Chapter 335 - Too Distracting...

Avaleigh turned away from Emerson awkwardly. Over the last few days, her feelings for Emerson had gradually grown stronger and stronger as she got to know him better. After all, he was handsome, charming, and he treated her well. But, ever since the death of Mimi, he had not made any romantic gestures nor confessed any feelings for her again, so she was beginning to worry that he had changed his mind about her.

With the sudden appearance of Marissa, these doubts grew stronger. Emerson had mentioned that he liked a woman for a long time. Was that woman, Marissa?

"Thank you for coming to fix the tap. If you're busy for dinner tonight, I'll find another way to make up for the rent. Please let me know what I can do," Avaleigh suddenly said with a slight frown.

"Busy for dinner?" Emerson asked questioningly.

"Yes, you told Marissa you had plans for dinner. If you rejected her for dinner, then you must have something important you need to do," Avaleigh reminded. That was clearly what she had heard a moment ago.

Emerson smirked. He then stepped forward, moved around to the front of the woman, and looked into her eyes. "Are you trying to get out of cooking for me?" he asked.

Avaleigh immediately took a step back nervously. Suddenly looking into Emerson's eyes made her heart almost jump out of her chest!

Emerson saw the expression on her face. Her cheeks were a little red, she had a slight pout on her lips and there was a trace of disappointment in her eyes.

A little embarrassed, she quickly tried to scurry to the kitchen. "If you're not eating it, I don't want to waste food," she mumbled. "Besides, even if you still make it back in time to eat, you should save that time for Marissa. I'm sure you want to spend some time with her..."

Emerson smirked. Was he imagining things? Or was he sensing jealousy?

For some reason, seeing her like this made Emerson's heart light up. He had been patient with her the past few days, trying to not take advantage of her while her emotions were vulnerable, but this reaction from Avaleigh pushed him beyond the limits of his self-control.

He subconsciously reached out his hand and grabbed onto her wrist. Then, with one gentle tug, he pulled her towards him. 

The woman's body was so warm and soft that he couldn't resist wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to his body. Even if he wasn't taking things to the next stage, he still needed to reassure her of his feelings. "Don't you understand how I feel? Haven't I made it clear enough to you?" he asked gently, "I don't want to have dinner with anyone else but you."

Avaleigh felt her entire body tingle as the man's voice traveled into her ears. For a long time, she had been so tied down by her career that she never got the chance to be in a relationship. While she sang songs about love, appeared in dramas about love, and watched other women her age being in love, she herself had absolutely no experience with it. She had only ever had one boyfriend, and that was when she was young and clueless; it was not love.

Love was patient, love was understanding, love was selfless...like Emerson...

Avaleigh buried her head in Emerson's chest with embarrassment as she blushed. This man made her weak like jelly and she didn't know how to respond.

Emerson continued to hug her like he was trying to make up for all the days he had been resisting. He didn't care about anything else at that moment, he just wanted to hold her in his arms and not let go. He wanted to be selfish for just a little while. Even if he liked her more than she liked him, he didn't mind. He was used to going after women that didn't like him back. As long as she didn't get married to another man, or in the case of Halia, his brother, then he was going to be patient and not give up.

But, to his surprise, Avaleigh suddenly lifted her trembling arms, wrapped them around his body, and said, "I don't want to just have dinner with you..."

Emerson's heart sank for a moment before she continued, "I want to have breakfast and lunch as well..."

Emerson chuckled and hugged the woman tighter. Her words were like a resuscitator that brought his heart back to life.

Did this mean what he thought it meant? Was she reciprocating his feelings? But, he didn't want to pressure her and rush things, so he simply enjoyed this hug for now.

After hugging for a while, Emerson checked his watch and slowly moved away. He had rushed over to fix Avaleigh's tap but he still had work to return to. Avaleigh understood and immediately went to grab his jacket. As she gently helped him slip into his jacket, Emerson couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Her every movement made his heart flutter. If he could, he would skip work and hold her in his arms all day, but he knew that was impossible. "I'll see you at dinner time," he said softly as she finished.

Avaleigh smiled shyly and nodded her head before she walked him to the door without saying a word. She appeared composed on the outside, but she was actually losing her mind on the inside.

After the man left, Avaleigh took a deep breath and fanned herself. A moment ago, when she was putting on his jacket for him, she had run her hands across his strong arm muscles and felt her body heat up. For a second, she was tempted to tear his jacket back off his body and keep him in that apartment with her. In fact, she wanted to tear off all his clothes and see what other muscles he had hidden underneath, but she resisted. Now that she thought about it, she was a little embarrassed by her wild thoughts. She had never been this attracted to a man before, especially not in a s.e.x.u.a.l way. 

She quickly shook her head to clear her mind and walked into the kitchen. "Dinner...dinner...what should I make for dinner..." she whispered to herself as she tried to change her focus. But, the mention of dinner simply reminded her of the words that Emerson had said to her and she fell back into a daze. Her body was still warm from his hug earlier and she could still smell remnants of his cologne in the air. At this rate, she was not going to get anything done...

No wonder idols weren't allowed to date. It was much too distracting...