Chapter 240 Give Me a Kiss
The implication behind such carefully-phrased and stoically-arranged words did not escape Elliot. Anastasia was asking him to walk out of her life entirely.
She never tried to see things from his point of view; instead, she tried to build wall after wall between them so that she could hide from the feelings they had for each other.
Presently, the chord in Anastasia’s heart was wound taut, and it felt like something in her would snap at any given moment. She stared at him intently, her gaze tracing over his handsome features in hopes of finding even a flicker of emotion. Alas, the man was a champ when it came to putting on a poker face, for she couldn’t see even the slightest shift in his expression.
“I’ll agree to whatever you’ve proposed, but there’s something I want you to do for me as well,” Elliot finally said as he propped his elbows up on the back of the couch and leaned into the seat insouciantly. He had tipped his chin up at an almost haughty angle, revealing his flawless jawline. The elegant curve of his neck extended down to where his chiseled collarbone was partially obscured by his shirt lapel, and for some reason, he looked particularly alluring and dangerously seductive.
Anastasia couldn’t help sneaking a few more glances at him. He wouldn’t ask me to do anything crazy, would he? She decided to hear him out. “What is it? Just forewarning you, I might not be able to do whatever you want me to,” she said.
“Oh, you’ll certainly be able to,” he said confidently.
She eyed him skeptically. “Let’s hear it then.”
He raised a brow as amusement and mischief glittered in his dark eyes. “Give me a kiss.”
Shock rippled through her, and it was almost as if she was operating on instinct when she snapped, “No way!”
He didn’t seem like he was going to force her into doing it, for he rose to his feet and drawled nonchalantly, “Fine. That just means I don’t have to agree to anything you’ve asked me to do either. We can just let this will-they-won’t-they trope go on for as long as it can!”
Panic filled her at the prospect of this, and she put out an arm to stop him. “Hey, you can’t leave until we clear things up between us!”
“I’ve already made my part clear, but you refused to go along with it,” Elliot pointed out unhappily. Is it so hard for her to kiss me? Will it shorten her lifespan or make her bleed a pint of blood or something?
Anastasia’s thoughts were clamored. Bewildered as she was, she blurted out, “Are you serious? Will you really leave me alone if I just… kiss you?”
“You have my word,” he promised as his lips curled into a roguish smirk. After all, there might still be a chance for him to turn things around.
She was so flustered that blood rushed to her face, and she pursed her lips as she fell into a furious debate with herself. The idea of kissing him was enough to plunge her into this unprecedented crisis. If she agreed to do this and kissed him, they would go back to being strangers; if she refused, their continued entanglement would only come with the risk of Hayley showing up with that male escort and threatening to wreck her and Jared’s lives.
Putting a safe distance between herself and Elliot was clearly in her best interests at this point, and she wondered why she was even having a dilemma in the first place.
Anastasia was in such deep thought that she didn’t even notice how Elliot’s expression had soured. He could hardly believe that she would be so reluctant to kiss him, so much so that she appeared to be weighing out the pros and cons of it.
At long last, a clear and unwavering look flashed in her eyes, and she met his gaze as she agreed, “Alright. I’ll kiss you, but you have to make good on your word. No take-backs.”
He felt his amusement drain out of him in record time. She was only agreeing to kiss him so that he would leave her and her son alone. It was like playing a game of truth or dare, and the person who chose the latter would be rewarded with a million in cash prize if they followed through.
In this case, Elliot was getting kissed because it was a dare on her part, and she was getting her old life back in return.
Since he didn’t want to back down so easily, he said, “You have five seconds. If you don’t kiss me within that time frame, the deal’s off the table.”
Anastasia’s heart dropped to her stomach. She had to crane her neck just to look up at him, and there was no way she could kiss him while he was standing at his full height!
“Let’s go to my room,” she suggested after considering the embarrassment that would come from having her son walk in on them while they were kissing in the living room.
Elliot narrowed his eyes and watched as she retreated into her bedroom. At that moment, he looked like a hungry wolf who had zoned in on a helpless bunny.
He went into the room after her, and she closed the door. She took a deep breath and said, “I can’t kiss you while you’re standing. You’re too tall.”
“It’s not my fault you’re short,” he retorted wickedly.
“You…” She glowered at him, cursing him inwardly. “Do you still want me to kiss you or not?”
He smiled, and it looked like he had resumed his playful mood as he said in a husky, magnetic voice that sent tingles up her spine, “Of course I want you to kiss me.” There was no hiding the excitement and love in his eyes.
