Justin frowned. âHow can you be so sure? Do you know her?â
âWhy do you want her to make you clothes?â Instead of responding to
his questions, Bella asked about something else.
âThe birthday of someone I respect is coming up. I want Sharon to
design an outfit for her,â Justin put it vaguely.
He did not want to let Bella know that the outfit was for Celeste
because it was a surprise.
Still, Bella interpreted his words differently.
She scoffed and mocked, âOh, I nearly forgot that the great Mrs. Salvadorâs birthday is this weekend. You must want to impress your
father with a gift for your stepmother. How thoughtful.â
âBella.â Justin furrowed his brows in frustration.
Her taunting did not get to him. He simply did not like to be
misunderstood.
âWhen you contact Sharon, donât tell her that you want the dress for Shannon. Otherwise, she might just lash out at you,â
Infuriated, Bella turned with her back facing him. âAre you done? Leave now. Iâm busy, and youâre a hindrance here.
âAh!â
The needle pierced her finger in a moment of distraction, and she
cried out loud.
âWhatâs wrong? Did you hurt yourself?â
Justin approached her and held her hand anxiously.
A drop of blood seeped out of her fingertip.
Justin grimaced as if he were the one stabbed. âIt must hurt.â
âLet go.â Bella struggled to pull her hand away from his grasp, but the
effort was futile.
He teared up at the sight of the splattered blood.
Justin somehow found the nerve to put Bellaâs finger in his mouth.
âYouâ¦â Bellaâs heart raced.
Her cheeks burned as her breathing turned ragged.
Sensing her tremors, Justin narrowed his eyes.
As their gaze met, Bella went weak on the knees, and her head was
spinning.
The affection in his eyes brought her back to their passionate night together, where she lost herself.
They did nothing. Yet, it felt like they had done it all.
Justinâs breathing grew heavy as tension rose in the room.
âEnough!â
Flustered, Bella withdrew her hand.
She pulled back. To her surprise, Justin reached out to hook her by
the waist and pulled her into his arms.
âWhat are you doing, Justin?â Dismay fleeted across her eyes.
With his heart thumping out of his chest, the man looked into her bright eyes. Their bodies were so close that they could feel each otherâs heartbeat and body temperature.
âI want to kiss you, Bella.â He was honest about his yearning.
As her heart skipped a beat, Bella gritted her teeth. âDream-â
He sealed her lips, taking her breath away from finishing the sentence.