Chapter 455-He Became So Gentle

Chapter 455: 455-He Became So Gentle

Verity:

I silently stared at his face, still deeply troubled by what he had said.

I mean, surely he hadn’t meant it, right?

Just a few days ago, he had been asking me which of his brothers I would accept as my mate.

And now, suddenly, he was telling me that he didn’t want me to accept anyone but him.

That he wouldn’t let me belong to anyone else.

What was that even supposed to mean?

Did it mean what I thought it meant?

While I was lost in my thoughts, I noticed him walk over to his desk, pick up his bag, and slip his laptop inside.

I was supposed to be doing the same—packing up my belongings and getting ready to leave.

But somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to move.

I simply stood there beside my desk, my hands resting on its edge behind me, my body leaning backward against it, almost as though I were sitting on the edge.

I was so deeply absorbed in my thoughts that I only snapped back to reality when I noticed him approaching me again.

I immediately straightened my back, brought my hands together in front of my body, and lowered my head.

He walked up to my desk and placed his bag on it before heading toward my chair.

I turned around, wondering what he was doing.

He picked up my bag and began carefully placing the files I usually brought to the office inside it.

Then he reached for my phone, disconnected it from the charger, neatly coiled the charging cable, and slipped both into my purse.

He was packing up my belongings right in front of me, calmly and methodically, while I stood there watching him in silence.

Once he was finished, he walked back toward me.

That was when he picked up a tissue and stepped directly in front of me.

He leaned down, placing one hand on the desk behind me for support, while his other hand moved toward my face.

With utter gentleness, he began carefully wiping away the lipstick that had smudged around my lips from our earlier kisses.

His movements were slow and passionate, as though he wanted to make sure he didn’t miss even the slightest trace.

"You don’t drink enough water," he commented.

After carefully cleaning the smudged lipstick from around my lips, he folded the wipe and slipped it into his pocket.

Then, without another word, he reached for my purse and began rummaging through it.

I didn’t even know what to think.

It was the strangest thing, standing there silently, watching him go through my belongings as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

He eventually pulled out a lip balm, examined it for a moment, and then took out a lipstick.

"What’s the difference between these two?" he asked, holding them up in front of me.

I simply stared at his face, trying to process whether I was actually having this conversation with Ragnar.

The Alpha King Ragnar.

"I use one to moisturize my lips, and the other is just for cosmetic purposes. You know, for appearance," I explained.

I barely understood what I was saying myself.

All I wanted was to get through this conversation because he was standing so ridiculously close to me, his eyes lingering on my lips as he examined the two products.

"Well, then you won’t be needing this one anymore," he declared, putting the lip balm back into my purse.

"Because from now on, I’ll be the one moisturizing your lips."

He practically murmured the words, deliberately emphasizing ’lips’ as he bent down to my eye level, tilting his head slightly and pursing his own lips.

"Ragnar—" I parted my mouth to say something, but he immediately shushed me.

"Shhh."

He closed his eyes briefly, bringing his face closer as he whispered the sound against my lips.

Then, without giving me another opportunity to speak, he uncapped my lipstick.

Very gently, he began applying it to my lips, his attention entirely focused on what he was doing.

"It makes me want to wipe it off again," he remarked casually, as though this were just another ordinary day.

I could only stare at him.

He finished applying the lipstick, replaced the cap, and slipped it back into my purse.

Then he turned away and walked toward the corner of his office.

He opened the small refrigerator and took out a bottle of cold water.

By now, I could already guess what he intended to do.

And strangely enough, I didn’t object.

Not even once.

He unscrewed the cap as he approached me, taking a few sips without letting the bottle touch his lips.

Then he stepped directly in front of me again.

This time, he leaned even farther over me, bracing himself against the desk behind my back.

He moved so close that I immediately reached around his arm, placing my hand on the tabletop on the other side to steady myself.

He brought the water bottle toward my mouth.

I parted my lips slightly, and he carefully tilted the bottle, allowing the cool water to flow into my mouth.

But before I could swallow, I felt his lips.

I watched him lean closer until his mouth was almost touching mine.

Then he pressed his lips against my lower lip, gently drawing away some of the water that had collected there.

And somehow, despite the cold water he had just given me, I found myself feeling even thirstier for his touch.

"Come on, darling. Let’s get you home," he murmured, once again sounding ridiculously casual about everything.

This time when he drank from the bottle, he did touch his lips against it.

Then, right in front of me, he screwed the cap back onto the water bottle and slipped it into my purse.

After that, he picked up my purse, my laptop bag, and his own bag before heading toward the door.

He had never done anything like that before.

Forcing myself to move, I started following him, but I was utterly, hopelessly confused.