The CEO’s Unspoken Love (Eleanor and Derek) novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Eleanor POV

“What if I insist?”

Something in his tone made my resistance crumble. I allowed him to bring the spoon to my lips, the rich flavor of the broth warming me from the inside out.

“It’s good, I admitted after swallowing.

Derek’s eyes crinkled with pleasure as he continued to feed me until the bowl was empty and a pleasant warmth had spread through

my body.

Afterward, he disappeared upstairs, returning with a thicker wool blanket-the one I kept in the upstairs linen closet. Without asking, he settled beside me on the sofa, draping the blanket over both of us.

“What are you doing?” I asked, though I didn’t move away.

“Keeping you warm, he replied simply. “Body heat is the most effective remedy for chills.”

The sofa wasn’t particularly large, and his proximity was impossible to ignore. His arm brushed against mine as he adjusted the blanket, and I found myself hyperaware of every point of contact between us.

“We look like a real couple now, don’t we?” he murmured, his voice dropping to a register that sent an involuntary shiver through

‘Don’t flatter yourself,” I said, but the words lacked conviction. I’m only allowing this because I don’t have the strength to push you

off the sofa.”

Derek chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest and vibrating against my side where we touched. “Then I hope your flu never goes away, so I can take care of you forever.”

“What a wicked heart you have beneath that handsome exterior,” I said, turning my head slightly to look at him.

His eyes, those piercing blue-gray eyes that had always seen too much, met mine with unexpected intensity. “For you, I’d be

anything.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I didn’t. Instead, I turned my attention to the fire, watching the flames dance and listening to the soft patter of snow against the windows. The world outside had disappeared into a white blur, isolating us in this moment, in

this room warmed by fire and something else I wasn’t ready to name.

My thoughts wandered, flitting between memories of our past and the uncertain future that stretched before us. The month since

our divorce had been a strange limbo, with Derek’s instance complicating feelings I thought I’d finally managed to bury.

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Chapter 176

The afternoon light gradually faded as we sat in comfortable silence, the storm outside intensifying while the shadows lengthened

across our living room. The warm glow of the fireplace became the primary source of light, casting our faces in soft amber tones as

dusk settled around us.

I felt Derek shift beside me. When I turned to look at him, his gaze was fixed on my face, slowly dropping to my lips. My heart

began to race as he leaned closer, his intention suddenly clear. I realized with a start that he was going to kiss me.

“I- I started to speak, scrambling for an excuse, atty excise. “Derek, I’m sick, you shouldn’t—

“Eleanor, he breathed, my name a caress on his lips.

Before I could process his words, his lips were on mine, gentle but insistent. My mind screamed at me to pull away, to protect myself from the inevitable heartbreak that would follow. But my body had other ideas. My hands, seemingly of their own accord,

reached up to touch his face, feeling the slight stubble on his jaw.

Derek deepened the kiss, one hand sliding to the back of my neck, cradling my head as though I were something precious. My initial resistance melted away like snow on warm skin. I kissed him back with a fervor that surprised even me, years of longing pouring

into this one moment.

The firelight cast a golden glow over us, illuminating our entwined figures against the backdrop of winter white outside the window. Through the frosted glass, the city lights appeared as distant, hazy constellations, as if we existed on our own island, separate from

the rest of the world.

Derek’s kisses grew more urgent, his hands tracing the curve of my waist beneath the blanket. I responded in kind, my fingers threading through his hair, drawing him closer. The fever that had plagued me seemed distant now, replaced by a different kind of

heat that spread through my veins.

In this suspended moment, with the world silent and still around us, I allowed myself to believe in the possibility of us-not as an arrangement, not as a convenience, but as something real. The taste of him, the feel of his hands on my skin, the solid warmth of his body against mine-all of it felt like coming home after a long absence.

When we finally broke apart, breathless and flushed, the look in Derek’s eyes made my heart stutter. There was none of his usual smugness or calculation, only a raw vulnerability that mirrored my own.

“Eleanor, he whispered again, tracing my lower lip with his thumb.

I didn’t trust myself to speak. Instead, I pulled him back to me, seeking the warmth of his kiss to ward off the chill of doubt that threatened at the edges of my consciousness. For now, in the quiet sanctuary of this snow-wrapped afternoon, I would allow myself

this moment of happiness, however fleeting it might prove to be.

Inside, we lost ourselves in each other, forgetting the complications of our past and the uncertainties of our future. In this moment, there was only us, wrapped in wool and firelight, finding solace in each other’s arms as the world grew quiet around us.

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The CEO’s Unspoken Love