TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 297

Sandred and ninety seven

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Two hundred and ninety seven

Isabella POV

Wesley’s voice pulled me back so suddenly that I almost jumped. He was looking at me.

“I…” I swallowed, forcing myself to remember why I’d come. “Miss Emma asked me to bring this over for your approval.”

He crooked a finger. I walked to the desk and placed the folder in front of him.

He opened it, scanning the contents while I stood there.

“So…” he said without looking up, “you’re upstairs now.”

There was a smile in his voice before I even saw it reach his face.

I nodded.

He signed one page, flipped to the next, then looked up. His gaze settled on me far longer than necessary. It was neither polite nor accidental. His eyes traveled over me slowly enough that heat climbed into my face despite my best efforts to stay composed.

“I don’t think you realize how distracting you are.”

He rested the pen against the desk.

“You walk into a room looking like that and somehow seem completely unaware of the effect you have on people.”

I stared at him, unsure what to think. My heart thumped louder. He was about to mention the bond. I could feel it in my bones.

“I don’t blame Anita. I understand why she’s so taken with you.”

My stomach tightened.

“I assume you’ve finally convinced her you aren’t interested in women?”

His tone was so casual it almost sounded like harmless conversation.

I didn’t answer. He didn’t seem bothered by my silence.

“I figured as much.”

He leaned back in his chair, studying me.

“It’s obvious you’re not attracted to women. I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

My breath caught.

“I know you want me. And as far as I can tell,” he continued, twirling the pen lazily between his fingers,”

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hoogte Larinety seven

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the only thing stopping you is you.”

I forced my face into what I hoped resembled polite professionalism.

“I’m at work.”

His smile deepened.

“What about after work?”

The question settled between us.

I was so close to saying yes, because there hadn’t been a single night since meeting him that I hadn’t imagined what it would feel like to stop resisting the bond and simply let it take me wherever it wanted.

But that wasn’t what this was.

He hadn’t mentioned the bond. And what I felt was deeper than sex. I wondered whether sleeping with me was somehow easier for him than admitting we belonged to each other.

“I…” My voice failed me. “I should get back.”

He slid the signed folder toward me.

I reached for it. Our fingers brushed, and he didn’t remove his hand.

Heat rushed straight to my face.

I took the folder quickly, turned, and walked toward the door.

I could feel his eyes on my back and didn’t need to look to know he was watching.

By the time I stepped into the hallway, my heartbeat had become impossible to ignore.

I kept wondering whether to just let him lead. Perhaps he had plans for how to navigate this bond. But the rational part of my mind knew that something was wrong. One does not simply ignore a mate bond and ask for sex.

“Sorry,” I said to the man I bumped into, and headed back to the office.

The next day, Emma called me into her office shortly before lunch.

“I’ve got something to ask you.”

“Yes, Miss Emma?”

She looked unusually hesitant.

“I have several bags of clothes I don’t really wear anymore.”

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She paused, watching my reaction.

“I was planning to donate them, but I thought perhaps you’d like to look through them first.”

She smiled awkwardly. “You don’t have to accept. I know some people don’t like wearing other people’s clothes.”

With the way Emma dressed, I couldn’t imagine anyone refusing. Everything she wore looked elegant without trying too hard.

“They’d help me a lot. I really appreciate it.”

She smiled.

“I’m glad. They’re in excellent condition. Harrison can take you to my apartment after work. Someone will be home to give you the bags. I have to stop by my parents’ house first.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me yet. Wait until you’ve seen them.”

After work, Harrison and I took the shuttle bus into the residential district. A row of elegant high-rise buildings stretched across the street. Emma’s building overlooked most of the city. The elevator carried us to the ninth floor before opening onto a spacious private foyer.

Even before the front door opened, I could tell this wasn’t an ordinary apartment.

Everything felt expansive.

The living room flowed seamlessly into an open kitchen finished in marble and wood. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline, while carefully chosen artwork and soft lighting made the space feel lived in instead of merely expensive.

Even Harrison paused, quietly taking it all in.

Anita walked in, and her face lit up the instant she saw me. The smile she gave me was so genuine that I couldn’t help smiling back, despite wondering what she was doing here.

“How’s the new department? Is Emma treating you well?”

“Very well. Everyone has been kind. And I thank you for helping me. You believed me when you didn’t have to. I won’t forget it.”

She waved the gratitude away.

“I believed you because I trusted my instincts.”

Only then did her eyes drift toward Harrison.

Harrison answered before I could.

“Miss Emma asked me to bring Isabella over for the clothes.”

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Mordred and ninety seven

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As soon as she disappeared down the hallway, Harrison sniffed at his shirt.

“Do I smell?”

I bit my lip.

“What?”

“Is there something on my face?”

A laugh escaped before I could stop it.

“No.”

“Then why did she look at me like I’d dragged in filth?”

I shook my head, smiling.

“Don’t think too much about it.”

A minute later, Anita returned carrying a large pink storage bag.

“There you go.”

I accepted it.

With one last thank you, Harrison and I headed back toward the elevator.

The doors closed behind us. Only after we reached the ground floor did I finally let out the breath I’d apparently been holding.

Harrison glanced sideways at me.

“Was Anita flirting with you?”

I groaned, making him laugh.

Trying to understand my feelings for Wesley was confusing enough, but trying to make sense of Anita’s interest on top of that felt almost impossible.

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