The Best Revenge It Wasn't Even Your Child novel Chapter 23

Catherine waited for a response, but when none came, she sighed and climbed out of the car. She walked around to the back and leaned in to help him with his seatbelt.

Her slender arm brushed across his chest. Her dark hair was tucked neatly behind her ears, though a few wisps had slipped free, softening the lines of her face. A faint, sweet scent drifted off her, filling the small space between them.

Lance’s eyes fluttered open and settled on her delicate features. His stare was so intense that Catherine’s fingers paused in midair. She looked up, meeting his gaze. His eyes felt bottomless, swirling with something she couldn’t quite name, and for a moment it was like he might pull her under.

Catherine’s breath caught. The sudden blare of a car horn jolted her back to reality. She snapped the seatbelt into place, shut the door, and hurried back to the driver’s side.

She started the engine and pulled away, only daring to check the rearview mirror when the city lights had blurred into the distance. Lance was slumped against the seat, eyes closed, breathing slow and even. He looked as if he were sleeping.

All it took was one drunken look from him and now her mind was a mess. Catherine took a long, shaky breath and pressed her foot to the gas.

Lance almost never drank this much, and tonight the alcohol was making his thoughts hazy. That brief touch, like a feather sweeping across his chest, woke something restless inside him, something he had tried to bury for a long time. Catherine’s familiar scent lingered in the air, stirring up everything he’d tried to forget.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and cracked his eyes open just enough to catch a glimpse of her side profile. The curve of her lips, the brightness of her eyes, her flawless cheekbones—each detail seemed to burn into his mind, making his heart race.

Eventually, the car rolled to a stop. Catherine got out and walked around to open the back door. She leaned in to unfasten his seatbelt.

“Lance, we’re home.”

He shifted, trying to get out, but stumbled the moment his feet touched the ground. Catherine reached out on instinct to steady him, only to end up pressed against his chest. She stumbled back, nearly losing her balance, but his strong arm wrapped around her waist at the last second, holding her upright.

For a heartbeat, the world spun. Catherine’s back hit the car, her breath catching in her throat. Before she could say a word, Lance leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was rough, desperate, all-consuming. It stole the air right out of her lungs.

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