Natalie''s legs swung freely on either side of Marcus'' waist as he held her face in both hands. His eyes were gently shut, fully absorbed and utterly intoxicated as he kissed her.


    Natalie didn''t close her eyes. She just watched the man in front of her, ovee with emotion he couldn''t suppress.


    When Marcus kissed her, the corners of his eyes would flush red. In the


    beginning, his ears would turn red all the way to his neck. After a few more times, the redness had toned down somewhat.


    Now, it was mostly just the corners of his eyes that turned pink. His fingertips would subconsciously stroke her cheeks as he held her face, and the gentle caress made Natalie feel a strange, inexplicable shiver deep inside.


    As the kiss deepened, the atmosphere between them became saturated with unspoken desire. Natalie wrapped her arms around Marcus'' neck, and her legs slowly curled around his waist.


    Marcus froze for a moment, then held her even tighter. The longing they had carried from days apart was finally and fully satisfied in this one moment of closeness.


    "Nat." His voice was low and hoarse, breath curling against her ear. "I missed you so much."


    Natalie''s delicate face was flushed red. Her hair was tousled, her lips soft and slightly swollen, and her beautiful eyes glistened with a misty haze. Tears shimmered at the corners, threatening to fall, making her look all the more fragile and lovable.


    Marcus'' Adam''s apple bobbed as he stared, unable to resist kissing her again. Suddenly, a loud knocking came from outside the door. Natalie seemed to snap back to reality and gave him a little push.


    "I forgot that Hector''s still waiting for me!"


    Marcus'' breath was uneven, his devastatingly handsome features etched with clear frustration. But he said nothing, just gently kissed her on the forehead, reining himself in.


    "Sorry, I lost control."


    Natalie couldn''t help butugh. "You''re a normal man. Aren''t you worried all that restraint might be bad for you? Don''t be shy. I''m a doctor, you know. I happen to know a thing or two about these."


    He opened his mouth, then closed it again,pletely at a loss.


    Having a doctor for a girlfriend definitely had its downsides. She knew everything about the human anatomy and had no filter in her words whatsoever. For once, he was the one feeling embarrassed.


    Natalie watched his blushing face and shifty eyes,ughing. "Alright, I was just


    teasing. But since you made that promise to my dad, you should probably stick to


    it.


    "Carry me to the door."


    "Okay." Marcus'' voice was low and gravelly. He picked her up and walked to the door.


    "Nat, I don''t want to let you go."


    Their foreheads pressed together, and he held her tightly. They barely had any time together.


    Marcus didn''t know how other couples acted, but he''d seen Ethan''s past rtionships-clingy and affectionate. But Ethan''s girlfriendter ditched him for a rich guy. Ethan ended up drunk in a bar, sobbing like a wreck.


    Noah had been sent to drag him back and was stuck listening to him vent for over an hour. When Noah reported back, he described the whole scene and couldn''t help but sigh. "Love is bitter, moreso than unsweetened coffee." He vowed to avoid it for life.


    After that, Ethan went cold and work-focused. In just a few years, his annual ie skyrocketed. He took Noah and Elijah out to drink with his year-end bonus, got drunk again, and cried on their shoulders, saying women were distractions from making money.


    Then, he bawled, saying now that he was rich, his ex coulde back.


    Elijah snapped and told him to forget that gold-digger and that if he was going to be that much of a sucker, he should stay far away from her.


    Now, as Marcus held Natalie, he wondered if he was giving her too little of his time. Did she feel unloved?


    "What is it?" Natalie noticed that Marcus wasn''t opening the door, though the knocking persisted. "Hector, stop knocking!" she called. "I''ming out now." The pounding stopped instantly.


    "Put me down. I should get back to my room." Natalie''s eyes were full of tenderness, her voice soft. "I''ll sleep in a little tomorrow. Let''s meet around noon, okay?"


    Marcus took a deep breath, reluctantly setting her down. "Alright. Sleep in. There''s no rush."


    "Mm." Natalie rose onto her tip-toes. Marcus immediately leaned down. She smiled sweetly at the sight and kissed his lips.


    "I''m going now. Hector''s probably worried."


    "Goodnight, Nat."


    "Goodnight, boyfriend."


    She pinched his ear yfully before pulling open the door and stepping out.


    Marcus stood just behind the door, watching as Natalie turned to smile at him again before gently closing it. As the door clicked shut, his heart sank a little.


    Outside, Hector looked Natalie up and down as if he had X-rays for eyes-like he could see straight through her.


    "How far did things go?" he suddenly asked. "Should I report everything to Mom and Dad?"


    Natalie stared at him in silence.


    Before she could reply, Hector went on, muttering to himself, "Never mind. This is your private life. I''m your brother, so I shouldn''t go bbing. Honestly, I didn''t want


    to knock so hard, but you didn''t hear me when I knocked normally.


    "I didn''t mean to interrupt either. It''s just reallyte, and you need to get some rest. Staying upte isn''t good, especially for women."


    "Thanks, Hector. I know. I was going back anyway. Marcus just got a little clingy.


    "Hector, was he like this when he was still engaged to Emma?"


    Natalie''s mood was wonderful now. Being in love, kissing-sure enough, it really did lift your spirits.


    "No. Back when Marcus was engaged to Emma, he didn''t even look at her.


    "Emma liked him, sure, but she never threw herself at him. She acted like a properdy of high society-poised and refined, never showing much affection. That''s probably how she managed to stay engaged to him all those years without conflict." Cóntent


    Hector sighed. "If you hadn''t shown up, I bet Emma could''ve kept up the act forever. Your arrival made her feel threatened. That''s why she


    panicked and made"


    move. But Marcus is the type who hates being threatened or


    manipted the most.


    "I saw right through Emma''s tacticsst time. Marcus took the opportunity to call off the engagement andpletely humiliated her. Someone who would go as far as drugging him? At that point, there was no need to preserve ties between the Holden and Walker


    families.


    "If the Walker family couldn''t even raise their daughter properly, the Holden family


    had every right to call off the marriage.


    "What pissed me off was that afterward, he canceled your engagement too. But


    you were so decisive then. I actually think that was the right call.


    "Still, I didn''t expect that bastard, Marcus, toe chasing after you again." Hector''s words sounded angrier the longer he spoke.