Chapter 260
The moment Noelle saw Nicolas’s sleeping face, her heart began to race. Why is he so good–looking?!
Nicolas was already a stunning man when awake, but now–with all his sharp edges softened by sleep–his beauty felt almost unreal. Angelic, even.
As a hopeless sucker for good looks, Noelle couldn’t help herself. She leaned in and gently placed a kiss on his cheek, feeling a giddy sense of victory–like a sneaky little thief getting away with something
But that single kiss wasn’t enough.
So she leaned in again, giving his cheek another exaggerated “muah.”
How was it even possible that someone this handsome was hers?
It felt like she’d stolen a blessing from the gods. Would she get struck by lightning later?
Overcome with affection, Noelle’s lips began wandering–kisses on his eyelids, his brows, the bridge of his nose, both cheeks, even his jawline. By the time she was done, his entire face was dotted with her love.
What she didn’t know was–Nicolas had been awake the whole time.
He’d been pretending to sleep just to see what she’d do when she woke up. He hadn’t expected her to start planting kisses all over his face.
It reminded him of his childhood golden retriever who used to wake him up every morning by slobbering on his face. Honestly, it felt weirdly similar.
Her kisses were light, but ticklish. Her sweet scent lingered at the tip of his nose, and considering it was early morning–when men were naturally more… susceptible–Nicolas was rapidly approaching his limit.
Before things spiraled out of control, he opened his eyes.
And right on cur, he locked eyes with a
a very startled Noelle.
Caught red–handed, Noelle panicked and tried to bolt. But of course, Nicolas wasn’t about to let her escape.
“Where are you going?” he said, wrapping an arm easily around her waist and pulling her back into his arms.
Noelle toppled onto his chest, wide–eyed, “N–Nicolas… You’re awake!”
Nicolas smirked. If I hadn’t woken up, I’d be completely devoured by now.”
“By who?”
“You, obviously
“I would not!” she pouted, crossing her arms. “You’re making me sound like some pervy hooligan.
He chuckled, rubbing a thumb over the corner of her mouth. “So who was the one making out with my face like a starved puppy? Kissing an unconscious man.. you sure that’s not hooligan behavior?”
Noelle’s face went bright red.
“You were awake the whole time!”
“Vep” he replied with a grin
She puffed up like an angry chipmunk “Then why pretend to sleepi
Nicolas laughed and pinched the bridge of her nose affectionately. How he was I supposed to catch the little rogue in the act, hum?”
Realizing she’d already been exposed. Noelle gave up trying to play innocent. She leaned in, gave him a big kiss on the cheek, and declared. “Fine! I’m a rogue. Your rogue!”
Nicolas burst out laughing. “Wow, so bold”
Then, unable to resist, he cupped the back of her head and started to pull her in for a real kiss. But just as their lips were about to meet,
Chapter 260
he hesitated–then shifted slightly to kiss the e corner of her mouth instead.
It was soft. Tender. Loving.
Noelle froze for a moment,
She could tell Nicolas had been about to kiss her lips… but had changed his mind at the last second. Is it because I told him not to kiss me? she wondered
never a
asked.
He had remembered. Even now, he respected her boundary–even though she had never explained the reason why. He ne never pressed. Just quietly accepted it.
The guilt hit her like a freight train. Brandon kissed me. And I didn’t stop him.
Suddenly, it felt like she’d done something terribly wrong. The weight of that kiss pressed heavily on her chest, guilt and self–blame swirling in her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” Nicolas asked gently.
He saw the shift in her express the sudden hint of sadness in her eyes. He reached up and stroked her check. “Baby, are you feeling
sick?”
“No…” Noelle shook her head, then wrapped her arms tightly around him
She buried her face in his chest, holding him like she was afraid he’d slip away.
She didn’t dare tell him about Brandon. Didn’t even want to mention that Brandon had visited.
‘Don’t let him worry. Don’t make him sad:
For someone who used to breeze through any mission with ease, it now felt impossibly hard just to keep Nicolas happy.
He noticed the way her energy dropped again, even though she tried to hide it.
Something had definitely happened.
Last night, when she got back from the Andersons, she’d been acting off. So when she wasn’t looking, Nicolas discreetly called the Anderson family–fishing for details.
One name had come up: Brandon
A name Noelle had never mentioned to him before.
But from the Andersons tone, it was clear–this Brandon was very important to her. They’d been close. Maybe very close.
That alone was suspicious.
Noelle was usually an open book. She’d even blurted out she was a mercenary without thinking twice. For her to never mention
someone du clos
There was only one explanation.
Brandon was from her original organization.
It made sense. Noelle had never spoken a word about the people behind her, The only reason to keep something that tightly guarded…
wat because of who he was
And now Brandon had shown up. Publicly. Introducing himself to the Andersons,
That couldn’t be good.
Nicolas had a gnawing feeling that something big was about to happen–something that could change everything between him and
And he wasn’t ready.
Not yet
Even with all his resources, even after acquiring the Sawyer Group and building an empire, Nicolas still wasn’t sure he could go toe–to- toe with the force behind Noelle.
2:24 PM c c
Chapter 260
He needed more power, which led him to a single, sobering thought, “The Jenkins family. His mother’s family‘
He hadn’t reached out to them in years. But now, for Noelle–for the future he wanted to protect–maybe it was time to lower his pride and knock on their door.
Ө
