Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 146

Amelia hadn’t expected him to still be home at this hour. For a wild second, she considered knocking him out with a bottle so he’d go back to sleep, but the glass in her hand was laughably small—nowhere near enough to take down a grown man.

“…Must be a hallucination,” she muttered under her breath, releasing the bottle with quiet relief. She calmly wiped the spilled water from the table, tossed the napkin in the trash, and turned to leave.

Daniel caught her wrist. The softness of her skin under his fingers was all the confirmation he needed—this was no dream. His thumb lingered, tracing slow circles as if savoring the feel of her.

“Well, if you’re just a figment of my imagination, then I guess I can get away with anything, can’t I?”

Amelia stiffened, bristling like a cat on high alert. “Get out.”

Too many ridiculous things had happened in this study. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

Daniel pouted, looking for all the world like a scolded child. “Why are you so mean to me?”

Then, with a little grin: “Still, I love it.”

She rolled her eyes at his shamelessness, pulled her hand free, and headed for the shelves. Deciding not to bother searching, she grabbed the two books from the bottom row and stacked them neatly.

Daniel followed, arms folded as he leaned against the bookshelf, watching her pile up the books. Suddenly, he asked, “What’s with all the book packing?”

Amelia had expected the question and didn’t miss a beat. “No marriage means I’ll just focus on my career. Can’t afford to have nothing going for me.”

“What do you mean, ‘no marriage’?” Daniel retorted, sounding offended. “Why don’t you open those gorgeous eyes of yours? Your husband is right here, alive and well.” A shadow crossed his face. “You’re not planning on leaving town, are you?”

Even though she’d braced herself, Amelia’s heart skipped. She said nothing, just bent down to pull a book from the lowest shelf.

She remembered all those nights he’d barely slept, still showing up at the office the next morning looking fresh as ever. She’d even wondered if he had some secret ability to recharge in an hour or less.

Except for that one time—after a particularly wild night, she’d woken up aching all over and, feeling vindictive, had teased him, knowing she was safe because her period had started. He was so riled up he couldn’t calm down, half-pleading and half-threatening until she gave in and helped him out another way. They’d tangled so long that he missed his morning meeting and just skipped work altogether.

The memory made her grip the book so hard it bent under her fingers.

Daniel noticed the change in her expression and smirked. “You look like you’re about to murder your husband.”

Suddenly the air in the room felt thick and suffocating. Amelia grabbed the books closest to her, hugged them to her chest, and hurried out, desperate to escape this stifling place.

Daniel watched her storm off, bewildered by her sudden transformation from calm kitten to a hissing, furious cat. “Who stepped on your tail?” he called after her.