Chapter 88
Elara’s mind instantly conjured four words: Firm Hound Smooth. White.
Theodore turned his head and met her gaze. The look in his eyes made her feel as if he had read her thoughts.
A wave of embarrassment hit her, and she quickly stepped forward, pretending nothing happened. “Let me help you.”
Theodore was overjoyed.
His effort hadn’t been in vain he had been repeating the same motion of applying medicine to his back ever since Elara entered the restroom. The moment he sensed her glance, he deliberately spilled the medicine onto his pants.
Elara took the bottle from him, dipped a cotton swab into the liquid, and gently applied it to the wound on his
back.
The doctor who had stitched him up had done a superb job. If not for the faint redness around the area, have been impossible to tell he had been injured at all..
“I’m sorry,” Elara said sincerely. “You saved Merida, and I haven’t properly thanked you.”
it would
She smiled and added, “Let me treat you to a meal. If you don’t feel like going out, I’ll cook for you. Just name a dish–I learn new recipes fast.”
Theodore’s lips curled slightly. “Then promise me one thing.”
“Hmm?”
Without answering, he picked up a white dress shirt and slowly slid his arms into the sleeves. He had successfully captured Elara’s attention but deliberately left his sentence unfinished.
Buttoning his shirt at an excruciatingly slow pace, he moved in a way that seemed almost…. intentional. Elara felt the air in the room grow thick and heavy.
Was he moving in slow motion on purpose?
From where she stood, she had the perfect view of his broad chest, the sharply defined ridges of his abs, and the deep V–line disappearing into his waistband.
Elara instinctively held her breath, feeling an overwhelming wave of testosterone crash over her. He was doing this on purpose!
As Theodore buttoned his shirt, he subtly guided Elara’s gaze down the ridges of his abdomen.
Just as she found herself momentarily dazed, Theodore suddenly looked up at her with an expression of pure innocence, like he was completely harmless. It was as if every bit of that supposed seduction had only been a figment of her imagination.
Elara snapped out of it, jolted by the contrast. Then, she heard him say,
“Tonight, there’s a race at Mount Clockwork. I put some money in the prize pool, but since I’m injured, I can’t
think?” compete. I need a driver. If you win, we split the prize money. What do you
Rather than seeing her confined to a kitchen, swallowed by smoke and grease, Theodore wanted to see Elara tearing through the open road.
Elara was momentarily stunned. Did he know
that she had been tight on cash lately?
Chapter
+25 BONUS
She had assumed that placing first in the preliminaries would land her a job, but with her results still under scrutiny, most companies were waiting on the sidelines.
She had even signed up as a food delivery driver. Yet, this man had pulled her right back before she could take that
step.
She nodded. “Alright!”
Then, she said while flashing a confident smile, “I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”
The race was scheduled for 9:00 pm. The Snapps‘ housekeepers had volunteered to watch Merida.
Originally, Elara had thought about leaving Merida with Finnegan, but at the end of the day, he was still a man. Having female housekeepers around would make it easier in case Merida woke up at night.
After her bath, Merida curled up under the blankets, Elara buried her face in her daughter’s sweet–scented neck, inhaling deeply.
“Mommy has work tonight. Be a good girl and sleep well, okay?”
Merida nodded seriously and reminded her, “Mommy, don’t work too hard! Come home early–I’ll miss you!” “Okay.” Warmth spread through Elara’s chest. She kissed Merida’s soft cheek before heading out.
The black supercar roared toward the race venue, its engine growling like a beast shaking the valley. Seated in the driver’s seat, Elara looked through the window and spotted a few familiar faces.
No surprises there.
Her gaze landed on Niamh. She was dressed in utility pants and a black patent leather studded trench coat, over a cropped knit top that revealed a sliver of her pale waist.
Niamh sat boldly atop the hood of a dark gray Aston Martin. Elara narrowed her eyes slightly at that car. She had seen it before–In the Fisher family’s garage. It was the one Harvey never let her touch. And then, as expected, she spotted Harvey himself. Dressed in a sharp suit, his posture was poised and commanding, while Beau trailed beside him with an unnaturally serious expression, mimicking an adult. The crowd at the race consisted mostly of Capitol’s elite supercar club members. And then, Corona arrived.
Heads were immediately turned. The passenger door of the sifted gracefully, its gull–wing design
opening like a bird spreading its wings.
Theodore stepped out, and gasps echoed through the crowd
“So, it was Mr. Snapp who bought Corona all those years ago? Damn, you kept that a secret!”
Niamh stretched her neck, trying to get a better look through the windshield.
“This is Corona, for god’s sake! Mr. Snapp, who the hell’s driving it?”
