Chapter 99
Chapter 99:
Brinley’s grip on the pillow tightened as she shook her head. “I’m fine right here p>
“Sit with me.” His voice carried quiet insistence, gentle but impossible to refuse.
The living room was bathed in dim light, the TV still off. Silence lingered between them, broken only by the soft rhythm of their breathing.
After a beat of hesitation, Brinley pushed herself up and reluctantly sat down beside him.
Though nearly half a meter separated them, the space felt charged, as if an unseen current had wrapped around them—warming the air and blurring the distance.
Austin said nothing, idly flipping through a financial magazine, the crisp snap of each page unnervingly loud in the quiet.
𝘖𝗋g𝗮𝗻і𝗓𝗲 yо𝘂𝘳 𝗅𝘪𝖻rа𝘳y on 𝗴𝘢𝗹ոо𝗏𝘦𝘭𝗌.с𝗼𝗆
Brinley, on the other hand, sat stiffly upright, her back tense, a restless unease knotting in her chest. Her eyes flicked sideways, catching Austin’s calm profile absorbed in his reading, yet a subtle prickle told her he was still aware of her every move.
“I should take care of some work upstairs,” she blurted, rising too quickly, seizing the excuse as if it were her only escape.
Austin’s gaze lingered on her, a knowing curve tugging at his lips. “Like I said earlier, you need to rest p>
“It’ll just be a quick check. It won’t take long.” With that, Brinley bolted up the stairs.
Behind the closed door, she slumped against it, her chest rising and falling in sharp bursts until her breathing finally steadied.
Downstairs, Austin followed her retreat with his eyes, then set the magazine aside. His fingers tapped lightly against his knee as the amusement in his expression deepened.
At the desk upstairs, Brinley sat motionless before her computer, staring at the black screen that reflected her faint, shadowed outline.
The flush on her cheeks lingered, her mind replaying the heat of his fingertips and the low timbre of his voice.
Her heartbeat skittered wildly once more, and with a frustrated tug at her hair, Brinley grabbed a glass of water and drank deeply.
The icy rush slid down her throat but did nothing to cool the restless flutter in her chest.
“Brinley, get a hold of yourself. Don’t let a man’s sweet tricks reel you in again,” she muttered under her breath.
Yet another whisper rose from the back of her mind, softer and more tempting. “But what if he’s truly sincere p>
The moment that thought surfaced, Brinley shoved it back down.
She rubbed at her temples, trying to chase away the storm in her head, but her gaze betrayed her and drifted back to her phone.
On the screen lingered Austin’s last message from the morning—his gentle reminder to take care and get some rest.
Her fingertips hovered above the screen, trembling slightly, before she pressed the lock button with a sharp click.
She refused to let those messy emotions linger. Shaking her head once more, she resolved to set it aside and let herself sink into sleep.