On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 20

She refused. His body was so cool, so comforting, like holding a block of ice in the middle of a scorching desert.

On an impulse he couldn’t explain, he got into the car with her. His large hands gripped her waist, lifting her onto his lap. The air in the confined space grew thick with tension. His intense, heated gaze fell on her flushed, delirious face.

“Jessica Brown,” he murmured, the words tight and strained, like a drawn bowstring. “The club, or me?”

After a moment of silence, she crushed her lips against his. She kissed him clumsily, with an untaught desperation. He let out a low chuckle and took control, his mouth moving over hers, slowly, expertly, until she was limp and breathless in his arms.

His hot hand moved to her back, sliding under the hem of her sweater, his fingers finding the row of buttons on her bra. He pushed the sweater up to her chest, and her world narrowed to the soft wool and the dark hair of the man above her.

She arched her back, the heat inside her finally finding some release. Her hands tangled in his hair.

Just then, the car door opened. The world seemed to pause. The man instinctively pulled her against his chest, shielding her from view.

A hesitant voice came from outside. “The doctor is here.”

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“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the receptionist said with a professional smile. “That’s confidential guest information.”

Jessica didn’t push it. “Okay, thank you.”

As she stepped out of the hotel, her phone buzzed. It was a news alert, not a job offer. She glanced at the screen, and her blood ran cold. The headline featured her name, accompanied by a blurry photo:

[JESSICA BROWN, DESPERATE AND DRUGGED, RUSHED TO ER AFTER WILD NIGHT OUT]