Chapter 260 Chapter 260 The moment Noelle saw Nicolass sleeping face , her heart began to race .
Why is he so good looking ?! Nicolas was already a stunning man when awake , but now with all his sharp edges softened by sleep his beauty felt almost unreal .
Angelic , even .
As a hopeless sucker for good looks , Noelle couldnt help herself .
She leaned in and gently placed a kiss on his cheek , feeling a giddy sense of victory like a sneaky little thief getting away with something But that single kiss wasnt enough .
So she leaned in again , giving his cheek another exaggerated muah .
How was it even possible that someone this handsome was hers ? It felt like shed stolen a blessing from the gods .
Would she get struck by lightning later ? Overcome with affection , Noelles lips began wandering kisses on his eyelids , his brows , the bridge of his nose , both cheeks , even his jawline .
By the time she was done, his entire face was dotted with her love .
What she didnt know was Nicolas had been awake the whole time .
Hed been pretending to sleep just to see what shed do when she woke up .
He hadnt expected her to start planting kisses all over his face .
It reminded him of his childhood golden retriever who used to wake him up every morning by slobbering on his face .
Honestly , it felt weirdly similar .
Her kisses were light , but ticklish .
Her sweet scent lingered at the tip of his nose , and considering it was early morning when men were naturally more ...
susceptible Nicolas was rapidly approaching his limit .
Before things spiraled out of control , he opened his eyes .
And right on cur , he locked eyes with a a very startled Noelle .
Caught red handed , Noelle panicked and tried to bolt .
But of course , Nicolas wasnt about to let her escape . Where are you going ? he said , wrapping an arm easily around her waist and pulling her back into his arms .
Noelle toppled onto his chest , wide eyed , N Nicolas ... Youre awake ! Nicolas smirked .
If I hadnt woken up , Id be completely devoured by now .
By who ? You , obviously I would not ! she pouted , crossing her arms .
Youre making me sound like some pervy hooligan .
He chuckled , rubbing a thumb over the corner of her mouth .
So who was the one making out with my face like a starved puppy ? Kissing an unconscious man ..
you sure thats not hooligan behavior ? Noelles face went bright red .
You were awake the whole time ! Vep he replied with a grin She puffed up like an angry chipmunk Then why pretend to sleepi Nicolas laughed and pinched the bridge of her nose affectionately .
How he was I supposed to catch the little rogue in the act , hum ? Realizing shed already been exposed .
Noelle gave up trying to play innocent .
She leaned in , gave him a big kiss on the cheek , and declared .
Fine ! Im a rogue .
Your rogue ! Nicolas burst out laughing .
Wow , so bold Then , unable to resist , he cupped the back of her head and started to pull her in for a real kiss .
But just as their lips were about to meet , Chapter 260 he hesitated then shifted slightly to kiss the e corner of her mouth instead .
It was soft .
Tender .
Loving .
Noelle froze for a moment , She could tell Nicolas had been about to kiss her lips ... but had changed his mind at the last second .
Is it because I told him not to kiss me ? she wondered never a asked .
He had remembered .
Even now , he respected her boundary even though she had never explained the reason why .
He ne never pressed .
Just quietly accepted it .
The guilt hit her like a freight train .
Brandon kissed me .
And I didnt stop him .
Suddenly , it felt like shed done something terribly wrong .
The weight of that kiss pressed heavily on her chest , guilt and self blame swirling in her stomach .
Whats wrong ? Nicolas asked gently .
He saw the shift in her express the sudden hint of sadness in her eyes .
He reached up and stroked her check .
Baby , are you feeling sick ? No ... Noelle shook her head , then wrapped her arms tightly around him She buried her face in his chest , holding him like she was afraid hed slip away .
She didnt dare tell him about Brandon .
Didnt even want to mention that Brandon had visited .
Dont let him worry .
Dont make him sad : For someone who used to breeze through any mission with ease , it now felt impossibly hard just to keep Nicolas happy .
He noticed the way her energy dropped again , even though she tried to hide it.
Something had definitely happened . Last night , when she got back from the Andersons , shed been acting off .
So when she wasnt looking , Nicolas discreetly called the Anderson family fishing for details .
One name had come up : Brandon A name Noelle had never mentioned to him before .
But from the Andersons tone , it was clear this Brandon was very important to her .
Theyd been close .
Maybe very close .
That alone was suspicious .
Noelle was usually an open book .
Shed even blurted out she was a mercenary without thinking twice .
For her to never mention someone du clos There was only one explanation .
Brandon was from her original organization .
It made sense .
Noelle had never spoken a word about the people behind her , The only reason to keep something that tightly guarded ... wat because of who he was And now Brandon had shown up .
Publicly .
Introducing himself to the Andersons , That couldnt be good .
Nicolas had a gnawing feeling that something big was about to happen something that could change everything between him and And he wasnt ready .
Not yet Even with all his resources , even after acquiring the Sawyer Group and building an empire , Nicolas still wasnt sure he could go toe to- toe with the force behind Noelle .
2:24 PM c c Chapter 260 He needed more power , which led him to a single , sobering thought , The Jenkins family .
His mothers family He hadnt reached out to them in years .
But now , for Noelle for the future he wanted to protect maybe it was time to lower his pride and knock on their door.
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