True love had nothing to do with a wife's culinary skills. A man who truly loved a woman would still find
her attractive at her worst.
Alyssa was too focused on cooking and did not notice Jasper creeping up to her.
She gasped when he pulled her into a hug, his masculine scent enveloping her senses.
He grumbled, "Why are you moving around when I'm not at home? You're injured and need rest." He
tightened his grip on her waist with desire, but she kept quiet about the discomfort.
Instead, she placed her right hand on the back of his hand and patted it. She allowed him to hug her for
as long as he wished. His heavy breath on her neck sent electric shivers through her.
Suddenly detecting a faint tobacco scent, she questioned, "Did you smoke?"
"Sorry, Lyse. I couldn't resist," he rasped, resting his chin on her shoulder. Rubbing his chin against her
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtskin, he vowed, "I won't do it again."
"Anything troubling you?" she wondered, feeling worried when she sensed his low mood.
"Nothing."
"Did Javier give you trouble at work?" she mused wittily, as observant as ever.
Smiling bitterly, he teased her, "I'll need to perform a body scan. Did you put a hidden camera
somewhere on me?"
"Yeah. It's here." She turned, poking his heart. "Did he confront you about Sophia?"
"I hosted a meeting and stripped Sophia of her role in the company. He didn't seem pleased about it. I
think he wanted to protect her." Jasper sounded flat. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear,
reassuring her, "Don't worry. I will not let him win this time. Sophia Kirkman must go."
"Nah, Javier didn't confront you to protect Sophia. At the end of the day, he was trying to protect his
reputation. Everyone was talking about the tragic fates of the women associated with him. I bet there
are lots of conspiracy theories out there," Alyssa bluntly expressed her thoughts in front of Jasper.
He agreed, "I know. My dad is a selfish man." Feeling uneasy, he let out a frustrated sigh, worried that
he had let her down again.
He promised, "Don't worry about it. We'll move out of Seaview Manor when we're married and get our
own place."
The talk of marriage made Alyssa blush. Her heart raced.
"If you prefer more time with your family, I'll stay in Belbanks with you. If you're worried about Grandpa,
we can buy a villa at Crescent Bay to stay close to him." Jasper smiled as he pictured their future
together.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Grandpa called me two days ago to check on my injury. He told me that he was fed up with Solana
City and its petty people. He would much prefer the down-to-earth nature of the Belbanks natives, and
he thought of moving to Belbanks with me," she sweetly revealed.
"Anything you like." Jasper, defenseless against her charm, kissed her passionately. Their breaths
mingled as their tongues danced.
A while later, she pulled away, face flushed. "Living in Belbanks might be troublesome for your job.
You'll spend four hours on the commute."
"Well, I can always take the helicopter. Xavier sucks at driving one, but I can do it myself. What matters
is keeping you happy," he declared, undeterred by any inconvenience.
Her eyes misted over, feeling touched by his declaration, but somehow, she felt as if there was some
unresolved issue deep in her heart.