Chapter 181\u00a0<\/p>\n
The unfamiliar sensations overwhelmed Sydney, and she no longer dared argue with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJules\u2026\u201d Her voice, softened by his kiss, came out tender and submissive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hand Julian clamped at her waist went rigid, tendons and veins standing out beneath his skin, his grip charged with explosive tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hurts!\u201d She hadn\u2019t expected that yielding would only make him tighten his hold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A moment ago, it had felt as though he wanted to crush her into himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian snapped back to his senses. He released her and pressed a gentler kiss to her lips, his breath rough and uneven. \u201cSorry. Did I hurt you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he drew back and saw her lashes still damp from his kiss, he nearly lost control all over again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShower.\u201d He tossed out the word and strode toward the guest bathroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney stared after him in a daze. Did he mean they would shower and then go to bed?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bathtub was nearly overflowing, so she hurried to shut off the tap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a brief pause, realizing Julian had no intention of returning, she closed the bathroom door. Her toiletries were in her apartment, and when she finished her bath, she found only one snow-white towel hanging on the rack. No spares.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s obsession with cleanliness made her hesitate. She didn\u2019t dare use his things without permission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still dripping, she opened the door a crack and called softly, \u201cJulian, do you have another towel? If not, could you grab one from my place?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUse mine.\u201d He happened to be passing by. His voice was calm, though faintly hoarse. Through the narrow gap, he handed her a piece of clothing. \u201cWear this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She closed the door again. At first, nothing felt unusual, but as she dried herself, the faint sandalwood scent clung to her skin, unsettling in its intimacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was using his towel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lowering her gaze to the cloth in her hands, she tried to steady herself, yet she couldn\u2019t ignore the truth. This towel belonged to the man she had called \u201cbrother\u201d for nine years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The forbidden feeling she had buried clawed its way back, threatening to consume her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a long while before she calmed enough to slip into the nightgown he had given her. She tried not to think about it. Aside from her underwear, she wore nothing beneath the thin dress. In the end, everything would be taken off anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney had no idea why Julian kept women\u2019s sleepwear at his place. Perhaps an ex had left it. It looked brand new, though. Maybe he had bought it for someone else, and they parted before she ever wore it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time she finished, Julian had already showered in the other bathroom. When she stepped out, his brows drew together. \u201d Why didn\u2019t you dry your hair?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney blinked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI forgot.\u201d Her voice was flat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hem of the nightgown brushed her knees, baring her slender legs. Fresh from the bath, her skin glowed pale and smooth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWait for me in bed,\u201d he said casually, then walked back into the bathroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Sydney sat down, Julian returned with a hair dryer. The man who was always distant and untouchable stood beside her, patiently drying her hair. His fingers combed through the damp strands, grazing her scalp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t the first time. She had always hated blow-drying her hair. As a child, Julian had done it for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes dropped to the nightgown that clearly belonged to someone else. A sudden thought pricked her. \u2018Did he blow-dried that woman\u2019s hair as well?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he finished, he caught her distracted expression and asked cooly, \u201cWeren\u2019t you going to ask about Raymond and your\u00a0<\/p>\n
bestie?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney lifted her head. Instead of answering, she asked quietly, \u201cAre we doing it tonight?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 181 Chapter 181\u00a0 The unfamiliar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22299,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22163\/revisions\/22299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}