Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Chapter

907

"I don't smell any alcohol," Lena muttered.

Aaron leaned closer, his flawless face coming within a breath's distance of hers.

Lena's nerves tightened like a spring, her pupils dilating as she stared at his face so close to hers. Her heartbeat pounded like a drum, loud and unrelenting.

"How about now? Do you smell it?" Aaron's voice was low, smooth, and intimate. The closeness made her focus solely on his lips-perfectly shaped, not too thin nor too full. They looked soft, and the thought of kissing them briefly crossed her mind. An inappropriate and utterly ridiculous notion, yet there it was, popping into her head uninvited.

Amidst her quickened breaths, she seemed to catch a faint hint of sweetness, mingled with a subtle, intoxicating aroma of alcohol. It was... oddly pleasant.

Her hand gripped the edge of the counter tightly. She dared not move, let alone breathe deeply, afraid that the smallest action might bring her lips to his.

If it were anyone else, she might have pushed them away and bolted. But this was her uncle. The man she'd grown up with, someone whose character she knew better than anyone else.

flirting-it couldn't be. He was just teasing her,

she said abruptly, breaking the charged

the temperature in the room seemed to rise

back to the stove to add noodles and seasoning to the pot. Lena took the opportunity to

with you? Are your hormones out of balance, or

let herself spiral, who knew what might happen? She feared crossing a line so unforgivable it would blow up

brought out a bowl of noodles for her. The dish was rich and fragrant, a stark contrast to the sad, plain noodles she had made earlier. It was like comparing a king to a

heading to the fridge. He

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had these made. Let me

her off guard. It had been ages since she'd had this

you, Uncle," Lena said, keeping her head down as she