The divorced military queen awakens novel

Chapter 692 Lingering Heat His whole body went rigid , and only then did his mind seem to swim back to the surface . " Quinn ? " His voice was a bewildered murmur in the dim room . " Yes , it's me , " she answered . " If you're trying to be close to me , to narrow the distance between us , I don't object . Just not like this ." " I'm not ... " he began , shaking his head . " Then are you sleepwalking ? " Quinn pressed . Julius pressed his lips tight . Sleepwalking ? That didn't feel right .

He had been dreaming so deeply that for one reckless heartbeat after waking , he could not tell the dream from the world around him . " You're on top of me - could you move , please ? " Quinn pushed gently at his chest . Only then did Julius look down and see the tangle of limbs they had fallen into . He straightened , freeing her . Quinn reached over and pressed the switch on the bedside lamp . A pool of honey - colored light spilled into the room at once . In that dim glow , Julius saw the scattering of scarlet marks on Quinn's neck and collarbone , clear evidence of what he had just done .

Most of the buttons on her pajama top hung open , revealing pale skin that flashed in and out of view , and the sight drew every muscle in his body painfully taut . A hot , restless tide began to roll through him . Julius frowned . How could this frail body ignite such raw desire in him ? He even imagined pinning her beneath him , kissing every inch of her until she wore nothing but the marks of his possession . Then no one else would dare to cover her again . Feeling the weight of his stare , Quinn glanced down at her half - open top .

A soft blush climbed her cheeks as she sat up and quickly fastened the buttons . Quinn stood barefoot on the cold wooden boards , nightshirt clinging to her frame , while the hallway lamp carved long , wavering shadows between them . " Care to tell me what on earth is going on - why you decided to show up in my room in the dead of night ? " " It's nothing . Merely an accident . " Julius pivoted , as if aiming to retreat before the question could land . He made it exactly one step before her fingers locked around his wrist , thin but unyielding , halting him mid- stride .

Quinn lifted her chin , defiance flashing in sleep - blurred eyes that now burned clear and hard . " Start 1/3 .. 12 talking . Why my room , and why the kiss ? While you were pressing your lips to mine , you told me not to love anyone else - only you . Did you mean every word ? " Julius ' brows knit , a silent knot of tension . He stared at the hand clutching him - skin stretched tight over knuckles , fragile as bird bone - yet her grip felt stronger than steel . He could've shaken her off , but he couldn't bring himself to . It was as if he almost wished she could hold on to him harder .

His head jerked up , confusion cutting across his features . " I said that ? " " You did ," she answered , voice even , almost gentle . " You added that if I stayed with you , everything else- whatever I wanted - would be mine . " His frown deepened . Memory offered him nothing but scattered ash . He could not , for the life of him , recall any of it . What he did remember was a dream - vivid , savage , and wrong . In it , Quinn stood beside Harlan , her hand wrapped around the other man's arm . She looked at Julius as though he were a stranger at the door .

" Julius Whitethorn , " she had said in that nightmare , cold as winter glass , " let's end this . You don't love me , and I don't love you . The man I love is Harlan . " Harlan . Impossible . She was meant to love me ! A tremor yanked him from sleep , and instincts - old or primal - drove his bare feet down the corridor to her room , to her warmth , to the kiss that tried to tear the nightmare in half . Dream and reality now tangled like two lengths of thread , indistinguishable each time he blinked . He no longer trusted what illusion was or what truth was .

" I- " He drew a shaky breath , eyes dark with half - remembered terror . " I had a dream that unsettled me . Barely awake , I wandered in here . " His voice broke , then steadied . " Quinn , don't fall for someone else . It would ruin you . It would ruin me ." She arched one brow , amusement glinting at the edge of her concern . " So the nightmare that rattled you was me loving another man ? " Color rose along his cheekbones . He turned aside , as if her accuracy left him suddenly naked .

" Then tell me ," she pressed , voice low , " when you promised to give me anything if I stayed - were you serious ? " He forced his shoulders back . " Stay with me and you remain Mrs. Whitethorn . Half of everything the Whitethorn family owns is yours by right . " Half the Whitethorn fortune - words powerful enough to drown most people in possibility . Yet Quinn's eyes stayed calm , a still lake untouched by wind . Once , this same man had vowed to lay the entirety of that fortune at her feet - now half was merely an echo . " And if the only thing I want , " she whispered , " is your love ?

" " Then , " he said , the line of his jaw rigid , " you'll have to make me love you . I won't break the hypnosis on O 2/3 my own . Whether it shatters or stands - that depends on your skill , not my mercy ." Quinn let out a soft , incredulous laugh . The bravado was almost endearing . When the hypnosis lifts , Julius , will you regret these words ? Her laughter faded . " The Whitethorn signet ring - it's with you , isn't it ? " She remembered handing the ring to Raymond Flint , instructing him to return it once Julius was awake . " Yes , " Julius replied quietly . " It's with me .

" " Then I want that ring , " Quinn said , her voice low but firm , each syllable clipped with absolute resolve . The simple demand cracked through the night air like a judge's gavel , leaving no space for doubt or retreat . admin Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia's stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.