Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Charles lowered his gaze and took off the flower crown from his head. He walked

over to Clara, wanting to put it on her.

But Dylan moved faster—he cut in between them and grabbed the crown right out

of Charles’s hands, tossing it aside without a second thought.

The tension in the air was razor-sharp, so intense it made everyone freeze.

Except for Richard, no one even saw how quickly the two of them exchanged

blows.

Charles had pulled a dagger, aiming straight at Dylan. But Dylan blocked it with

the flower crown he’d just picked up, like it was nothing.

Clara looked down, surprised to find the flower crown in her own hands. When did

she even pick that up? Her eyes darted from Charles to Dylan, trying to make

sense of it all.

Dylan didn’t look fazed at all. He knew exactly how dangerous Charles could be—

he was practically famous for it.

Clara’s voice was soft and a little confused. “Big brother, why are you two

fighting?”

Charles pressed his lips together and slid the dagger away. “Just be good to my

sister, that’s all.”

He’d barely finished speaking when Clara grabbed Dylan’s hand and looked up at

him. “Babe, can’t my brother come with us to the Capital?”

Dylan frowned, about to say no, but before he could get the words out, Clara

leaned in and pressed a warm kiss to his cheek.

“Please?” she asked, sweet and hopeful.

Honestly, she was a natural at this.

Whatever argument Dylan had vanished on the spot. Instead, he just said,

“Alright.”

A flash of happiness crossed Charles’s face. He was about to agree when a

cough sounded behind him. The family doctor piped up, “Young master, the eldest

needs to talk to you. You’ll have to go back first.”

Charles’s excitement faded, replaced by a quiet, numb calm.

Clara tried to make him feel better. “It’s okay. You can always come visit me in the

Capital.”

Charles started to walk away, then hesitated and came back. “I’ll be there soon.

The gemstones for the helicopter are almost done—I’ll have someone bring them

to you. And I’ll leave the big guys with you too. Remember that phone number I

gave you? If anything happens, call me, okay?”

The doctor nearly choked. The “big guys” were Charles’s two beloved dogs—

basically his whole world. Even the eldest and Mitch couldn’t get him to part with

them. If anyone else even thought about taking the dogs, they’d get a bullet fornoveldrama

their trouble.

They meant more to him than his own life.

And now, just like that, he was handing them over to Clara—a woman he’d only

known for a few days—and he didn’t even hesitate.

“Brother, let them stay with you,” Clara said gently. “I’m afraid you’ll have no one

to play cards with if they’re gone.”

Charles’s eyes went red. “Clara, wait for me. Promise you’ll wait for me to come

find you.”

Clara nodded and gave him a bright smile.

Charles walked away, turning back every few steps, looking completely lost.

Dylan could barely stand listening to

their long, drawn-out goodbye. If he

didn’t know that Charles was totally

clueless about romance and only

cared about his dogs, he probably

would’ve killed him on the

spot—several times over.

But before Dylan could say a word, Clara was already sliding into the car, waving

at him. “Come on, let’s go!”

Just like that, all his frustration disappeared.

Once they were inside the car, Clara

glanced around with wide, curious

eyes as they started moving. She

turned to Dylan, her tone soft. “Don’t

be mad, okay? My brother really is

good to me.”

She called him “babe” like she’d been doing it her whole life.

Whatever Dylan was feeling, he just reached over and took her hand, checking

the bandage on her wrist.

But what he asked was, “Did he touch you?”

With the way she was now, if anyone

tried something, she probably

wouldn’t even realize it. And Dylan

wasn’t going to let that slide, not

even by accident.

“What do you mean, ‘touch’?” Clara blinked up at him.

Dylan looked down, his pale face finally getting some color back. He pulled her

close and bit her gently on the lips.

“Like this,” he said.

Clara’s face went red—so did her nose and the tips of her ears. “No, he didn’t.”

Dylan’s lips curved into a satisfied little smile. “Good.”

And because of that kiss, Clara sat next to him, feeling heat rush through her

whole body.

Definitely not a normal kind of warm.