Chapter 135\u00a0<\/p>\n
But this was different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man before her unbuttoned his collar with one hand,\u00a0<\/p>\n
revealing his collarbone and lean muscles, his body radiating a\u00a0<\/p>\n
mature, masculine scent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With him, Madeleine was at a loss\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was about to say more, but Roderick\u2019s aggressive kiss\u00a0<\/p>\n
descended, swallowing all her words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room was quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was only the sound of breathing and the occasional, blush\u2013inducing sound of kisses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick didn\u2019t just stop at that. He fumbled with Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
blouse, and in a few quick movements, he had pulled her arms\u00a0<\/p>\n
free.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room was a bit cool, but Madeleine\u2019s body was frighteningly hot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was trembling all over with nervousness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 135\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she felt Roderick\u2019s large hand move down, trying to slip\u00a0<\/p>\n
inside her camisole\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMmph!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head to\u00a0<\/p>\n
stop him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick pulled away from her lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His gaze was fiery, questioning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRoderick\u2026 I\u2019m\u2026 scared.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s voice was trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just those words, and the wall around Roderick\u2019s heart seemed\u00a0<\/p>\n
to crumble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He saw Madeleine\u2019s eyes sparkling, with what looked like a few\u00a0<\/p>\n
tears clinging to her lashes, and his heart immediately softened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay, it\u2019s okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick leaned in and kissed her forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t tease you anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 135\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s voice was low and hoarse, tinged with restraint. He\u00a0<\/p>\n
took a deep breath and straightened Madeleine\u2019s shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s cheeks were flushed, her eyes still misty, like a\u00a0<\/p>\n
frightened little rabbit huddled in the corner of the sofa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She bit her lower lip and mumbled, \u201cWhy\u2019d you have to do that\u00a0<\/p>\n
all of a sudden?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the top of her head,\u00a0<\/p>\n
his tone a mix of helplessness and affection, \u201cWho started it by\u00a0<\/p>\n
teasing me first?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine glared at him defiantly, but the corners of her eyes\u00a0<\/p>\n
were still red. The look had no menace at all; instead, it made\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s chest tighten again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes, suppressing the urge, and got up to pour a\u00a0<\/p>\n
glass of cold water, which he downed in one go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cold water sliding down his throat finally calmed him down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
a bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should get ready. If we don\u2019t leave soon, they\u2019ll call to rush\u00a0<\/p>\n
us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Madeleine spoke, she got up to leave, but was pulled back\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 135\u00a0<\/p>\n
at the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick hugged her, suddenly lowered his head, and sucked\u00a0<\/p>\n
hard on her neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is your punishment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice was impossibly hoarse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine let out a small cry, hitting his shoulder. \u201cDon\u2019t leave a\u00a0<\/p>\n
mark!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToo late.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick left another clear red mark just above her collarbone\u00a0<\/p>\n
before letting her go, satisfied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He could wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d waited this long; another day or two wouldn\u2019t make a\u00a0<\/p>\n
difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the time was right, he would devour this little rabbit\u00a0<\/p>\n
whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had just gotten up and was ready to leave when there was a\u00a0<\/p>\n
knock on the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 135\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Kevin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kid has a strong sense of time. He knew we were going to\u00a0<\/p>\n
his grandpa\u2019s tonight, so he came over right on schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, Mom, why did you lock the door?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick had just opened the door when he heard the little\u00a0<\/p>\n
guy\u2019s confused voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick couldn\u2019t help but smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were busy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Afraid that Roderick would say something inappropriate in front\u00a0<\/p>\n
of the child, Madeleine quickly knelt down to be at eye level with\u00a0<\/p>\n
her son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, sweetie, Mommy and Daddy were just discussing\u00a0<\/p>\n
something important. For work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin didn\u2019t say anything. He tilted his head, his eyes fixed on\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He frowned, his tone serious. \u201cMom, you\u2019re hurt here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine froze. Before she could react, the little guy in front of her had already turned to Roderick, his little face tense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 135\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, you promised to protect Mom. How could you let her get\u00a0<\/p>\n
hurt? It wasn\u2019t there at lunch.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine finally realized what he meant and touched the spot\u00a0<\/p>\n
where Roderick had just kissed her, blushing bright red.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She quickly turned her son by the shoulders and explained with\u00a0<\/p>\n
a forced laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Maddie, Mommy just got a mosquito bite.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA mosquito?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin\u2019s frown deepened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When have we ever had mosquitoes in the house?\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, I have to tell Mrs. Wilson later. I\u2019ll have her tell the\u00a0<\/p>\n
exterminators to get rid of all the mosquitoes in the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They can\u2019t bite Mom again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s such a big red spot\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom must be in pain and itchy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was annoyed. She stood up and shot a glare at the\u00a0<\/p>\n
culprit beside her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 135\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gestured with her eyes for him to take their son downstairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t go out like this; she had to put on some makeup to\u00a0<\/p>\n
cover it up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After applying concealer two or three times until the mark was\u00a0<\/p>\n
barely visible, Madeleine finally stopped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she came downstairs, she heard Bradley\u2019s voice from the\u00a0<\/p>\n
living room. He was teasing Kevin.\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
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 135 Chapter 135\u00a0 But this was different.\u00a0 The man before her unbuttoned […]<\/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":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29432","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=29432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29432\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}