Chapter 145 Baby, You're Such a Pain

Chapter 145 Baby, You're Such a Pain
Ethan stared at her.
He pulled a property deed out of the drawer next to the couch and nudged it toward her with his fingertip.
"Look, baby. This apartment is in your name. Isn’t this your home?”
“What?!”
Lydia widened her eyes as she glanced at the owner’s name on the deed.
How could it be in her name?
This was the most expensive apartment in downtown Staten Island.
Had he just given her a property worth so much?
She reached out and gently pushed the deed back toward him with her fingertips.
"When did you buy it? How did it end up in my name?" she asked.
Seeing that she showed no interest, Ethan lowered his head. 
His breath was warm as he slowly drew closer to her face and kissed her lips.
His kiss was light, as if he were teasing her on purpose. "I just bought it. When I give something away, the recipient has no choice but to accept it—there’s no option to refuse.”
Lydia pursed her lips.
The words she’d been about to say died on her lips, and she swallowed them back.
Taking advantage of a moment when Ethan was kissing her, she slipped out from under his arms, broke free from his embrace, and reached out to return the deed she’d pushed away to its original spot.
Ethan froze for a moment.
His brow furrowed, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.
Back when he’d carried her home from Black Market Valley during the three days Lydia lay unconscious with a high fever, she kept mumbling in her delirium. “Give me back my dad…”
He still clearly remembered those words.
“Baby, am I that scary? Why are you sitting so far away?” Ethan studied her with his blue eyes.
“It’s hot out here. I’m sitting farther away to stay cool.” Lydia moved to the other side of the sofa. 
She lowered her eyes and looked at the bruises on her knees.
Ethan stared at her, his gaze sweeping from the tips of her hair to the hem of her nightgown and finally resting on the bruises on her knees. 
His Adam’s apple bobbed; his voice was hoarse. “Weren’t you just saying you were cold? How come you’re hot now?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he gave her no chance to pull away. His large hand reached out to yank her from the far end of the couch and pressed her firmly against his chest.
Before she could react, Lydia found herself trapped in his embrace, unable to move. 
She muttered, "With you this close, how could I not be hot?"
Ethan stared at her. "Are you trying to avoid me, or are you really hot?"
Lydia pursed her lips and glared at him.
Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. "Looks like last night wasn't tiring enough—you still have the energy to run away?"
As he spoke, he gently rubbed the bruises on her leg with his fingertips. 
His fingers were hot, burning their way from her skin to her bones.
A tingling sensation made her whole body go weak.
Ethan stared at her face, determined to read her expression.
Lydia’s face flushed instantly.
She reflexively pushed his hand away. “Mr. Edwards, haven’t you had enough after all the antics you pulled last night?”
“How could one night ever be enough?”
Ethan leaned down and clasped the back of her head with his large hand. 
A sickly, obsessive smile played at the corners of his mouth as he looked down at her. 
His voice was soft. “Baby, tell me you love me.”
"I..."
Lydia’s lips had barely parted.
Before she could speak, Ethan leaned in and kissed her eagerly, with a fierce intensity that seemed to want to claim her entirely. 
He pressed his lips hard against her slightly pale ones.
He crushed all the hesitation and doubt from earlier into that scorching kiss.
Lydia had been suffering from recurring fevers these past few days, and her fever had only just subsided. Her body was still weak.
Ethan hadn’t actually intended to touch her. 
But when he saw her pale complexion and listless demeanor, exuding fragile post-illness vulnerability, he simply wanted to kiss her more.
Lydia’s body tensed instantly.
The sudden kiss caused a dazed blush to spread across her face.
Ethan’s kiss was urgent and passionate. 
Though he was clearly struggling to contain himself, it was also tinged with cautious tenderness—at once forceful and gentle.
This conflicting sensation made Lydia’s heart tremble.
“Click!”
The maid closed the living room door from the outside.
Lydia’s fingers clenched tightly. 
Trapped in his suffocating grip, she pushed him away.
She collapsed onto the sofa, gasping for breath. 
Pointing toward the rooftop garden outside, she whispered, “Dr. Henry is still out there.”
A seductive curve played at the corner of Ethan’s mouth. 
He pressed his knee against her thigh, trapping her in his embrace and preventing her from moving.
His gaze was sharp when he fixed his eyes on her lips. “Who cares? He’d have to be suicidal to dare come in.”
Lydia knew better than anyone what this man was like when he went wild.
She couldn't stand it anymore. 
She tilted her head back to look at him. "No, I don't want to be here..."
"Baby, you're such a pain!"
Ethan looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.
Suddenly, his arm reached out and slipped between her knees and around her slender back. 
He scooped her up and strode toward the large bed in the bedroom.