Chapter <b>308 </b>Reckless Disy
Chapter 308 Reckless Disy
The unexpected kiss turned Weston rigid, shock crackling through his veins like live current<b>. </b><b>Yet </b>secondster, he melted, drowning in the softness of her lips and that once–familiar scent of wild jasmine.
How long had it been since shest kissed him like this? The question ignited a hunger that <b>wed </b><b>at </b><b>his </b>restraint, urging him to demand more.
But after a heartbeat, the kiss broke, leaving the air raw and wanting.
Laura straightened, lips still glistening, then cast a challenging nce at Serena. “Satisfied now?” she asked<b>. </b>“You saw it with your own eyes.”
Color drained from Serena’s face, leaving it a mask of stunned fury.
Weston’s heart sank. <i>So </i><i>the </i><i>kiss </i><i>had </i><i>been </i><i>nothing </i><i>more </i><i>than </i><i>theater</i><i>–</i><i>for </i><i>her</i>, <i>at </i><i>least</i><i>. </i>The only one <b>treasuring </b><b>it </b>
was me.
. Julius opened his eyes to find himself in a private hospital suite, walls humming with sterilized quiet.
“Where is she?” were the first words to leave his cracked lips.
Fabian, standing guard beside the bed, cleared his throat. “Ms. Quinn knocked you out, had us rush you here, then left without another word,” he exined.
Julius lowered his gaze to the three splinted fingers of his right hand, the white bandage stark against his skin.
<i>Even </i><i>after </i><i>I </i><i>begged</i><i>, </i><i>even </i><i>after </i><i>I </i><i>tore </i><i>myself </i><i>open </i><i>in </i><i>front </i><i>of </i><i>her</i><i>, </i><i>she </i>still <i>insists </i><i>on </i><i>cutting </i><i>me </i><i>away</i>.
She would not so much as brush the back of her hand against his.
He understood–that was Quinn Bridger all over. She carried love the way a soldier shoulders a rifle: ready to lift it high, just as ready to set it down.
Once she had resolved to divorce Trent, she had marched forward without a single backward nce. <i>And </i><i>now </i><i>If </i><i>she chose </i><i>to </i><i>end </i><i>things </i>with <i>me</i><i>, </i><i>would </i><i>her </i><i>spine </i><i>remain </i><b><i>just </i></b><b><i>as </i></b><i>straight</i><i>, </i><i>her </i><i>steps </i><i>just </i><i>as </i><i>unyielding</i><i>? </i>
<i>No. </i>
Julius mped his jaw until his teeth creaked. Even if she refused to turn around, he would force the heavens and the earth to pivot until she faced him again. D
A few dayster, Laura apanied Quinn through the sliding ss doors of the airport, the ceiling lights gleaming off endless rows of polished tile.
Laura reached out and smoothed the zipper on Quinn’s carry–on. “Have you got <b>every </b><bst </b>thing, darling? You haven’t left a single sock behind, have you?”
Quinn hitched the bag higher on her shoulder, the wheels of her suitcase clicking over the polished floor. “Nothing’s missing. Even if I did forget something, I can buy it once Ind. I’m flying to Riverpoint- Doria’s secondrgest city, not some back–country vige.”
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<b>19:51 </b><b>Wed</b>, 13 <b>Aug </b>
Chapter <b>308 </b>Reckless Disy
Laura’s worry refused to loosen its grip. “When you get there, promise you’ll <b>call </b><b>me </b><b>every </b><b>single </b>day–no exceptions.<b>” </b>
Quinn’s smile was soft but sure. “I will.”
She turned toward the departure gate, ready to step into the stream of travelers, when a <b>lean </b><b>silhouette </b>came striding across the marble, wheeling a suitcase that hummed against the quiet morning air.
Han closed the distance in a few purposeful steps, his voice cutting through the airport <b>murmur</b><b>. </b>“Quinnie!”
Quinn blinked in surprise, augh slipping out. “Well, this is a stroke of luck. I didn’t <b>expect </b><b><i>to </i></b><b>run </b><b>into </b>you here. Where are you off to?”
Han’s grin carried the easy confidence of a man with a n already set. “Not luck–I’m flying with <b>you </b>to Doria.”
Quinn froze, suitcase handle halfway raised. Beside her, Laura’s eyes went wide. “You’re heading to Doria as well?<b>” </b>
Han shrugged, breezy but determined. “That’s right. I’m keeping Quinniepany. I haven’t taken a proper vacation in ages, so I figured I’d give myself a long one.”
Quinn started to protest, worry creasing her brow. “You don’t need to tag along–I can handle-”
Before she could finish, Han raised a hand, cutting in with a gentle firmness. “I’ming. Maybe there’ll be something I can help with, maybe not–but my leave is approved, and I’d only be wasting it at home. If my break ends and you still need more time in Doria, I’ll simply fly back alone. No fuss<b>.</b><b>” </b>
He knew that framing it this way was the only chance of easing the weight she always carried on her shoulders.
Quinn sighed. “All right then. Thank you.”
Han’s eyes softened. “Quinnie, between us, there’s no need for thanks.”
Laura–gave Han an approving nod, relief smoothing the lines around her mouth. “Good. With you there, I can breathe a little easier. Now, get moving–don’t miss your boarding call.”
Han tipped his head toward the securitynes. “Let’s go.”
Quinn’s answering smile was small but genuine. “Sure.” Side by side, they rolled their suitcases toward the metal detectors, wheels ticking like a shared heartbeat across the gleaming floor.
As they walked, Han stole quick nces at Quinn out of the corner of his eye, cataloguing <b>very </b>subtle shift in her expression.
This time, he vowed, he would not let her slip beyond his reach.
Back in Yarburn, his absence had left a door cracked open, and Julius Whitethorn had walked <b>straight </b>through it.
He refused to make the same mistake twice.
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Chapter 308 Reckless Disy
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He had sworn that,e what may, he would stay beside her. Even if she felt no love now, even if romance meant nothing, he would wait in quiet devotion, ready to be the first face she saw when she needed anything, the very thought her heart stumbled toward.
From a short distance away, Julius watched the pair walking shoulder to shoulder; a sliver of darkness slid through his eyes, sharp and cold as winter steel.
Fabian inclined his head. “Mr. Whitethorn, the aircraft is ready for boarding.”
Julius blinked, the storm in his stare folding inward as he looked down at the boarding pass and passport cradled in his palin.
“Quinnie, we will be together again before long,” he murmured, promise curling around each syble like smoke.
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