Chapter 268
A collection of adult novelties greeted her widening eyes.
Pink silk handcuffs gleamed beside playful cat ears that somehow managed to look both innocent and scandalous.
The crowning insult was a bold note declaring, “Happy Birthday, Ethan! Wishing you both an unforgettable evening!”
Noelle’s mouth twisted as conflicting emotions warred across her features. Now she understood Farrell’s mysterious smirk when she’d pressed him about Ethan’s gift.
“Seen enough to satisfy that burning curiosity?” Ethan drawled, his tone deliberately provocative.
Noelle found herself momentarily robbed of speech. She shot him a look that could have melted steel, then extracted a length of silken rope designed for… well, whatever it was meant for.
She studied the rope and then fixed her gaze on Ethan with calculating intensity.
His eyebrow climbed higher as he stretched out his words with lazy suggestion. “Discovering some hidden interests, are we?”
Noelle nearly lost her footing at his brazen implication. She glared at him with renewed ferocity, then arranged her features into a sweetly menacing smile. “This is for restraining you.”
He appeared to consider this proposition with genuine thoughtfulness before nodding slowly. “Not entirely beyond the realm of possibility.”
Her eye twitched involuntarily. She hurled the rope back onto the table with unnecessary force. “It’s getting late. I need to freshen up and get some sleep. Goodnight.”
𝘓а𝗍es𝗍 сh𝖺p𝘁𝖾𝗋ѕ оn 𝗴𝘢𝗹𝗇𝘰𝘃еlѕ.𝖼𝘰m
Pivoting on her heel, she strode away with determined purpose.
Ethan remained sprawled in his chair, watching her retreat with obvious amusement. “Leaving so soon? I thought you were planning to put those restraints to use.”
She had nearly escaped the room when his words reached her ears. She halted mid-stride, spun around with martial precision, marched back to him, snatched up the rope, and bound his wrists together with surprising efficiency.
Ethan’s eyebrows rose with genuine surprise. After a moment of stunned silence, his lips curved into a smile of lazy appreciation. He offered no resistance whatsoever, allowing her to secure the knots with complete cooperation.
As she surveyed the man now sitting helplessly bound in his chair, Noelle dusted off her hands with visible satisfaction and began plotting her next intimidation tactic. Just then, his phone shattered the charged silence with its insistent ringing.
“Would you mind getting that for me?” His voice carried a casual request despite his obvious predicament.
The device rested in his pants pocket. Noelle glanced downward, quickly averting her gaze while struggling to maintain her composure. She reached into his pocket with determined professionalism.
The moment her hand slipped past the fabric, Ethan’s entire body went rigid. A subtle shudder ran through his frame as his gaze dropped to track her movement. His quiet laughter emerged, rich with newfound tension. “What’s so amusing now?” Noelle demanded, though something in his expression made her pulse quicken unexpectedly.
His eyes held lazy amusement as he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
She finally extracted the phone from his pocket with determination.
The caller ID revealed—Debby Brooks.
A woman’s name that made something twist in Noelle’s chest.
.
.