?Chapter 663:


    “You saw us?”


    Nate toyed with the bracelet, his jaw tightening. There was a restrained impatience in the way he held it—like he was debating whether to rip it off.


    “By the sound of it, you’d rather I hadn’t?”


    “He’s just an old childhood friend,” Corrine sighed, turning in his arms to face him.


    “The Ford and Seymour families have always been close. We used to y together all the time when we were kids. But as we grew up, we drifted apart. He came back probably because Quentin asked him to take over the family business.”


    Nate’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. He echoed her words slowly, deliberately.


    “Just a childhood friend, huh?” A man could read another man’s intentions a mile away.


    It was obvious—Hodge had feelings for her.


    Otherwise, why would he be giving her a bracelet and inviting her to a musical?


    “That’s all there is to it,” Corrine insisted, holding his gaze.


    Nate’s lips curled into a knowing half-smile, his eyes gleaming with mischief.


    “Well, in that case, I’ll take care of the rest.”


    Corrine frowned, instinctively grabbing his hand.


    “What do you mean by that?”


    “Oh, just a little chat. To help him… get the right idea.”


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    Corrine caught the flicker of irritation in his expression and couldn’t hold back augh.


    “Nate, are you jealous?”


    He said nothing. Instead, he turned his face away—shoulders squared, lips pursed in a stubborn pout.


    His entire bodynguage screamed that he was upset and that she should make it up to him.


    A yful glint shed in Corrine’s eyes. She reached up, cupping his chin in her palm and tilting his face back toward hers. Then, mirroring his usual assertiveness, she pulled him in for a kiss. She mimicked the way he kissed her—slow, teasing, coaxing.


    It didn’t take long for Nate to unravel under her yful assault. His arm tightened around her waist, his other hand sliding to the back of her head as he pressed her down onto the sofa bed.


    The teasing was over. His kiss was fierce, with a hunger that sent heat curling down her spine. Though she struggled to keep up, she made no effort to pull away.


    It was only when she finally surrendered to the pace he set that his intensity softened. He shifted from being possessive tonguidly savoring the kiss.


    When they finally broke apart, Corrine’s lips tingled. Her breath came in soft, uneven puffs, and her cheeks glowed with warmth.


    She licked her lips, her eyes gleaming with mischief.


    “Feeling better now?”


    Nate loomed over Corrine, his dark eyes smoldering with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. It was not just anger—it was something deeper, something possessive, as if a fire had ignited within him. His voice was cold, edged with quiet dominance.


    “From now on, stay away from him. No more meetings, no more dinners, and definitely no more musicals with him.”


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