Shattered Rose He Held On Tight novel Chapter 59

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Chapter 59 A Drunken Return

Clint was supposed to take him to one of his bigger houses nearby, but at the last minute Sterling changed his mind. He wanted to go back to Claudia’s tiny apartment.

Clint grumbled to himself. His boss was hooked on being a kept man. Who would choose to squeeze into a girl’s tiny apartment instead of a luxury home? Shameless.

Still, Clint kept his thoughts quiet and turned the wheel without protest.

Ever since Ms. Lancaster showed up, Mr. Romero’s temper had gotten so much better. Everyone around him felt the change. Only a fool would let a woman like that slip away.

Sure enough, the moment they reached the building, Clint got kicked out by his boss, who headed upstairs alone.

Clint could only sigh and pray for Claudia.

A drunk Mr. Romero is never easy to deal with.

But what happened upstairs was not what Sterling expected.

Sterling used his fingerprint to unlock the door. The apartment was dark, with only a faint glow from outside lighting the room. On the couch, he spotted a small figure curled up, barely visible in the shadows.

He had been drinking, yes, but he was not as drunk as Clint thought. The alcohol only stripped away his restraint.

Normally, he would’ve turned on the light and asked what was wrong. But tonight, he shut the door quietly and walked straight over. Without a word, he scooped her up and settled her sideways on his lap.

The closeness went far beyond what their relationship allowed.

Claudia had dozed off while thinking on the couch.

Suddenly, she was lifted into strong arms, pressed against a warm and solid chest. Claudia gasped in shock.

Her fist flew out, but it was caught in a firm grip. The powerful body holding her smelled distinctly male. If it weren’t for the familiar voice, she would’ve thought some bold thugs had

broken in.

“Stop it,” Sterling muttered.

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“What are you doing? Let me go!” She struggled in his arms.

Instead, Sterling only held her tighter. Like petting a cat, he ran his hand through her hair and gave her soft arm a playful squeeze.

His head was a little foggy from the alcohol. Somewhere in his mind he had already marked Claudia as his. Touching her felt like handling something that was already his.

There was none of that overpowering perfume or the scheming air he hated in other women.

All he felt was comfort, and it made him bolder.

Sterling’s body was built with raw strength, and with liquor fueling him, his grip was impossible to break.

Claudia grew tired from struggling. She wrinkled her nose at the scent of alcohol as his face pressed against her neck. “You’ve been drinking?” she asked, fanning her hand in front of her

nose.

“Yeah. Just a little,” he mumbled.

Then he asked, “Someone came by today? Did they give you any trouble here in your place?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “How do you know that?”

Sterling only smiled faintly.

The shoes by the door had been shifted. The glasses on the coffee table were out of place. And the air still carried an annoying trace of someone else. For Sterling, who had spent years living on edge, reading a room in the dark and picking up clues from small details was second nature.

And besides, he had noticed before–she only curled up to sleep on the couch when she was

upset.

The small space made her feel safe.

But if she knew he had been watching her habits, she would probably accuse him of crossing the line.

“Tell me,” he pressed, his thumb brushing her cheek as he leaned into her neck, his voice low and rough.

“It was my mom,” Claudia whispered. Maybe it was the need to let it out, or maybe because he was the only one there to listen, but she didn’t hide her embarrassment.

She told him how her family wanted to throw her a birthday party—and also announce her engagement to Jasper. In the dark, Sterling’s eyes snapped open. The haze of alcohol was gone,

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