Chapter 313 In His Element

Chapter 313 In His Element

Rachel frowned, thinking it over.

Since Nancy had the keys, the best solution would be to change the locks on those two doors at the back of Stargaze Gallery—the southeast and southwest ones.

However, if she changed them, Nancy might just come up with another plan. Maybe she should just leave things as they were and wait to see what Nancy would do next.

Of course, there was another possibility—if Nancy had been spotted by Stargaze Gallery's security tonight, she might be forced to change her strategy anyway.

After weighing everything in her mind, she took a breath and said, "Don't make a fuss about it yet. Just stay alert these next few days. Tighten up the patrol schedule at night, especially around those two doors on the southwest and southeast sides where people don't usually go.

If she's really up to something, she didn't succeed tonight, so there might be a next time."

The head of security on the other end quickly agreed, "Yes, I understand, Ms. Davis."

After she hung up, Benjamin sat down next to her and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Rachel tossed her phone aside and leaned into his arms naturally. She didn't hide anything, just deliberately left out the part about the text message tipping her off.

"After Nancy got out of prison, I had a private investigator keep tabs on her. About ten minutes ago, the investigator said he lost her - couldn't find her anywhere.

Just now, security at Stargaze Gallery said they saw someone suspicious hanging around near the southwest entrance. They couldn't see the person's face clearly, just said they were short. I suspect it's Nancy. If she suddenly disappeared, she must be planning something."

Benjamin frowned, hearing the worry in her voice. He said softly to comfort her, "Don't worry. Let me make a call and have someone check the surveillance footage from the streets around Stargaze Gallery."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead, pulling her waist closer with one hand while reaching for his phone on the coffee table with the other. He found a number in his contacts and dialed.

He exchanged pleasantries with the person first, then got down to business, asking them to copy the surveillance footage from the three streets near Stargaze Gallery from the past seven days and send it to his email.

"Okay, thanks, I appreciate it."

After putting down his phone, he said to Rachel in his arms, "If Nancy really has plans for Stargaze Gallery, she would have scoped it out before making a move. Leave this to me, you don't need to worry about it."

Rachel nodded and hummed softly in acknowledgement.

She had actually been planning to check the surveillance footage around Stargaze Gallery herself tomorrow.

Hearing him say this, her anxious and restless heart suddenly felt much calmer.

Benjamin patted her back gently. "Go to sleep first. It'll take some time for him to copy everything over. He said he'll send it to me before tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay."

Suddenly Benjamin lifted her up.

Rachel let out a short gasp of surprise, raising her arms to wrap around his neck, her eyes wide.

The bit of unease she'd been feeling was instantly scared away. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Benjamin's lips curved slightly. He walked to the bed and gently set her down, then turned off the lights in the room. He lay down too, pulling her into his arms.

The room was somewhat dark. She could barely make out Benjamin's outline.

Probably because she'd napped in the afternoon, and with things on her mind, Rachel wasn't very sleepy right now.

She rested her head on Benjamin's arm, her cheek against his chest, her thoughts wandering.

"Do you think..."

After a long while, she started to say something, but her lips accidentally brushed against his stubbled jaw, feeling its sandpaper-like texture.

She froze, and the rest of her words suddenly caught in her throat.

She opened her mouth, but then her chin was suddenly grasped by a dry hand. She was forced to lift her head, and just as she caught sight of his deep, surging eyes in the darkness, two cool, soft lips pressed down on hers.

All her breath and consciousness were instantly swallowed up by him.

Benjamin had only meant to kiss her, with no other intentions, but as the kiss went on, it became hot and passionate.

Before long, he rolled over and pressed her down, his broad, long-fingered hand sinking into her soft, smooth lower back.

Dense, burning kisses slowly wandered from the corner of her lips to her cheek, jaw, neck, collarbone...

The air in the room seemed to be coated with a layer of sweet honey, each intertwined breath carrying each other's warmth.

The sound of rain outside wove into a fine net, the water dripping from the eaves cutting the world into blurred fragments.

This small, humid, tender world was enveloped within it, slowly evaporating into a vacuum.

The air conditioning blew on the tiny dust particles suspended in the air, those gold-powder-like specks suddenly gaining weight, slowly sinking into their overlapping shadows.

Their first time having sex was when Rachel, after drinking, wasn't very conscious but was very proactive.

All of Rachel's memories of it came from piecing together those chaotic fragments bit by bit after she sobered up the next day.

But this time was their second time having sex!

Both of them were completely conscious, but Benjamin wasn't as careful as last time, worried about her getting hurt.

This time he was more like a battle-hardened general, completely in control, both skillful and gently coaxing.

It was also that night that Rachel truly experienced his sometimes gentle caresses, sometimes strong and dominating possessiveness, sometimes mischievous playfulness.

And his complete mastery in this act of lovemaking.

Just as she was about to fall apart, Benjamin gently brushed the damp hair from her forehead.

He murmured in her ear, asking, "What were you going to say earlier?"

Rachel's consciousness slowly returned, still somewhat confused. "What?"

"Before we started."

Before we started?

Rachel was blank for a moment, then suddenly remembered the topic she'd started with "Do you think."

What was she going to say?

What came after "Do you think"?

She felt Benjamin was doing this on purpose, so she glared at him irritably. "You call that 'earlier'?"

That was two or three hours ago!

If she could still remember now, that would be truly incredible.

This sex session didn't completely end until around 1:30 in the morning.

Rachel didn't want to move a single finger. After Benjamin carried her to the bathroom to wash up and brought her back to bed, she wrapped herself in the blanket and fell straight to sleep.

In her drowsy state, she only vaguely felt someone pulling her into a very warm, broad embrace.