Chapter 1005

But she absolutely refused to bring that up with Seth.

If she said too much, it would look like she actually cared.

Seth waited in silence. Seeing she still wasn’t going to talk,

he finally let out a soft sigh and surrendered. “Even if I don’t know why you’re mad at me, I’m honestly just happy about it.”

Noreen frowned at him, completely failing to understand why he would be happy about this.

“The fact that you’re upset with me… doesn’t that mean you actually care about me, even just a little?”

If it was just a tiny fraction of a percent, it was enough for him.

Even if she never gave him a promise or publicly acknowledged him, he would gladly take whatever he could get.

He had zero demands left when it came to her.

Seth spent a long time gently coaxing her, and the defensive walls she had thrown up slowly began to lower.

“Whenever you’re upset, take it out on me. I can handle it.”

Noreen traced aimless circles on his jacket lapel, her voice sounding deceptively casual. “When you were with Bianca… did you ever feel anything real for her? Even for a second?”

“Not for a second.”

His answer was immediate.

Noreen scoffed. “You answered way too fast.”

“Because it’s the absolute truth.”

He didn’t know how she had suddenly jumped to Bianca, but he knew her lack of security was entirely his fault.

He cupped her face, looking into her eyes with intense sincerity. “Noreen, we have

the rest of our lives. You can take all the time you need to verify that answer.”

Noreen slapped his hands away. “Is this your sneaky way of asking for a commitment?”

“Would you give me one?” he smoothly countered.

Noreen poked him hard in the chest. “What? Is being my lover too much for you to handle?”

“No.” He wouldn’t dare say otherwise.

“Good.” Noreen let out a haughty little hmph.

Overcome with affection, Seth leaned down and kissed her brow, the bridge of her nose, and the corner of her mouth.

He paused, shifted slightly, and kissed her straight on the lips.

Their warm breaths tangled together, laced with the lingering buzz of the party’s wine.

But just as Seth moved to deepen the kiss, he felt Noreen subtly pull back.

The hands resting against his chest pushed him away with a soft, undeniable pressure.

Seth froze instantly.

Instead of forcing it, he stopped with an agonizing restraint, their noses brushing.

In the dim light, he stared into her eyes.

Then, he let out a jagged breath and gracefully pulled back.

He reached out, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His voice was low and perfectly controlled. “You drank a lot tonight. I have some lemon water in the car. go get it.”

Noreen could feel how rigidly tense his muscles were.

He was right on the edge, yet he still remembered the boundaries they had set, refusing to push her

what she was comfortable with.

Seth stood up, took several deep breaths to shove down the burning desire, and stepped out of the room.

Once the door clicked shut,

Noreen buried her face in a pillow and let out a frustrated groan.

The truth was… she had wanted it, too.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe she was just incredibly lonely.

Either way, she had almost lost control.

Sophia eventually brought the lemon water.

She explained that Seth had bumped into an old friend and got dragged away to catch up.

Noreen didn’t ask questions. She drank most of the water, finally tamping down the lingering heat in her chest.

While Sophia touched up her

makeup

she asked, “Was the

liquor

5 Hushed

strong tonight? Your cheeks

Noreen coughed lightly, looking away in guilt. “Yeah, it was really strong.”

She definitely wasn’t just talking about the alcohol.

When they returned to the ballroom, the music had shifted to a waltz, and couples were swaying on the dance floor.