Chapter 149 Stubborn Jonathan
Zion was surprised.
He tugged at it again. And he was surprised again.
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He glanced up and found Jonathan’s cold stare fixed on him. Reflex made him let go and move aside.
Jonathan strode straight toward the second bedroom, the leather jacket still in his hand.
Zion watched him disappear past the doorway, and the truth settled in.
Jonathan had carried Anneliese through almost the entire drive. The leather still held her warmth, her scent.
That was why no one else could touch it.
It reminded Zion of high school crushes. A kid guarding his girlfriend’s chair.
Refusing to let anyone sip from her soda. Protecting the sweater she left behind in
gym.
It was raw. It was real.
Anneliese’s fever finally eased after two IV bags. She drifted into sleep.
When she woke, the storm had passed. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, washing the city skyline in sharp color.
Her body still ached, her limbs heavy, but hunger twisted in her stomach. She pushed herself upright slowly.
On the nightstand sat a glass of water and the flash drive.
She reached for the glass. The water was still faintly warm.
Anneliese drained half of the glass‘ content, then she freshened up quickly in the
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Chapter 149 Stubborn Jonathan
bathroom before stepping into the suite.
គ )
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The presidential room stretched wide and quiet. She barely had time to take it in before a familiar voice drifted from the couch.
“Hey. Still feel bad?”
Her heart skipped. She knew that voice.
The bathroom scene rushed back, and heat flushed her neck.
She had not expected him to still be here, much less to face him so soon.
She let out a slow breath, turned, and looked.
Jonathan sat in a sharp three–piece suit, tie knotted clean, expression composed. The tightness in her chest eased slightly.
“Yeah, the IV helped a lot.”
“Come here.” His tone was even, his gaze steady.
She hesitated, uncertain about the order, but she obeyed. She walked toward him and stopped at his side.
Jonathan set the laptop aside, stood, and reached out his hand.
Her body reacted before thought could catch up. She recoiled, stepping back quickly.
It was obvious she was staying away.
His hand hung in the air, awkward and heavy.
The silence thickened, and Anneliese wanted the floor to swallow her whole.
Why did I move?
What’s wrong with me? she thought.
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Chapter 149 Stubborn Jonathan
She realized he had probably only wanted to check her temperature.
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Now, because of her, the moment felt loaded, weighed down by last night and the memory of the bathroom.
Jonathan’s eyes darkened as he studied her. His voice came flat. “Three strikes.”
The first had been when the aphrodisiac gave her courage. The second was last night. If anything like those incidents were to happen again, he would not refuse her again.
But Anneliese didn’t follow his meaning. All she saw was how upset he looked.
Regret blazed across her expression:
As he began to pull back his hand, she lunged forward and grabbed it.
She only wanted to fix it, but holding his hand felt even stranger.
Jonathan froze, his brow rising as he glanced down at her fingers wrapped tight around his.
She forced herself to meet his eyes, then pressed his hand to her forehead.
“Feel it. Am I still hot? I can’t tell.”
Of course Jonathan saw through the little act. Amusement flickered in his gaze as he watched color spread across her face.
He let his palm rest warm and steady against her skin, but he didn’t say a word. He simply studied her.
Her lashes quivered, her neck stiff under the weight of his stare. She started to shift, but he frowned.
“Strange. Hold still. Let me check again.”
“Huh? What’s strange?”
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Chapter 149 Stubborn Jonathan
Anneliese froze, tongue darting across dry lips.
Maybe the fever hadn’t left?
But she felt fine.
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Jonathan’s voice slowed. “A fever should warm your forehead. Yours isn’t hot. But your face… it feels like it’s on fire.”
His fingers traced from her forehead, down the curve past her eye, and onto her burning cheek.
Her face was small enough to fit beneath his palm, and under his touch, the heat deepened.
