Chapter 185: Chapter 186: Want to Change Identities
Thea Lynch’s hand shook, burying herself into his embrace without daring to answer.
"Don’t worry." Ian Preston stroked her back, "For me, nothing between us could be considered truly ’excessive’."
"Thea, you don’t need to be so afraid of me."
"When I’m with you, I don’t have much of a temper."
"You know, I’m someone with no principles, whatever you say goes."
Thea’s heart was defenseless, she raised her hand gently and placed it on his shoulder.
The hand slightly returned his embrace, a warm touch coming from the side.
Ian lightly kissed her ear lobe, then her cheek.
Like a feather grazing the skin, making the heart itch.
There weren’t many people around, a few minutes ago, the assistant had tactfully led the others away.
Across from them was a floor-to-ceiling window, the rain grew heavier, the whole sky was a murky gray, with faint flashes of lightning streaking through the clouds.
Thea’s eyes wandered aimlessly, looking everywhere.
Until Ian held her by the nape of her neck, meeting her gaze.
He looked at her, said nothing, but in that moment, Thea understood everything.
He was waiting for her consent.
Outside the window, the rain battered the glass fiercely, forming a dense rhythm, each beat seemed to strike Thea’s heart.
After a while, she asked softly, "If I refuse, would it matter?"
"It would matter."
His eyes were like a predator in the jungle finally locked onto its prey, exuding a strong and determined will. Thea was unsure how he managed to say those two words.
"Seems like... you’re a bit contradictory. Your eyes have given you away."
Ian chuckled, "But that’s still within the controllable range."
"Otherwise, before you asked, I would have already kissed you."
"..." Thea realized something, "Then why didn’t you control yourself last time you kissed me?"
Ian paused.
"You mean that time in Westmere?"
Indeed! Thea’s eyes widened, "I knew you weren’t drunk!"
Seeing her reaction, Ian understood something.
"I was drunk." He hurriedly explained, "I vaguely remember kissing you, but not clearly. Later, seeing your reaction, I thought it hadn’t happened."
"I thought it was just a dream."
"So, it really happened?"
Thea: "..."
She withdrew her hand angrily, no longer wanting to pay him any attention.
"It wasn’t intentional." Ian sighed, apologizing for indeed losing control.
Thea pursed her lips, "Then under normal circumstances, can you manage?"
Ian responded, "Yes. No matter what, we aren’t together yet. Your consent is necessary."
Thea: "Don’t you ever feel like being a little less rational?"
The same question was previously asked by Silas Cheney. She now asked Ian.
Her words seemed like a signal, Ian received it precisely but still didn’t dare to act recklessly, "What about you?"
Thea rarely acts on impulse, even if the thought arises, she would immediately suppress it.
But now, she suddenly wanted to follow her heart a little, letting go of everything.
Like Silas said, follow the heart, even if just once.
Thinking of this, Thea’s retracted hand suddenly returned to Ian’s shoulder, even daring to encircle his neck.
Her gaze was scorching, straightly branded on him, wandering over his brows before landing on his thin lips.
This time, the passive one became Ian.
He stared fixedly at her, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down.
When his eyes met the blazing stars in hers, he exerted some force with the hand at her nape, pulling her toward him.
The moment their lips touched, Ian’s breath faltered, whereas Thea was slightly prepared, her body tensed, staring rigidly at him.
Compared to Ian, she seemed a bit more composed.
The man kissed her, lightly grazing her lips, gently grinding, completely restraining the beast within lest he frightened her.
Thea was already panicking, especially when her lips were pried open.
At that moment, it seemed as though her soul was scorched. Her long lashes trembled, silently accepting his tender and lingering kiss.
She didn’t know how much time passed, daring not to look at him, she buried her face against his shoulder, avoiding his gaze to calm herself.
It was merely a kiss, yet the man seemed satisfied, his mood noticeably improved.
"Do you still plan to fly to Briggate?" After a while, Thea steadied her breathing and shifted to another topic to prevent him from mentioning what just happened.
Ian nuzzled her neck, his breath caressing her ear lobe, "Not sure."
"...What sort of answer is that."
"Depends on you." he replied.
"I don’t need you here."
"Really?" he said regretfully, "Then I’ll go, finish up, and come back for you."
"No need, I’ll just directly fly to Coronet then."
"On the way."
"..." What route is that supposed to be?
Thea distanced herself from him, looking at him incredulously.
"What’s wrong?"
Seeing her look at him, Ian felt uneasy.
"Suddenly, I feel like you have a bit of a... love-stricken brain."
Thea was also surprised as she uttered these words.
Though perhaps inappropriate to say, it was somewhat truthful.
She truly hadn’t expected Ian to be like this.
"Love-stricken brain..." Ian pondered over the phrase, having heard Silas mention it before but never asking what it meant.
But judging by her reaction, it seemed not to be a good term.
He directly asked her.
Thea struggled to explain it to him.
After listening, Ian was puzzled: "Is this a compliment?"
"...Negative."
"Why." He didn’t understand. "I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this."
Having a generation gap is normal, Thea chuckled, "As long as you’re happy."
Ian sensed the casualness in her smile, pinched her face, "Is there something wrong with liking you?"
Thea dared not respond.
Ian let it go, saying, "See you in Coronet. Don’t forget your promise."
"I know." He was referring to that dinner event. He wanted to take her with him.
"It’s just an ordinary meal, right?"
"Yeah."
"Can’t you go by yourself?"
"No." Ian gazed at her seriously, "Wasn’t it you who caught me taking someone else to dinner when you returned?"
"... It’s work, understandable." She appeared understanding.
Ian: "Who’s the contradictory one now? Wasn’t that when you felt jealous?"
Thea stammered.
"I didn’t." She denied, "I simply dislike Nina Sinclair, if it were someone else..."
Ian glanced up.
With just a look, Thea swallowed her words, "Alright then."
If it were someone else, she might still feel jealous.
"So what’s your plan, taking me there just to balance things out?"
"No. To balance things within me."
Ian continued, "Usually when we go out, it always seems under the guise of brother and sister."
"This time, I want a different role."
