Hendrix reached out with his ou tenderness. The moment his hand.

nd, intending to gently touch her cheek. But Noelle seemed averse to such she leaned forward abruptly and captured his lips with her own.

Her movements were rushed, and in her fervor, she bit down hard enough to break the skin on Hendrix's lips. The faint taste of blood-metallic and sweet-spread across their tongues,

Noelle quickly realized something was off and started to pull back, but before she could, Hendrix had already moved his hand to the back of her to hold her firmly in place. She leaned toward him again, and this time, the man who had been silently waiting for her moves finally abandoned his restraint.

His tongue slipped past her teeth, capturing her retreating longue with a dominance that teased and entangled. Noelle found herself being forced to retreat again and again until, at last, she was pressed firmly into the corner of the couch.

Noelle lay back on the couch with her head tilted upward.

The living room lights were on, their stark white glow almost blinding. Tears unknowingly welled up at the corners of Noelle's eyes. Her hands tightened, clenching reflexively as if searching for something to hold onto. In the end, they slid downward until they grasped at Hendrix's hair.

The loss of control was sudden and overwhelming. But Noelle didn't forget the important matter at hand. As Hendrix straightened and lifted her into his arm, she regained her composure and asked, "How do you plan to help me?"

Hendrix didn't respond but simply kept walking.

Noelle grew impatient, and clutching his collar tightly, she asked, "Hendrix, are you playing me?"

Hendrix tossed her onto the bed in the bedroom and leaned over her. "Noelle, aren't you being a bit too impatient? I told you to earn my help by pleasing me, yet here you are, asking for favors without having done a thing."

His voice carried a subtle warning, but Noelle showed no sign of fear. Instead she glared at him and said, "What if you turn your back on me afterward? What does that make the?"

"Just unlucky, I guess."

"You-" Noelle started, but before she could finish, Hendrik leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

The memory of what he had done earlier made her resist instinctively, but Hendrix gave her no chance to pushi him away.

Before he finished, he whispered into her ear, "Can't you taste it? It's sweet.'

The moment his words fell, Noelle covered his lips with her hand without a second thought. Her teeth clenched, and her eyes widened in a glare, but with her flushed ear and cheeks, the attempt at intimidation lacked any real conviction.

Hendrix didn't say anything more. Instead, he took hold of the hand she had used to cover his mouth and pressed a gentle kiss into her palm. His kiss was soft, but everything else about him was the complete opposite.

Noelle had originally only felt pain in her heel, but two hours later, her knees were also red and sore. When the hot water hit them, the stinging sensation was almost unbearable.

The grievances she had planned to settle with Hendrix were momentarily forgotten. By the time he carried her back to bed, she simply turned over and fell asleep instantly.

When Noelle woke up, daylight was streaming in from the cutside.

Hendrix was still lying beside her, his arm resting lightly on her shoulder. His long lashes cast faint shadows over his usually sharp, piercing eyes, softening his entire demeanor.

Noelle allowed herself only a brief glance before pulling her gaze away. She then carefully moved his arm

off her shoulder. Her movements were as subtle as possible, but the moment she sat up, Hendrix stirred and opened his

eyes.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice edged with vigilance, his gaze fixed on her.

"To work," Noelle replied.noveldrama

Hendrix glanced at the time beside him. The next moment, he pressed her back down onto the bed. Chapter 266

"It's still early. Sleep a little lo

"I have things to do this morning

Noelle tried to free herself, but Hendrix refused to let go. Determined to keep her from leaving, he wrapped both his arms and legs around her. As they tussled, the atmosphere between them began to shift.

At Hendrix's level, unless it was for an important meeting, he naturally didn't need to concern himself with strict work hours. With that freedom, he deliberately continued to tease Noelle, and her protest-both in voice and effort gradually faded away.

In the end, by the time Noelle finally arrived at the office, it was already nearing noon.

This time, however, she had learned her lesson. Before leaving, she carefully checked her appearance. Only after confirming everything was in order did she get into the car,

The proposal for the new project had been completed well in advance, but to ensure everything was flawless, Noelle went over it once more with the team in charge. Satisfied, she then led the group personally to meet with Javier for negotiations.