Free Web NovelChapter 156: Chapter 152: Georgia, I Missed You
The man standing at her apartment door right now was Elliot Sheridan.
She recognized him instantly, even in the deep darkness.
He was wearing the same clothes as he had during the day, his tall, lean frame propped against the wall.
A cigarette was pinched between two of his fingers, its crimson tip flaring and fading in the dark.
Elliot seemed to sense her presence at that very same moment, his sharp, dark eyes sweeping over to her.
His gaze was like two sharp blades, fixed in Georgia Thorne’s direction.
Her mind went completely blank, her head was buzzing, and her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.
’Why is he here?!’
Elliot dropped the cigarette butt and strode purposefully toward Georgia, who was on the stairs.
A gust of cold wind rushed toward her, mussing her long hair.
Before her brain could even process it, the man had already pulled her into a tight embrace.
The heavy scent of smoke on Elliot clung to Georgia, instantly throwing her breathing into disarray.
’How long has he been waiting here? There are so many cigarette butts on the ground.’
After a long moment, she finally came back to her senses.
She realized Elliot was holding her tightly. The chill from his body seemed to seep into hers, as pervasive as his scent, finding its way into every opening, every pore.
Her arms and legs were pinned by him. She could feel the strength in his arms as they tightened around her. Tilting her slender neck back, she looked up at the man before her.
Georgia was short, so she could only see his lean jaw and the taut, stern lines of his profile.
Georgia just stared at him quietly, not even knowing what she should say.
’Should I say, "Long time no see," or, "Hello, Elliot"?’
Georgia could barely breathe in his embrace. She moved her arms. "Elliot, you..."
"Georgia, I missed you!"
’He’s never told me he missed me before!’
Georgia had thought that with so many people in the classroom during the lecture today, Elliot hadn’t noticed her at all.
’How could she have known he was there entirely for her?’
Georgia stared at him, stunned, only snapping out of it when his passionate kiss landed on her lips.
’Unable to refuse, unable to resist.’
’This is hopeless!’
’Georgia, how can you be so spineless!’
’Just one kiss from him and you’re so mesmerized you’d agree to anything he says.’
Georgia clutched at her clothes in frustration. All she could remember was how Elliot’s kiss had made her so weak she didn’t even have the strength to push him away.
After letting the man have his way, a puff of hot air tickled her sensitive ear. "I have nowhere to go. Let me stay tonight, hmm?"
The last word came out as a nasal hum, wicked and reckless, coaxing Georgia.
’How could he possibly have nowhere to go?!’
’He’s so rich, he could check into any hotel he wanted.’
But she’d had a lapse in judgment, bewitched by his voice. Meeting his gentle, dark eyes, she fell into a daze.
After the daze passed, she belatedly realized that she had already led Elliot into her apartment.
And so, that led to the current scene.
The sputtering sound of the boiling kettle only made the apartment seem even quieter.
Elliot’s gaze was fixed on Georgia, never leaving her for even half a second.
’She’s been living squeezed into such a tiny room for over a month?’
’No wonder her waist felt so much thinner when I was holding her just now.’
The water finally came to a boil. Georgia hastily grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and turned around.
"Sorry, all I have is plain water."
Georgia placed the cup on the table, but before she could pull her hand back, the man’s large palm covered the back of it, clasping it firmly in his own.
"Elliot, you—!"
Georgia tugged her hand forcefully but couldn’t break free. She stared at Elliot with wide, innocent, and frightened eyes.
"What are you afraid of? I’m your man!" Elliot gripped Georgia’s small hand tightly. No matter how hard she struggled, he wouldn’t let go.
"Elliot, our relationship is over! We broke up! Let me go!"
Elliot’s expression grew increasingly grim, and Georgia’s voice trailed off.
Her head sank lower and lower, until she didn’t even dare to look up and meet Elliot’s gaze.
"Georgia, I told you, if I don’t say we’re broken up, then we’re not broken up. Don’t go against my wishes, understand?"
Elliot gripped her small hand and yanked her forcefully into his arms.
Georgia had been kneeling on the floor. Her balance was unstable, so when Elliot yanked her, she cried out in alarm and fell unguardedly into his arms.
The crisp male scent mixed with the heavy smell of tobacco aggressively invaded every inch of Georgia’s body, dense and overwhelming.
Every breath she took was filled with his scent.
Elliot gripped her wrist. Georgia looked up and met his deep, black eyes, their faces extremely close.
She fluttered her eyelashes in a panic. It felt as if just a little closer, and she would touch Elliot’s chin.
Her clear, bright eyes reflected Elliot’s handsome face.
"El..." Georgia didn’t know how to begin. She looked down at their clasped hands. "Elliot, I can’t accept you being entangled with other women while you’re with me."
"Nate is just a friend of mine!" Elliot cut her off, his voice cold and hard. "I went out with Nate last time just to do her a favor. Byron Shaw is her ex-boyfriend, and she didn’t want to lose face, so she asked me to come along!"
"Oh..."
’Was that... his way of explaining things to me?’
"And what about you? What’s your relationship with Byron Shaw?" Elliot narrowed his eyes, displeased. He didn’t like any man getting close to Georgia.
"It’s nothing. Attorney Shaw helped my sister with a lawsuit, so I was just returning the favor."
At that moment, Georgia’s voice was faint, like a weak moan, and her heart was pounding wildly.
Elliot grunted in acknowledgment. He had already guessed as much.
Time ticked by, second by second. Georgia looked at Elliot, who was sitting beside her, feeling troubled.
From his expression, it didn’t look like he was planning to leave. He was watching television with a casual, elegant air.
Staring at his profile, she thought, ’My room is so small. How are two people supposed to sleep here?!’
The apartment was tiny to begin with, a studio layout where you could see everything inside the moment you walked in.
A bed was placed right in the center, and there wasn’t even a sofa.
Georgia stared at Elliot for a long time, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how to convince him to go home.
The man beside her had already stood up and was taking off his suit jacket.
He unhurriedly loosened his tie, his gaze lowered as he looked down on her. "Is this the bathroom?"
Georgia nodded. The black tie, guided by his long fingers, drifted down in front of her and landed on her lap.
Georgia stood up and called out to him, "Um, are you going to take a shower?"
’He can’t seriously be planning to spend the night here, can he?!’
"Get a set of clothes ready for me."
Elliot glanced sideways at her, his fingertips slowly undoing the buttons on his shirt.
Georgia quickly averted her eyes, too shy to look at him.
Hearing the SHUSH of running water from the bathroom, Georgia glanced in that direction.
The frosted glass reflected a tall, well-built male figure. Having caressed it countless times before, Georgia’s mind immediately conjured an image of that body, making her blush and her heart race.
’I’m really going crazy!’
She grabbed her coat from the hanger and headed outside.
’I’m really going crazy!’
’How did things circle back to this? It’s like we’re back in that same old relationship again.’
After buying the clothes, Georgia returned and stood downstairs for a while, trying to sort out her thoughts.
’How could such a busy man become a lecturer, and then show up at her apartment door late at night?’
’Did he come looking for me specifically? Did he want to win me back?’
Thinking it over and over, it seemed to be the only possibility.
But he was too proud—so proud that it was hard to believe he was here to salvage their relationship.
Happiness, disappointment...
A mix of complex emotions surged through her. She let out a sigh and started up the stairs.
She stomped her foot, and the sound-activated light in the stairwell turned on.
Only then did she notice the dozen or so cigarette butts accumulated by her apartment door.
’Has he been waiting this whole time in such cold weather?’
’How long has he been waiting here?’
Georgia’s heart softened. She remembered how, when she’d accidentally touched him earlier, his usually warm palm had been ice-cold.
Sigh.
Georgia took out her key, but before she could even insert it into the lock, the door swung open on its own.
"What took you so long?"
Elliot had just finished his shower. His wet hair was plastered to his forehead, and droplets of water trickled down from the dark strands.
Having no change of clothes, his upper body was bare, while his lower half was wrapped in her bath towel.
"The supermarket is pretty far," Georgia said, handing him the bag in her hand and averting her gaze. "You should hurry and put these on."
Elliot took the clothes, dropped the towel right in front of her, and started to get dressed.
Flustered, Georgia grabbed her own pajamas and rushed into the bathroom.
After her shower, Georgia came out drying her wet hair and saw the man standing at the window, talking on the phone.
The lines of his profile were taut, and his low voice was laced with anger.
Hearing the noise, Elliot turned his head and saw Georgia looking at him blankly. He deliberately lowered his voice. "That’s how it is on this matter. It’s not up for discussion!"
With that, he hung up.
Georgia looked at him. "Is it about work?"
"Mhm," Elliot grunted noncommittally and beckoned to her. "Come here."
"What is it?" Georgia obediently walked over and stopped beside him.
He furrowed his brow and said with displeasure, "Why didn’t you dry your hair?"
Unlike the anger-laden voice he’d used on the phone just now, Elliot’s tone had noticeably softened, becoming as gentle as a caress.
"I forgot. I’ll dry it now!" Georgia flinched slightly, unused to his concern, and turned to get the hair dryer.
The WHIRRING of the hair dryer masked the frantic beating of Georgia’s heart. In the mirror, she saw Elliot standing by the window, talking on the phone again.
After drying her hair, Georgia held up the hair dryer and waved it at Elliot. "Do you need this?"
"Come here," Elliot said, narrowing his eyes as he stared at her.
Georgia stood her ground. "What is it?"
"Don’t make me come over there and get you."
Georgia hesitated. "Uh..."
Georgia nervously approached him. Before she even reached him, his long arm swept out, hooking around her waist and pulling her into his embrace, pressing her tightly against his body.
