to gather his waning self-control, and abruptly sat up.
Linsey, still lost in the depths of her dreams, shifted slightly in response. Her hands, which had been resting on Collin''s arm, fell away as she turned to her other side in a soft rustle of sheets.
Collin seized this moment to gently disengage his hand and perched silently on the bed''s edge, his breaths quick and
uneven.
The air was thick with her unique perfume, a seductive blend that tugged at his resolve like a siren''s song.
Collin wrestled with his self-discipline, which seemed to crumble in her mere presence.
Was her allure so profound?
He had no idea what was happening, but staying wasn''t an option. He had to go before he lost himself.
He had to go, and he had to go now.
With a resolve as brittle as ice, he stood, his movements brisk and silent. He left the room swiftly, leaving Linsey in her serene slumber, oblivious to the emotional tempest he had barely contained.
Back in the sanctuary of his own room, he strode into the bathroom. The shower''s cold st was immediate, the water cascading over him, a chilling torrent meant to quench the fire that her proximity had ignited, its streams pooling and swirling down the drain.
He slid a hand through his drenched hair, his eyelids falling shut instinctively.
In the fleeting seconds that followed, Linsey''s radiant smile surfaced in his mind, her rosy lips vividly painted in his memory. The lingering, sweet scent of her seemed to envelop him still.
His eyes flew open, shock and disbelief painting his features.
Bowing his head, he noticed that he was erect, which deepened the chaos swirling within him.
Could he be losing his mind? Was he devolving into some kind of lust-driven fool?
The cold water ran on, timeless, until it ceased, leaving behind the eerie solitude of his ragged breaths piercing the still night air.
The shrill ring of her phone jerked Linsey awake the next morning.
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Chapter 21 What Exactly Happened Last Night
As she blinked open her eyes, a fierce headache threatened to lure her back to thefort of sleep.
With a groan, she reached for her phone, her fingers brushing against the screen to silence the rm that red "First day
at work."
She shot upright, her mind snapping into alertness.
She had set this rm just yesterday after leaving CR Corporation, a stark reminder of the orientation she was due for today. There was no room for tardiness.
She rapped her fingers against her throbbing temple, struggling to piece together her hazy return to her roomst night.
There was no time to lose, however. With a sense of urgency, she darted into the bathroom, relishing a quick, warm shower before dashing downstairs to grab some breakfast.
Upon reaching the dining room, she caught sight of Collin seated at the table.
"Collin, when did youe homest night?" she inquired, settling into a chair and tearing off a chunk of bread. She bit into it, unaware of the shadow that crossed Collin''s face at her question. His features twisted into a grimace.
"Don''t you remember anything fromst night?" he asked, his voiceced with a tinge of irritation, as realization dawned
on him.
This caught her off guard. She paused, bread halfway to her mouth, and met his gaze, her eyes swimming with
bewilderment. It was clear she recalled nothing.
"What exactly happenedst night?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
Her headache pounded mercilessly, obliterating any fragments of memory fromst night.
It seemed as though, from the moment she stepped back into the vi, her recollections had fogged over.
Collin hadn''t anticipated such apletepse in her memory and his frustration mounted.
It was the first time in years that he had been yed by a woman.