Chapter 456-Failing In Love Or Falling In Love?

Chapter 456: 456-Failing In Love Or Falling In Love?

Verity:

When we reached the elevator, he stepped aside, allowing me to enter first.

I had no idea why my knees suddenly felt so weak.

I stepped inside, and he followed immediately afterward.

As soon as he pressed the button for the ground floor, he turned toward me.

Then, as casually as though it were the most normal thing in the world, he leaned down and pressed his lips against my cheek.

I stood there with my hands clasped awkwardly in front of my body, my arms almost completely straight.

Meanwhile, he wrapped one arm around me, somehow managing to hold all three bags and my purse while pulling me firmly against his side.

Then he began kissing my cheek repeatedly, barely lifting his lips from my skin as he moved from one spot to another.

My heart started pounding so violently that I could practically hear it.

And I think, somewhere along the way, he must have felt it too, because my back was pressed against his arm.

His lips slowly traveled toward my ear.

"Why is your heart beating so fast, hmm?" he whispered.

I immediately straightened my posture.

"It’s nothing. It’s just..." I hesitated.

"There’s so much thunder outside, isn’t there? That’s why," I lied, biting my bottom lip.

"Then why would you be afraid of a little thunder when I’m standing so close to you?" he asked.

He leaned closer, pressing another kiss against my ear.

"Have you never experienced the comfort of being held in strong arms?"

I had absolutely no idea what had gotten into him.

This was the same Ragnar who, just a few hours earlier, had been talking about completely ignoring me.

And now?

Now he had suddenly become so shameless, so bold, and so outrageously affectionate that he couldn’t seem to keep himself away from me for even a single second.

And somehow, despite all my confusion, my body was enjoying every bit of it.

I didn’t know how to explain it.

There was this strange, fluttering sensation spreading through me, almost like a thousand tiny butterflies were tickling me from the inside.

Even though I didn’t want to react this way, even though I kept telling myself to remain composed, my body seemed determined to betray me.

But what was I supposed to do?

The more he held me, the more flustered I became.

I was growing increasingly overwhelmed, almost delirious with the unfamiliar rush of emotions and sensations he was stirring inside me.

And the worst part?

I couldn’t seem to do a single thing about it.

Finally, the elevator doors opened, and he pulled away from me.

He walked ahead, leaving me to follow him, still struggling to make sense of everything that had just happened.

"What’s the code to your house?" he asked casually as he opened the car door for me.

I stared at him, momentarily speechless.

"I asked you something," he repeated, his piercing gray eyes fixed on mine.

And somehow, I didn’t know what came over me.

Before I could even think about what I was doing, I simply told him the code.

Just like that.

I didn’t even know why I had done it.

I climbed into the car and shook my head at myself, utterly bewildered by my own behavior.

He closed the door behind me, walked around the car, and climbed into the driver’s seat beside me.

More than the raindrops falling outside, it was our breaths that seemed lost and restless that night.

I sat quietly in his car as he drove me home. Something about him felt entirely different.

There were no sarcastic comments, no huffing or grunting. He was utterly silent.

Usually, after something like this, he would become a little too talkative, perhaps trying to change the subject or ease the tension between us.

But that night, he made no such effort.

Instead, he remained quiet, his gaze constantly drifting toward me.

Every time I turned, I caught him looking straight at me.

There was a strange sadness in his eyes, almost as though something had deeply upset him.

I didn’t know why I was paying so much attention to him.

As soon as the car pulled up to our gate, he cleared his throat to get the driver’s attention and instructed him to bring me an umbrella.

His order was simple.

I turned toward him, intending to thank him, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Instead, I gave him a small nod, which he returned with a slow blink.

As I stepped out of the car, the driver held an umbrella over my head and accompanied me to the front door.

I stood there with my key in the lock, and since I was safely under the shelter, he had already walked away.

However, the car hadn’t moved.

I could still see Ragnar in the back seat, his head resting against the headrest as he stared at me.

Something was wrong with him.

When he returned to the office earlier, I had assumed he was still worked up over whatever I’d said to him.

But considering how boldly he’d touched me afterward, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

I curled my fingers into a fist before finally turning the key, and stepping inside.

I slammed the door shut behind me and rubbed my temples.

Crazy.

"I didn’t know he’d fall for it so quickly," Art spoke up, nearly startling me.

I still wasn’t used to hearing her voice inside my head.

"You should have pushed him over the edge. The two of you should have ended up doing it," she commented.

I slowly dragged myself toward the couch and sank onto it.

"It’s still fine. What happened was good enough, and we’ll have to make do with it for now. Things are already getting messy, and before the brothers can reach some sort of agreement about sharing us, or find another way to stop themselves from fighting and tearing each other apart, I think we should take the next step."

Art was doing all the talking while I sat on the couch, my elbows resting on my thighs as I continued massaging my temples.

"Verity, we need to make sure the brothers find out what Ragnar did today."

The moment she said that, my fingers went still against my temples.

I didn’t know why, but suddenly, everything felt a little too real.