Chapter 41

The phone kept vibrating relentlessly.

Richard's gaze shifted away from the screen, only for a sudden warmth and sting to catch him at the base of his throat.

He clenched his jaw and lowered his eyes toward the girl leaning against his chest.

She paid him no attention whatsoever.

If anything, she only became more deliberate, easing her bite and lightly running the tip of her tongue over the faint mark she'd left behind.

She could feel the hard bone shifting beneath her lips.

The phone was still ringing.

Elena finally pulled away and leaned back slightly, looking up at him.

Her lips were still swollen and glistening, and the corners of her eyes were still damp from the kiss. But her eyes were full of mischievous amusement, like a little fox that had just gotten exactly what she wanted.

Richard held her gaze for several seconds.

The dark fire in his eyes deepened.

He said nothing.

He simply studied the expression on her face, which practically screamed, I did that on purpose.

Then, very slowly, the corner of his mouth curved upward.

The next second—

Elena felt an arm tighten around her waist.

Richard caught her with one hand, lifted her effortlessly, and swept everything off the dining table with his other hand before setting her down on the edge.

The cool wooden surface pressed against her thighs.

Elena instinctively braced herself with one hand, but before she could steady herself, Richard had already stepped between her legs.

He was too tall.

Even sitting on the table, Elena was barely eye level with him.

And when he leaned in like this, his entire body seemed to cast a shadow over her, blocking out almost all the light in front of her.

Richard bent slightly.

One hand braced against the table beside her while the other returned to the back of her head.

His thumb rested behind her ear, gently brushing the flushed skin there.

“What?” Richard asked quietly. “You don't want me to answer?”

Elena's heart skipped.

For some reason, she really did find it amusing to watch him struggle over whether to answer the call.

It felt a little like revenge.

And a little like a challenge.

Richard watched her with interest.

Victoria didn't usually call twice within such a short period unless something urgent had happened.

Then again, she had people around her who could handle things for her.

If something truly serious had happened, Michael would have contacted him.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

So although Richard was curious, he wasn't particularly concerned.

“…Actually,” Elena murmured, pressing her lips together, “I just like watching you struggle. It's kind of fun.”

She tilted her head innocently and lightly nudged his side with her knee.

She immediately felt the muscles there tense again.

Richard didn't ask anything else.

He lowered his head and kissed her again.

This kiss was completely different from the one before.

If the first kiss had still contained some restraint and tentative exploration, this one held nothing back.

He deepened the kiss, stealing her breath with an intensity that left her struggling to keep up.

Elena could barely breathe.

It felt as though she'd been swept into a wave, every bit of air stolen from her before his breath was given back to her.

She instinctively tried to retreat, but his hand held the back of her head firmly in place.

There was nowhere for her to go.

Richard's kiss moved from the corner of her lips to her jaw, then continued toward the sensitive skin behind her ear.

His breath was hot against her skin, sending a fine shiver through her.

Elena turned her head and rested her chin against his broad shoulder.

“Hey…”

His hand slid upward from her waist.

Even through the thin fabric of her clothes, she could feel the heat of his palm against her back.

His fingers slowly traced upward along her spine until they reached the row of buttons.

His hand paused there for a moment.

Elena's heart was beating so hard it felt as though it might jump straight out of her chest.

She didn't pull away.

Instead, she buried her face against his neck and lightly bit him.

It was a silent answer.

Richard's breathing noticeably deepened.

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer, then lowered his head and pressed several lingering kisses along her collarbone.

Elena couldn't help arching slightly, her fingers sliding from the front of his shirt to his back.

She could clearly feel the strong lines of his shoulder blades beneath her fingertips, the solid muscles there holding an almost overwhelming amount of strength.

Richard seemed to notice that her attention had wandered.

He gave the prominent bone of her collarbone a light, teasing bite.

Elena drew in a breath.

His kisses grew more intense, as though he wanted to leave an impression that reached far beyond her skin.

Her fingers slipped into his thick, short hair, gently tightening as she drew his head closer.

The room was filled with nothing but their uneven breathing.

Outside, the lights illuminating the estate gardens blurred softly through the glass, while the occasional night breeze brushed against the windows.

Elena felt his hand move lower along her back.

Then—

the phone rang again.

This time, the vibration was even more insistent.

Elena came back to herself and looked toward the coffee table, where the screen had lit up again.

The caller ID showed an unfamiliar name.

“Mm…”

Elena pushed lightly against Richard's shoulder, her voice still slightly hoarse.

“The phone… it's ringing again. See who it is.”

Richard stopped.

He frowned, clearly annoyed by the badly timed interruption.

But after glancing at the caller ID, the crease between his brows eased slightly.

“A business partner.”

Elena blinked.

Then she shifted to the side and slipped gracefully off the dining table.

She straightened her disheveled collar, pulled the strap that had slipped below her shoulder back into place, and smoothed down her loose hair.

“Then answer it,” Elena said. “I won't interrupt your work.”

Richard didn't answer immediately.

He simply picked up the phone and looked at the girl's innocent, well-behaved expression.

He studied her deeply for a moment.

Did she really think this business partner was more important than Victoria?

Or was she suddenly getting nervous and looking for an excuse to escape?

Richard wasn't in any hurry to find out.

He simply gave a slight nod and walked toward the window to take the call.

Elena quickly slipped upstairs.

Back in her room, she washed her face, opened her laptop, and finished several reports on art appreciation.

After that, she began another round of training.

Meanwhile, Victoria finally worked up the courage to call her father a second time.

But his line was busy.

She dropped her phone onto the desk.

Seriously?

Just her luck.

She assumed Richard was probably busy with work and didn't have time to answer her call.

It wasn't the first time this had happened.

A strange sense of helplessness washed over her.

She had never encountered a situation like this before.

Growing up, no matter what she wanted—resources at school, competition opportunities, arrangements for studying abroad—she only had to ask.

The people around her would take care of everything.

Victoria leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

It was getting late.

If she'd barely been able to justify calling her father earlier, it certainly wasn't an appropriate time anymore, especially when she didn't actually have an emergency.

Helping a classmate get his project funding restored?

It might have been urgent to Adrian himself, but to everyone else, it wasn't exactly an emergency.

Her phone vibrated.

Victoria picked it up.

It was a message from Charlotte Whitmore.

Someone took a picture of a Lagonda Taraf dropping Elena off at school a couple of days ago.

[Image]

Didn't your family have one of these too?