Lahat ng Kabanata ng Leaving You Bereft: Kabanata 841 - Kabanata 850

Everything grew tense, charged with subtlety.The flirtation Landon and Thalia had just tried to avoid was now magnified in the heat of their bodies pressing together.Landon's throat bobbed as his voice came out hoarse, like it carried a spark of fire. "Thalia, don't move. Otherwise, I can't promise what might happen."…Pressed against him, Thalia could feel exactly what was going on. They'd been together before, so she knew.At first, she tried to hold still. But soon, she couldn't hold it in anymore and lashed out with a hard kick."Landon, if you need a woman, pay for one. Or go see a doctor. Don't hang on to me. We're never happening again."The kick nearly took him out.He caught her ankle swiftly, gritting through the pain, staring at her with a smoldering intensity as he teased, "But I only want you. Thalia, you don't have a boyfriend, right? And I don't have a girlfriend either."Why don't we settle for each other just to take the edge off?"She laughed coldly. "In

Toby thought, "Sure, it's romantic for you two, but has anyone thought about me? Kids catch colds so easily in the fall."Landon and Thalia walked in a hurry to get to her car. She opened the back door, and he leaned in, settled Toby into the seat, buckled him up, then shut the door and slid behind the wheel.She froze for a second, standing there staring at the shameless man. "What are you doing?"His dark eyes locked on her through the window.She had his jacket draped over her shoulders. The black coat hung loose and oversized on her, carrying his scent as if he'd somehow marked her with it.A strange feeling stirred in his chest, and he urged softly, "Get in the car. The roads are slick in the rain. I'd rather you be safe."He clung to her like a shadow, impossible to shake off.She couldn't shake him, so she walked to the other side and got into the passenger seat. From the back, Toby blinked at them. He was too young to catch the undercurrents between adults and just thoug

At 9:00 pm.As much as he didn't want to, Landon still had to take his leave.Chase had already brought his Rolls-Royce around and parked downstairs.Landon slid into the driver's seat, lowered the window, and stared out through the glass barrier at the rainy night.Raindrops weighed down the leaves, making them look fragile, shimmering faintly under the streetlights.He stared blankly, then lowered his head to light a cigarette. As he held it between his lips, the sharp line of his jaw lifted slightly, the flame tracing out the kind of beauty that didn't belong to this world.After exhaling a cloud of smoke, his gaze turned distant. He tilted his head back, looking toward the windows upstairs.That flicker of orange glow wasn't his tonight.With a press of his polished leather shoe, the Rolls-Royce Phantom eased forward, rolling over the fallen leaves and grinding them into muddy pulp, washed away by the rain.Just like his mood, utterly ruined.…On the fourth floor, insid

A confession like that could move any woman, especially when the man was the most eligible bachelor in Brindley.But Thalia didn't waver, or maybe she was just scared. After all, she and Landon had once been so close, and it had all ended in a mess with nothing good left behind.The elevator jolted.They had reached the floor.She lowered her voice and said, "It's the third floor."Landon didn't move, waiting until everyone else got off. She tried to pull away, but his hand stayed firm at her waist as he quietly pressed her. "You can't just give Luca a shot and shut me out. Even for Toby's sake, I deserve the same right to pursue you."She froze and thought he was different now. But she couldn't put her finger on it, only that he didn't seem so overbearing anymore.She ducked her head, muttering a vague agreement."You're not just humoring me, are you? Thalia, I mean it."…The quiet depth of autumn held the most intoxicating mix of romance and desire a man could offer.Even

It felt like the longest elevator ride of Landon's and Thalia's lives.At last, the doors opened.The light by the entryway was out, and as Thalia fumbled for her keys, her hand was trembling so badly she couldn't get it into the lock.Just then, a warm body closed in behind her, almost caging her in. A low, husky voice brushed her ear. "Let me do it."Their bodies pressed together, the air thick with unspoken tension, both of them trembling.The key slid in, but before he even turned it, he tilted her head and kissed her. In the dark, every sound, every movement felt amplified, charged with intimacy.When the kiss ended, they leaned against the door, catching their breath, savoring the afterglow.After a long pause, her voice trembled. "I'm a little cold."With a small click, the door opened.He pulled her inside, where she reached to turn on the lights, but his hand stopped hers. Pinning her lightly against the door, he kissed her again before murmuring after a long beat, "W