Chapter 127
The driver’s offer was just too tempting for Marina to resist. She hesitated for only a second before agreeing.
“Sure, but you have to make sure to vouch for me,” she said.
The driver nodded eagerly, grinning.
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“Don’t worry, Ms. Finley. I promise you’ll get on the plane with Mr. Zamora and walk right into the Clark family’s house together,” he said.
With his confident promise, Marina finally felt at ease.
With the driver’s help, Marina helped Daron out of the car.
To keep him steady, she held his hand on her shoulder with one hand and slipped her other arm around his waist from behind. It took some effort, but she got him into the elevator.
Seeing she had it under control, the driver relaxed and said, “Ms. Finley, I won’t go up with you. If you need anything, just give me a call.”
Marina nodded in agreement.
“Okay,” she replied.
As the elevator doors slid shut, Marina glanced out and saw the driver beaming at her, looking genuinely happy.
A flicker of confusion crossed Marina’s eyes, but before she could think about it, Daron shifted beside her. She quickly tightened her grip around him, afraid he might pull her down with him.
Taking the chance, she shrugged her shoulder, which had gone numb from his weight.
When they reached Daron’s floor, she helped him out of the elevator. For some reason, her shoulder felt a bit lighter. He wasn’t putting all his weight on her anymore.
At the door, Marina decided to give it a try and entered the code Daron had given her earlier.
To her surprise, the door unlocked right away. She stood there for a moment, stunned. She hadn’t expected Daron to give her his actual code, not just a temporary one.
She looked at Daron in surprise, but he just frowned, looking a little uncomfortable as he rubbed his face against her neck.
His short black hair brushed against her neck, making it itch and tingle, so she hurried to get him inside.
They made their way into the master bedroom.
Marina was just about to let go of his hand and help him onto the bed when, before she knew it, Daron slipped his arms around her waist.
As she tried to lay him down, she ended up tumbling onto the bed with him.
Marina was a bit hopeless.
She remembered that at the welcome banquet Elnora held for her, Daron had drunk through two rounds and still didn’t end up like this. When he left, he was a bit tipsy, but he was definitely clear–headed.
‘Did he drink some fake alcohol today?‘ Marina wondered.
17:45 Fri, Dec 26 R
Chapter 127
‘If it wasn’t fake, how could he be this drunk?‘ she thought.
Marina removed his hand from her, braced herself against his chest, and pushed herself up.
But just as she tried to pull away, Daron, still sprawled on the bed, caught her hand and opened his eyes.
His deep eyes were wide open, completely unguarded and a little dazed as he looked at her.
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Marina felt like she could get lost in the depths of his gaze. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart, and broke the silence.
“Mr. Zamora, do you want some water? I can get it for you,” she offered.
But Daron suddenly yanked her hand, and with that, Marina found herself sprawled against his chest again.
“My head hurts. Massage it for me,” he said.
Marina looked down at her hand, still trapped in his grip, and muttered,
“How am I supposed to help if you don’t let go of my hand?”
Only then did Daron let go of her hand, but his free hand went straight to her waist.
With his other hand, he started rubbing his temples.
Marina was just about to get up when Daron’s grip on her waist tightened.
“Where are you going?” Daron asked in a low voice, his intense gaze locked onto her.
Marina’s breath caught. “Didn’t you just say your head hurts and asked me to give you a massage?”
Only then did Daron finally let go.
As Marina sat up and reached out to rub his head, Daron, without missing a beat, shifted and laid his head right in her lap. Eyes closed, he mumbled,
“Go on, then.”
‘Is he always this clingy when he’s drunk?‘ Marina wondered.
Marina placed her hand on Daron’s forehead and started gently massaging it.
When she glanced down, she could see his handsome face nestled against her lap, and for a moment, her heart was all over the place. His eyes were closed, and his lashes were almost ridiculously long.
He looked like he’d drifted off to sleep, his breathing slow and steady
Marina tried calling him softly a few times, “Mr. Zamora…”
He didn’t respond at all.
Only then did Marina stop, her hand all tingly and sore. She gave it a little shake.
Just as she was about to move his head off her lap, Daron let out a grumpy noise, and Marina instantly stopped, not daring to
move.
‘He’s such a handful, Marina thought. ‘No wonder the driver was grinning from ear to ear when he left.
Marina grabbed a pillow to support her back, leaned against it, and figured she’d just wait until Daron was deep asleep
Chapter 127
before trying to move his head off her lap.
But as she waited, she ended up dozing off herself.
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In the middle of the night, Daron woke up. When he opened his eyes, he saw Marina asleep, propped up against the headboard.
Maybe she was worried he’d fall off the bed, because her other hand was still resting on him, like she was keeping him safe.
Daron’s eyes were filled with a mix of emotions.
After they got into bed last night, Marina’s head massage had just the right touch, made him feel safe and relaxed. With the alcohol still in his system, he drifted off to sleep before he even knew it
He slowly sat up, carefully shifted Marina onto the bed, and, with a thoughtful touch, adjusted her pillow to the right height.
Her neck was always a bit sensitive. If she spent the whole night sleeping like that, she’d be making a huge fuss about it in the morning.
*****
When Marina woke up, she stretched lazily, just like she always did.
As her mind slowly cleared, it suddenly hit her that she was in Daron’s bedroom.
All at once, she realized she was actually lying in his bed.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
Feeling a bit guilty, she opened her eyes and glanced around the bed. When she didn’t see Daron anywhere, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness Daron wasn’t lying next to me. If he had been, I’d probably have a heart attack for sure, Marina thought.
She rubbed her neck, tossed off the covers, and her first instinct was to look for her phone to check the time, only to remember that Daron had chucked it out the window last night.
Marina could only groan and smack her forehead.
When Daron walked in with his toiletries, he caught Marina shooting him/a resentful, almost aggrieved look.
There was a red mark on her neck, standing out against her smooth skin.
A subtle emotion flickered in Daron’s eyes. He quickly looked away, cleared his throat, and headed into the bathroom.
He squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush, filled a glass with water, then turned back to Marina, who was still sitting on the bed, and said softly, “Come out for breakfast when you’re done washing up.”
Then he walked out of the bathroom and left the bedroom.
Marina marched into the bathroom, annoyed, grabbed her glass, and was just about to brush her teeth when she saw the red mark on her neck in the mirror. She dropped the glass to the floor in shock.
Daron leaned against the wall by the bedroom door. Hearing the commotion inside, he raised an
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
