No Strings Attached

Chapter 179

Dawson knew what was up. lan was heartbroken, plain and simple. He immediately offered some words of comfort, “Don’t fret, sir. Healing takes time, just like a deep cut. Plus, Altomey Clara’s wound is pretty deep. It won’t heal overnight. You gotta have a little more patience.”

lan sighed, a touch of melancholy in his voice, “If she doesn’t get better soon, I think I might lose my mind.”

Watching her being looked after by someone else was driving lan up the wall. lan wanted to rush over, pull Clara into his arms, and keep her from any other guy’s orbit.

But what was he to her, really?

Ian finally faced the music: not having a label on their relationship was a real hassle. He didn’t even have a legit reason to protect her.

He was the ex–boyfriend who had never shown her the light of day and had hurt her countless times, while Anders had been the one pining for her and looking out for her for seven years. No matter how you sliced it, Anders had the upper hand.

he’d never gone public with it. Even their closest friends were in the

his heart ache more than the

leaning back in her chair. lan reached out and gently massaged her head, his voice laced with concern, “How about some

shook her head, “I just had some. Just

he was offering her snacks, the

like an eternity, the

better. When she opened her eyes and went to stretch, she realized her hand had made a jailbreak. Not only had it crossed the border, it was clutching

her doing. Ever since a near–drowning incident seven years ago, she always clung to something in her sleep. She had grabbed lan’s clothes before, yanked his hair,

before lan woke up, but as soon as she moved, lan, eyes still closed, grabbed her hand, his voice husky with sleep. “Clara, sleep a little longer.”