I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 188

Cradled in his arms, Nora's heartbeat grew erratic.

At such an intimate distance, she noticed for the first time a small mole on the side of his neck, tucked neatly between his collar and his earlobe. It was usually completely hidden by his tie.

Barely visible, it was inexplicably alluring.

Her heart gave a faint flutter. She quickly rationalized it to herself, blaming the lingering effects of the drug for heightening her senses and making her hyper-aware of such trivial details.

The searing heat surged within her again. Her voice carried a suppressed gasp. "Mr. Harrison, could you walk a little faster? The discomfort is coming back."

Xander glanced down at her and quickened his pace toward the observation room.

The doctor hooked up her IV, rattled off a few instructions for the observation period, and drew the privacy curtain before leaving.

Lying on the hospital bed, Nora saw Xander standing by her side with no intention of leaving, so she broke the silence. "Thank you, Mr. Harrison. If you have somewhere to be, you can go ahead. I'll be fine on my own."

Xander raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying an unreadable nuance. "Are you really in that much of a rush to see me leave? Nora, am I going to eat you alive?"

Nora immediately dropped the subject. This man's moods were too volatile, and she had suffered enough humiliation for one night without risking his anger.

She pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and stayed quiet.

A heavy quiet settled over the room. Xander sat down on the sofa by the wall, pulled a magazine from the rack, and began leafing through it. With his long legs crossed, he looked like he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Nora watched him, absolutely stunned. Who would have ever thought Xander Harrison would sit by her hospital bed, keeping watch over her IV drip?

Startled by her own thoughts, she squeezed her eyes shut to stop her mind from wandering.

Seraphina's heart skipped a beat. She knew what kind of man Finnegan was. Pressing her lips together, she finally caved. "It's about Nora..."

At the sound of that name, Finnegan's pupils contracted. Without even realizing it, his emotions flared violently.

He stepped forward, grabbing her arms tight. "Who did you say Nora was delivered to?"

Seraphina's pulse stalled. "It was Sienna. She said she wanted to introduce Nora to someone new... I thought it was a good idea, so I agreed..."

"But Nora didn't agree, so Sienna took it upon herself to send her to her cousin's room..."

The moment the words registered, a menacing aura erupted around Finnegan. He gave Seraphina one profound, chilling look, then turned and walked away.