Chapter 340:
Before Dylan’s brain even got the memo, his mouth had already opened instinctively.
Her fingers brushed his lips—soft, warm, casual—and just like that, another spark lit him up from the inside. Another jolt. Same powerful effect. He found himself leaning toward Christina, almost without thinking. His body was straight-up betraying him. Under the sheets, his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. He was doing everything in his power not to lose control. If he moved any closer, she’d be caught off guard—she might even dislike him. He couldn’t risk that.
Christina just casually sat there, completely unaware that she was driving him insane. She looked down, popped a grape into her mouth, and smiled faintly. Completely at ease.
Dylan’s eyes stayed locked on her. Those same fingers that had grazed his mouth earlier were now touching hers. The sight opened the floodgates. His imagination went into overdrive. His throat tightened. He slowly reached up and touched his own lips, still warm from where she’d brushed them.
The thoughts rushing in now were nowhere near innocent. The more he tried to shut them down, the filthier they got.
Right now, in Dylan’s eyes, Christina’s every movement was in slow motion—her plush lips moving languidly, glistening with an irresistible sheen. He swallowed hard, feeling the heat rise in his body like someone had turned up the thermostat. Damn, it was getting hot in here.
He leaned in a little, staring straight at her. His normally cold, guarded eyes looked different—softer, hotter, like they were burning just beneath the surface. Christina laughed lightly, noticing him move but thinking nothing of it.
“Oh—almost forgot to share!”
Dylan snapped out of it instantly, his body stiffening as he quickly straightened up. What was he doing? Was he seriously about to kiss her? The realization hit him like a truck. That was not right. Embarrassment punched him in the gut. He couldn’t even look her in the eye now.
“Here, try another.” Christina held another grape to his lips.
gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs﹒𝚌o𝗺 is where stories live
“These are really delicious. I’ll grab some more next time I go out for food,” she murmured mostly to herself, still not picking up on Dylan’s odd behavior.
“Want me to get you any other fruit?” she asked, popping another grape into her mouth and making a mental note for her next grocery run.
“No,” Dylan muttered. Fruit wasn’t really his thing—this was the first time he’d eaten so much in one sitting. But somehow, around Christina, his appetite always kicked in. Even foods he normally avoided suddenly seemed worth trying.
“Hey, uh—I heard your family’s in Kitaso. Want to go see them?” Dylan scrambled for conversation.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, a heavy, awkward silence settled over the hospital room.
By the time Dylan realized how inappropriate his words were, it was already too late. They had tumbled from his lips without a second thought.
“Oh, I cut ties with the Jones family a while back,” Christina responded, a small, tight smile playing on her lips. Even though she had completely severed all connections with the Jones family, the deep wounds they had inflicted still throbbed beneath the surface.
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