Filed to story: Healing My Disabled Husband Novel
Averi widened her eyes in disbelief as she watched this scene unfold before her eyes.
River walked towards Averi while carrying the cat and stopped one step away from her. He raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “What? Do you want me to show you how I hold a cat?”
For some reason, Averi felt threatened by his words.
She quickly shook her head and reached for the cat back into her arms again. She now fully believed that River was not afraid of cats. Rather, it was cats who were afraid of him.
But still… he really didn’t seem like someone who loved cats. Cat lovers wouldn’t carry them around like that!
Even if no one else said it, Beata would definitely feel heartbroken seeing River carrying the cat in that way. She would call it her little sweetheart and worry about the cat.
Averi stroked the cat and placed it on the ground, saying, “You’ve proven your point. You can leave now.”
River chuckled again, a bit mischievously. “What do you think I’m here for?”
Averi was taken aback but quickly remembered what River had told her: Beata misses her.
She felt a mix of emotions – amused and confused at the same time. After hesitating for a moment,
Averi tentatively asked, “So you’re telling me that you’re here to take me to your place?”
River raised an eyebrow but didn’t confirm or deny anything.
Averi was even more confused now. “Actually, Beata can just arrange to meet with me alone without going to your place.”
“Why? Are you saying you don’t want to see me?” River narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Averi didn’t understand how he came up with that conclusion but she couldn’t deny that she hadn’t sorted out her own feelings yet. She wasn’t sure about his intentions either so rushing into things would be embarrassing if she assumed too much.
River saw Averi purse her lips and knew exactly what she was thinking, even though she didn’t say anything.
Feeling a bit out of control, River bit inside his cheek and suppressed the urge to press her against the wall and kiss her fiercely.
“You really know how to piss people off,” River said.
Averi pouted innocently. She hadn’t said anything, so how could she have pissed him off?
Pursing her lips again, Averi asked, “So you mean you want me to come over to your place?”
River couldn’t help but laugh at her. He turned his gaze away from hers and pulled out a cigarette box from his pocket. He shook one out and put it in his mouth.
Averi watched him intently as he lit up the cigarette. Inwardly, she sighed at how sexy he looked with a cigarette between his teeth.
At the same time, Averi spoiled the moment by saying disapprovingly, “Don’t smoke inside.”
This was the first time Averi had spoken to River with such a firm attitude.
As soon as the words left her mouth, not only did River hesitate for a moment, but Averi herself also felt stunned.
Instantly, an unnatural expression appeared on her face.
Averi even felt a bit too scared to look into River’s eyes. She opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything for quite some time.
River looked at her with amusement and said, “I find you really interesting.”
Averi was sure that when River said something like this at this moment, it wasn’t going to be anything good.
She obediently chose not to pay attention and turned around to tidy up her things.
Seeing this, River didn’t get angry. Instead, he put the cigarette in his mouth without lighting it and sat on the sofa.
As soon as Averi turned around again, she saw this scene before her eyes.
She was somewhat stunned and couldn’t take her eyes off of him completely.
Clearly, River wasn’t smoking. He just held the cigarette in his mouth. But for some reason or another, it made him look especially sexy in Averi’s eyes.
When he saw that Averi was staring straight at him with wide-eyed fascination, River squinted his eyes and said, “It seems like you like men who smoke.”
Upon hearing these words from him, Averi actually thought about it carefully before coming up with an answer – no, she didn’t like men who smoke. She liked only one man -River himself!
Only when he held a cigarette in his mouth did she feel that he exuded such sexiness.
But Averi naturally wouldn’t say that.
However, River suddenly laughed, as if he had already seen through everything.
Just when Averi was trying to find a reason to brush this off, she saw River abruptly stand up from the sofa.
He reached out his long arm and grabbed Averi’s arm. With a little force, he brought her in front of him.
They had never been this close before. The closest they had been was separated by the cat carriers.
Averi was startled and her pupils dilated. For a moment, she didn’t know how to react.
The pressure that River brought upon her was so strong that she couldn’t ignore it at all.
Averi wanted to dodge away but before she could even make a sound, she felt something dark attacking her.
The next second, warm lips pressed against hers with forceful intensity.
River’s powerful presence overwhelmed Averi and made her panic-stricken yet unable to resist or control herself at the same time.
This kiss was passionate and fiery like an erupting volcano which corroded Averi’s world without any resistance from her side whatsoever.
She couldn’t withstand it at all. In an instant, her body went limp as if about to collapse on the ground. If not for River’s sturdy arms holding onto her waist tightly enough for support, otherwise, she would have fallen down completely helpless under his spell of passion.
The kiss lasted for who knew how long.
Averi was left feeling a bit dizzy from the kiss, and when she opened her eyes again, she was momentarily disoriented and thought it had turned dark outside.
Her legs were trembling, and River held onto her waist tightly.
After a while, Averi finally regained her senses and looked at River. “Why did you kiss me?” she asked.
Averi never considered herself to be a conservative woman, but River’s uncommitted kiss made her feel uncomfortable nonetheless. Of course, the root of this discomfort was that she liked him.
She yearned for a more reasonable relationship with him. After she achieved that kind of relationship with him, these kinds of kisses would make her happy. Otherwise, it would be difficult for her to find joy in them.
River could sense that something was off with Averi’s emotions. It wasn’t anger or sadness, but rather a complex mix of feelings that made his heart clench for a moment.
The question Averi had asked him was both easy and difficult to answer. Instead of responding immediately, River remained silent and watched her for a while.
As time passed without any response from him, Averi’s emotions became even more complicated.
There was something off in her eyes as she looked at River, and her entire demeanor seemed to slump in despair.
Seeing Averi like this broke River’s heart. He reached out and placed his hand on top of her head, not bothering to ruffle her hair but simply letting the warmth of his palm seep into her scalp.
This gesture was intimate and teasing all at once, especially since Averi still had feelings for River after their recent kiss. She couldn’t help but shiver under his touch as the aftershocks from their previous encounter left her legs weak and unsteady.
In this ambiguous moment, Averi stubbornly held onto the hope that she would get an answer from
River soon enough.
However, as time ticked by second by second, Averi suddenly felt like maybe she wouldn’t get an answer after all. This made her even more upset.
She lowered her eyelashes and stopped looking into River’s eyes. She was afraid that she would see an expression that she couldn’t accept. If that happened, she might go crazy.
Unfortunately, it seemed like River was intentionally making things difficult for her today. The more
Averi didn’t want to do something, the more he wanted her to do it.
His hand landed on Averi’s chin and gently lifted it up so that she was looking at him again. Because of this action from River, Averi’s eyes instantly turned red. She had never felt so wronged before.
This feeling was very complicated and overwhelming for her. Averi really wanted to just kick River out of the room without any hesitation because there was no way she could stay in the same room with him anymore.
If things continued like this, he might drive her insane eventually.
Just when Averi thought that she couldn’t take it anymore, River finally spoke up, “Averi, I really hate wasting time.”
As soon as those words were spoken, Averi’s heart sank even further.
The meaning behind them was clear: River was telling her not to hold onto any false hopes about him.
“But I feel like I’ve been pretty patient with you,” River continued. “And that’s not really like me.”
Averi didn’t quite understand what he meant by that. What did he mean by being patient with her? She had never experienced anything like it before.
“I think you’ve probably heard a lot of rumors about me,” River said. “When I set my mind to something,
I don’t hesitate. I go after it with everything I have.”
Averi didn’t say anything in response. She had heard plenty of rumors about River, but they didn’t really have anything to do with her.
She lowered her head and stayed quiet for a while before finally asking, “What are you trying to tell me?”
River tried his best to be gentle as he spoke, “I don’t want to scare you, Averi.”
He was attempting something new – a softer approach than his usual style of getting things done quickly and efficiently.
In that moment, he felt like there was no point to anything.
Why play games like boiling a frog in warm water?
He knew that Averi had feelings for him, even if she didn’t say it outright.
H gently touched her face and said, “Let’s talk about our relationship.”
Averi fell silent. She didn’t really want to discuss this topic.
She had some guesses, but she wasn’t sure.
Averi had to admit that she was scared. She had no backbone when it came to this matter.