Chapter 362
Danielle’s mind short-circuited. She thought, ‘Now? Here? A kiss was one thing, but sleeping…?’ Her cheeks flushed as steamy images flooded her mind. That such words had come from Ross, the epitome of restraint, stunned her. This was the same man who had once been immune to her every advance, cold as a machine.
Suddenly parched, Danielle wet her lips, rising on tiptoe to fiddle with his hospital gown buttons. Their breaths mingled. “Now? Are you sure?”
Ross leaned in to kiss her. Weeks of her teasing, sweet voice, and fleeting touches had worn his patience thin. He intended to show just how welcome her advances were.
Danielle turned her face away. “Ross, you’ve changed.”
Ross had realized this; the irony wasn’t lost on him. Like Shermaine and Joshua’s “famous turnaround,” though Joshua had always been quicker to embrace desire.
“For you, I’ll change gladly,” Ross murmured. His usual scholarly reserve, edged with aristocratic poise—qualities Danielle adored—remained, but now his words sent her pulse racing. This change was hers alone. The thought melted her.
“Danielle,” Ross murmured, his voice tender as winter sunlight. “I love you.”
Danielle couldn’t resist. Overjoyed, she pressed a playful kiss to his lips. The sound echoed in the quiet ward, sparking an instant, electric tension between them. She whispered, “Ross, you can’t just say things like that.”
Leaning closer, Ross whispered, “So, do you want to sleep with me now?” His lips brushed her ear.
Danielle wanted him, but not here, not until they were both discharged.
Before she could respond, Ross captured her lips in a searing kiss, his warm, woodsy scent enveloping her. Gone was the cool detachment of the past. This kiss was a crashing wave, leaving her dizzy and clinging to him for balance.
With one leg still in a cast, Danielle shut her eyes, arms locked around Ross. When she finally broke for air, he simply cradled her head and drew her back in, deepening the kiss with molten intensity.
Meanwhile, Jessica, unable to sit still after Ross had chased after Danielle, followed them to the hallway. She thought, ‘No way I’m leaving empty-handed. Marrying a wealthy man is my golden ticket.’
She knocked, then tried pushing the door open. It didn’t budge, as if someone inside was holding it shut.
In the ward, Danielle, who had been leaning against the door, was startled. She wanted to push Ross away, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he braced his hands on either side of her, easing the kiss from feverish to languid, savoring her with deliberate, lingering sweetness.