The CEO’s Unspoken Love (Eleanor and Derek) novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Eleanor POV

“This is dangerous.” I warned myself. “This is exactly what you said you wanted to avoid-complications, emotions, the messy territory beyond physical attraction. Yet another voice, quieter but more insistent, whispered: “But what if this time is different?

What if this time he stays?”

On screen, the protagonists faces drew closer. The music swelled, the camera angles tightened. The first kiss was tentative, exploratory. The second more confident, passionate. I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. My breathing quickened

imperceptibly, and I knew Derek noticed because his hand tightened around mine.

Heat bloomed in my core, spreading outward until I could feel it flush my cheeks. I shifted in my seat, hyper-aware of the fabric of my underwear against suddenly sensitive skin. The darkness of the theater felt like a cocoon, separating us from reality, encouraging

thoughts I wouldn’t dare entertain in daylight.

“Eleanor, he whispered, my name a caress in the darkness.

I turned toward him, a war raging inside me. The rational part of me screamed warnings-reminding me of past heartbreak, of pills and tears and the emptiness he left behind. But there was another part, the part that had never stopped loving him, that longed to bridge the distance between us. And beneath both of those warring factions was something more primal-the simple, undeniable desire my body had always harbored for him.

“Just this once, I thought. “Let me be reckless just this once.”

His lips found mine with unerring precision, as if the darkness was no obstacle. The kiss started soft, questioning-giving me every opportunity to pull away. When I didn’t, it deepened, becoming more urgent, more desperate. My free hand moved to his chest, feeling his heartbeat racing beneath my palm, matching the frantic rhythm of my own.

The taste of him was intoxicating-the slight bitterness of coffee, the warmth of whiskey, something sweet underneath it all. I felt lightheaded, drunk on sensation, as if the oxygen in my lungs had been replaced with something heavier, more potent.

In the shadowy distance, Thomas and Olivia remained completely absorbed in the movie and each other, oblivious to what was

happening several rows behind them.

Derek’s mouth moved from my lips to my jaw, trailing down to the sensitive skin of my neck. My breath caught in my throat, emerging as a soft gasp that I hoped was masked by the movie’s soundtrack. Each press of his lips against my skin sent sparks racing down my spine, pooling as liquid heat between my thighs.

“God, I’ve missed this, he murmured against my throat, the vibration of his words adding another layer to the sensations

bombarding me. “Missed you.”

His teeth grazed my earlobe, sending a violent shudder through my body. My nipples tightened beneath my sweater, the friction

against my bra almost painful in its intensity. Derek’s hand left mine, moving to cup my face, his thumb brushing across my lower

lip before his mouth reclaimed mine.

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This kiss was deeper, hungrier. His tongue slid against mine, mimicking another, more intimate act that made my thighs clench

involuntarily. I was melting from the inside out, my body betraying every resolution my mind had made to keep him at a distance.

Derek’s mouth moved lower, kissing along my collarbone, his hand gently tilting my head back to allow him better access. I bit my

lip to stifle the sound threatening to escape my throat as his lips traveled down, brushing against the edge of my sweater where it

met the swell of my chest.

‘Derek, I breathed, his name half warning, half plea.

He looked up at me, eyes dark with desire even in the dim reflection of the screen’s light. Then, to my surprise, he slowly moved

back, sliding from his seat to kneel on the floor in front of me.

His hands found my knees, eyes still locked with mine, asking a silent question. My rational mind screamed for me to stop this, to

remember all the reasons I’d built walls around my heart. But my body betrayed me, responding to his touch with a small, /

involuntary shiver and a spreading warmth that seemed to liquefy my very bones.

“We shouldn’t,” I whispered, even as my knees parted slightly under the gentle pressure of his hands.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, his voice rough with desire.

I should have said yes. I should have maintained the boundaries I’d so carefully constructed. Instead, I found myself shaking my

head, a barely perceptible movement that he nonetheless understood perfectly.

Derek’s fingers traced delicate patterns up my thighs, pushing the hem of my skirt slightly higher. The cool air against my heated

skin made me shiver. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my knee, then another slightly higher. Each touch of his lips against my

skin sent electricity coursing through me, making my heart pound so loudly I was certain it would give us away.

The movie’s soundtrack swelled around us, masking my increasingly unsteady breathing. On screen, the protagonists were engaged

in their own intimate moment, their passion a reflection and amplification of what was unfolding in our darkened corner.

With a final questioning look, Derek gently lifted the edge of my skirt. I gave an almost imperceptible nod, surprised at my own

daring. The darkness of the theater, the distance from Olivia and Thomas, the weeks of tension between us-it all culminated in this

moment of reckless abandon.

As Derek lowered his head beneath my skirt, I closed my eyes, one hand gripping the armrest while the other remained tangled in

his hair. The sensation of his breath against my inner thigh made me bite my lip harder, a metallic taste filling my mouth as I

fought to remain silent.

The rational part of my brain tried one last protest-“What are you doing? This isn’t you-before being silenced by the first touch

of his mouth against me, separated only by the thin fabric of my underwear.

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The CEO’s Unspoken Love