Tangled Temptations

Chapter 236

At nine in the evening, Linda finally agreed to come out. She had polished off two bowls of mac and cheese.

Eloise was particularly indulgent with her today, giving her a warm bubble bath, blow-drying her hair, and reading her a bedtime story. Linda, knowing Eloise was staying the night, fell asleep contentedly.

Dimming the bedside lamp, Eloise tiptoed out of the room. She wanted to talk to Harvey. She found him in his study, sitting quietly in the dimly lit room, not smoking, just sitting.

"Harvey!" Eloise called his name.

Startled, he rose from his chair and walked towards her, closing the door behind him. "Is she asleep?"

Eloise nodded. As she was about to speak, Harvey enveloped her in his arms, pressing her against the door.

His strength caught her off guard, and the impact made her back ache slightly. Sensing his agitation, she held back her discomfort and softly suggested, "Let's talk."

He responded absent-mindedly. After a while, Harvey buried his face in her neck. Eloise soon felt a dampness there, making her uncomfortable. But she didn't push him away. In that moment, she realized how vulnerable he could be. His last trip to Britain had taken a toll on him too, not just her.

Perhaps because they were raising a child together, Eloise felt a surge of tenderness towards him. She gently held the back of his neck, stroking it softly.

Harvey stiffened. He looked up at her in the darkness, his eyes intense. Then, unable to resist, he lowered his head and kissed her lips. The tender touch was tenderly innocent. Afterwards, his breath hitched slightly.

Eloise, her body pressed against the door, looked at him in surprise. She had come to discuss Linda...

Harvey kissed her again. His lips, tinged with the scent of tobacco, deepened the kiss. Despite his usual intensity, he was unusually gentle this time, kissing her with a careful, treasuring touch, making her feel it. His heart pounded so hard it threatened to burst out of his chest.

He hadn't felt this kind of innocent yearning to kiss without lust for a long time. He kissed her for a long while. Maybe half an hour, maybe two or three. When it ended, his voice was hoarse. "It's late. Go take a shower and sleep. I'll get your clothes."

Eloise remained glued to the door. His gentle touch, devoid of force, had left her weak in the knees. If not for his hand supporting her waist, she would have collapsed.

He lightly stroked her waist, whispering, "If you want it, go to the master bedroom."

Of course, Eloise refused. "I'll sleep with Linda. You get my clothes."

He switched on the study light, his hand gently caressing her arm. "Shower in my bathroom. Your clothes are in the walk-in closet. I'll handle some stuff here."

In the end, Eloise took a shower in the guest room and spent the night with Linda.

...

The next day, the atmosphere between them had changed.

Harvey treated her with a newfound gentleness, a hint of intimacy lingering in his actions. Eloise tried her best to ignore it. She got up early to make breakfast for Linda, helping her get ready for the day. Linda was in high spirits, clinging to Eloise.

Harvey calmly interjected, "She should do her own things."

Eloise was about to reply when he looked at her and gave a light laugh. "Spare the rod, spoil the child."

Parker in him, Eloise felt a pang of annoyance. He was becoming more paternalistic as

of him. All her warmth and affection were

to feed herself. But when her mother

Eloise's lap, wanting to

arms.

He believed

slowly coming down from Eloise's lap. She sat properly and

eat on her own. Half of the food ended up on the table,

couldn't help but say,

took a sip of his black coffee,

Eloise fell silent.

all, they had just shared an intimate kiss the previous night, bringing them closer. He didn't want to start another argument over parenting so soon. He said gently, "Kids need companionship, but we can't

gave an example. "Look at

shadowed as he thought about his irresponsible sister. Seeing Eloise's expression, he lowered his voice. "She's fine, just hiding." He had once

really liked Orlena. She said softly, "I'll ask someone to look for her later." Harvey gave a faint

...

considerably, making their visit to the psychologist

check-up on Linda. Then, Linda was taken to a playroom next door, where a caregiver was assigned to

evaluation, the psychologist said in a low voice, "Her

Children are very sensitive, especially to their

Eloise's eyes grew moist.

shoulder. He could understand. No woman could

neither of you has a partner, you might consider reconciling. Living together as parents can greatly help Linda's psychological health and might even lead to

nodded. "We'll consider

to Eloise for a while longer before handing over Linda's medical records for her to

through the pages, her emotions

two, used to visit almost every week. At that time,

to recover. Now, she understood why Harvey hadn't told her she would not be able to take care of a child like Linda. She sobbed. She had

held her, whispering softly, "She's much better now, and the doctor said there's

leaned into his shoulder. She whispered, "Harvey, I've made up my

felt his heart skip a beat, suppressing his excitement as he asked, "What have you

moist as she looked at him.

kiss last night. Do you

treatment, he wouldn't have

had her own

an unexpected incident last night, and she admitted that the kiss

for comfort. Under such emotional circumstances,

is all I can give

"I'm willing!"

again, softly, "I'm