Chapter 35
“What’s wrong?” Xanthea muttered under her breath. She’d only bitten into a fish and now her mouth was a battleground where a tiny bone had decided to lodge itself. But it wasn’t just the pain that caught her off guard-it was Orion’s reaction. The man was blushing furiously, looking for all the world like he had when she had applied some scar treatment lotion on his back at the gemstone auction. Back then, his shyness had a clear cause-her touch. But now?
Her mind replayed the sharp yelp she had let out while trying to dislodge the fishbone. It had been a bit,well, suggestive, perhaps. Was that why he was acting like a shy
schoolboy?
It was almost comical. This was the same man who, at the Rlan Hotel, had seemed almost a different beast-ferocious and intense. How could one person flip so drastically between such extremes?
“You okay?” she finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.
“I’ll just go to the bathroom to take care of this Orion said abruptly, standing up with the offending bone held delicately between his fingers. His voice was oddly hoarse.
“Sure.”
She watched him pause halfway to the bathroom, his silhouette tall and imposing. “Don’t eat any more fish till I get back. I’ll check it for bones.”
Really? Orion was offering to pick her fish clean? Xanthea, the only girl in the wealthy Nightshade family, had been pampered all her life but never to the extent of having someone else check her food for bones. The gesture was sweet, albeit a bit too intimate for their level of acquaintance. It seemed he truly appreciated her help-so much so that he’d even offered her a collection of expensive jewelry as a thank-you.
“Okay,” she replied, not touching the fish dish again. After a while, her stomach full and satisfied, she glanced at the time. Nearly twenty minutes had passed; what was taking Orion so long?
She yawned lazily, sinking deeper into the couch and began scrolling through her phone. Before she knew it, her eyes drifted shut, and she dozed off.
When Orion returned, he found Xanthea asleep, curled up like a small fox in the corner of the couch. The remnants of his earlier frustration softened at the sight. Gently, he draped. his jacket over her, his fingers inadvertently brushing through her thick, wavy hair.
Cedric, who had finished his work, stole a glance at his boss kneeling next to the sleeping girl, inhaling the scent of her hair like some scene straight out of a creepy movie.
“Babe,” Orion murmured, then caught himself. He reluctantly let go of her hair and closed his eyes, expecting a sleepless night. Yet, lulled by the soft rhythm of her breathing next to
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him, he drifted into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Miranda, having returned to her seat, kept checking her watch. After nearly ant hour, her patience wore thin, and she made to check on Xanthea, only to be stopped by Cedric.
“Ms. Moore, don’t think I didn’t warn you. Mr. Lockwood let it slide the first time because of Ms. Nightshade, but if there’s a next time, I doubt you’ll have much of a future in
showbiz.”
As the plane’s intercom announced their arrival at Willowdale Holiday Resort, Xantheal stirred awake. Feeling the jacket draped over her, she brought it to her nose, inhaling the light scent of pine that was uniquely Orion’s. The dreamy feeling lingered; she had dreamed of running through vast forests.
She sat up, the painting-like peaceful face of Orion beside her a stark contrast to his usually icy demeanor. “Never thought ‘Sleeping Beauty’ could apply to a guy,” she whispered to herself.
As she attempted to return his jacket without waking him, she found her path blocked by his long legs. After hesitating, she decided to carefully step over him, but just as she managed, Orion woke up.
His eyes opened to the confusing sight of Xanthea straddling him.