Chapter 43
Chapter 43:
But the moment he rose with her cradled in his arms, her lashes fluttered and her eyes snapped open.
“Who is it?!” Brinley’s hoarse voice cracked with sleep as she jolted awake, thrashing instinctively. Her elbow slammed into Austin’s chest with surprising force.
“It’s me, Austin,” he grunted, his breath hitching as he tightened his hold to keep her from slipping.
When her eyes finally focused and she recognized him, relief flickered across her face—only to be replaced by embarrassment. She shoved at him with both hands and feet. “I’ve got legs of my own. Put me down already p>
“Stop moving—the floor’s slick,” Austin warned, his tone firm.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than his lower back struck the sharp edge of the coffee table with a solid thud, forcing a groan from him.
The sudden jolt threw Brinley forward.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed suspended in stillness.
Her lips brushed against Austin’s in an unplanned collision.
𝗙𝗼𝗅𝗅𝗼w 𝘶𝘴 on 𝘨𝖺𝘭𝗻𝘰vе𝗹ѕ.𝘤𝗈𝘮
He went rigid, caught off guard.
He breathed in the fragrance of her hair and tasted the sweet trace of pumpkin soup on her mouth.
That accidental kiss sent a subtle tremor through his chest, stirring emotions he hadn’t expected.
Though it lasted only a few fleeting seconds, the moment stretched endlessly, as if time itself refused to move.
Brinley snapped back to her senses, shoving him away and stumbling several steps back, her cheeks burning crimson. “Austin! You… you shameless rogue p>
She jabbed a trembling finger at him, though her heart was a whirlwind of confusion.
That kiss just now—why hadn’t it felt wrong?
Austin didn’t move. He lifted a hand to his lips, as if the warmth of her mouth still lingered there.
As he watched her flushed, indignant face, a faint spark of amusement flickered in his eyes. “I didn’t do it on purpose p>
“You call that an accident? And yet we kissed?” Her voice rose, her chest heaving as her heartbeat thundered against her ribs.
A wild, foolish thought darted through her mind—what if the kiss had lasted longer?
The instant the notion surfaced, she crushed it with merciless self-reproach. “Brinley, have you completely lost it? Actually wishing to kiss Austin even more p>
Brinley refused to look back at Austin, sprinting up the stairs as if a pack of wild beasts were nipping at her heels.
Once inside her room, she slammed the door and pressed her weight against it, gulping for air. Her heartbeat raced so violently it felt as though it might burst from her chest.
She darted into the bathroom and wrenched the cold faucet open.
The frigid stream splashed over her trembling hands, sending shivers up her arms, but it anchored her thoughts.
Without hesitation, she slipped into the tub filled with icy water, letting the cold bite into her skin—desperate to drown out the reckless flutter pounding inside her heart.