บททั้งหมดของ OFF LIMIT: FOURTEEN NIGHTS WITH MY HUSBAND'S BEST FRIENDS : บทที่ 81 - บทที่ 89

Chapter 81Elowen "You wanted to go, didn't you?" Kian looked at me while buttoning his jeans. "Or were you just saying things to see how I'd react?""No, I want to go," I said quickly, and I was surprised to realize I meant it, that this wasn't entirely manipulation anymore but genuine excitement at the prospect of escaping the villa and seeing beautiful places. "I'm just surprised you agreed so easily.""Maybe I'm tired of being stuck here too," he said, pulling his shirt over his head. "Maybe I'd rather spend the next few days exploring Italy with you than sitting around watching Adrian play his games."Something warm bloomed in my chest at his words and I had to remind myself not to read too much into them, not to let myself believe this meant anything beyond him being bored and looking for distraction.But I couldn't help the huge grin that spread across my face as the reality sank in—I was getting exactly what I wanted, days alone with Kian away from Adrian and the villa.Time

Chapter 83Elowen"I've spent a lot of time in Italy," Kian said with a shrug. "For work initially but then I just kept coming back because I love it here, the history and the culture and the way people approach life differently than they do back home.""You could have been a tour guide," I said with a smile."I'd make a terrible tour guide," he replied but he was smiling too. "Too impatient with stupid questions and too prone to going off-script when something interesting catches my attention.""I think you'd be great," I insisted. "You make everything interesting and you actually seem to enjoy sharing information instead of just showing off how much you know."Something shifted in his expression at those words and he reached over to squeeze my hand briefly before returning his attention to the road.We drove for another hour and I watched the landscape change again as we got closer to the coast, watched the hills give way to cliffs and the green give way to blue as the Mediterranean

Chapter 85Elowen"Then we'll eat what we want and leave the rest," Kian said with a shrug. "Sit, have coffee, tell me how you slept."I settled into the chair across from him and accepted the coffee he poured, watching him add cream and sugar without asking because somehow he'd already memorized how I took it."I slept well," I said. "Better than I have in a while actually.""Good," Kian said, and he seemed genuinely pleased by that. "I was worried the sound of the waves might keep you up but I figured it was worth the risk for the view."We ate slowly while planning our day, deciding to visit Capri first since it required a ferry and specific timing, and Kian pulled out his phone to show me pictures of the Blue Grotto and explain the best time to see it.His enthusiasm was infectious and I found myself leaning closer to see the screen, our shoulders touching, and neither of us moved away from the contact."We should get going soon if we want to catch the ten-thirty ferry," he said,

Chapter 87Elowen"Adrian did grand gestures in the beginning," I said, my voice muffled against his chest. "Expensive gifts, fancy restaurants and trips to Paris, but they always felt like they were about showing off rather than actually making me happy, like he was checking boxes on what a good boyfriend or husband does rather than paying attention to what I actually wanted.""And what do you actually want?" Kian asked."This," I whispered. "This exactly—someone who listens when I talk and remembers the little things and makes an effort to create experiences instead of just buying things, someone who makes me feel seen instead of just looked at."Kian pulled back enough to look at me and his grey eyes were intense as they searched my face. "Then that's what you'll have," he said firmly, making my heart miss a beat by his words. "For as long as we're on this trip, I promise you'll feel seen." He added.The tears came harder at that and I couldn't stop them, couldn't control the emot

Chapter 89Elowen The kiss didn't rush itself, and that was the first thing that felt different, because it unfolded slowly, like neither of us was trying to win anything, like we were both listening for something beneath the surface. His hands rested at my waist at first, warm and steady, and the quiet confidence in that touch made my breath hitch before I could stop it. I could feel his heartbeat through the space between us, could feel how controlled he was even now, and that restraint pulled at me harder than hunger ever could.He broke the kiss, but only by inches. His forehead rested against mine, and I could feel the unsteady rhythm of his breath, a mirror to my own.His thumb brushing the inside of my wrist as if he needed proof that I was real. He didn't say anything, and neither did I, because words felt unnecessary and dangerous at the same time.There was nothing to say that wasn't already being spoken by the frantic, silent thrumming of blood in my ears, by the way my