Too Good for You The Ex-Wife You Lost novel Chapter 17

The overly groomed male escort quickly left and was replaced by the stern-faced Hunter. He carried a faint, clean scent of mint.

Noelle looked up at him with a tipsy grin. "Why are you still here, Hunter? I told you this isn't a good job. Why don't you find a proper job?"

He caught her wandering hand. "If I hadn't come, how would I have known you're ordering male escorts again? And didn't I say my services are exclusive to you?"

Her drunken mind lagged for a bit, and before she could respond, his lips were on hers. It was surprisingly gentle and pulled her deeper until his hand slipped to her collar.

A silver of clarity returned as she pressed his hand over his to stop him. "No, Hunter. I don't want it now."

Her body told her she was a woman with normal desires, and Hunter was a physically perfect sex partner. But her dwindling rationality insisted it was wrong.

Maybe she was too old-fashioned because she couldn't accept intimacy without love, not so soon after dragging herself out of a failed marriage that had left her utterly disappointed.

Clifford had instilled in her a deep fear of men. Even if she felt a flicker of attraction for Hunter, she couldn't cross that line.

Sure enough, Hunter stopped immediately. He seemed to read her emotions, so instead of pushing further, he planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose and whispered in her ear, "Stop drinking. Let me take you home, alright?"

Noelle nodded and allowed him to carry her out.

True to his word, Hunter only took her home. He poured her a glass of water, tucked her into bed, and ran downstairs to buy her favorite pre-packaged meal. He even reminded her to eat if she got hungry in the middle of the night.

His respect for her boundaries was astounding, and he even took out her trash on his way out.

Noelle blinked back tears as she watched him leave. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, her tears escaped and soaked into her pillow. It'd been so long since anyone had taken care of her like that.

…

The next morning was bright and sunny.

Noelle woke up early. It was the day she was due to report to the training base. After a simple routine, she ate the meal Hunter had bought the night before and saw the hundreds of unread messages on her phone.

Most were from Clifford and Lola. Lola's messages were full of venomous curses, while Clifford's were pleas for reconciliation.

Clifford: "Shall we start over, Noelle? Our son needs a mother."

Clifford: "Without me, you don't have a job or a background, so you won't be able to survive. You can't handle the cruel world out there. Just come back!"

After arriving, Jude issued her a kit and assigned her a dorm room. After giving her a tour of the facilities, he said, "Unless absolutely necessary, trainees are not permitted to leave the mountain.

"Since you're just here, focus on adapting to the environment and getting your feel for the wheel back. Once you're back in form, I'll recommend you for international races.

"During training, we have simulated races and sent racers to national events. Since you prefer not to reveal you're Sheila yet, you'll be limited to smaller competitions for now. The prize money is significantly less than in international races."

Jude knew Noelle needed funds, but what she needed more than money right now was to reclaim her peak form.

"Thank you, Coach Landaal," she said.

He led her to Training Hall No. 10 and said knowingly, "From now on, you'll train with Flame Speed Racing. They're all quite young. As their senior, you should try to look out for them a bit."

Noelle nodded. As Jude walked away, a young, sharp female voice sounded behind her.

"Aren't you too old for training camp?"

The golden age for a racer was under 30, and Noelle was already 26.