Chapter 545 – Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel

Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel

Angela was standing on higher ground, making her half a head taller than Richard and allowing her to look at him from an angle she never had seen before. She took in his defined brow bone and the straight line of his nose.

He had his gaze down as he helped put a band-aid over her finger, and his dark eyelashes hid the steely look in his eyes. He looked almost… gentle, the most tender she had ever seen him..

Startled by the contrast between his present demeanor and his usual stoic self, Angela could only gape at him speechlessly. After a while, she blushed and said apologetically, “I’m sorry for what I did earlier. I hope I didn’t offend you.” She was filled with regret over how forthright she had been.

“Just don’t do it again,” Richard said as he looked up at her, his eyes like two clear pools. He seemed unaffected by the kiss as if it meant nothing to him, like a piece of lint on his coat.

Disappointment flashed in her eyes as she pulled her finger away from him. Then, she took a breath and promised, “I won’t do it again.”

He eyed her darkly for a second, then slung his backpack over his shoulders as he declared, “Let’s call it a day and go back to base.”

She was not so prideful as to have no self awareness, and she knew she could never make it to the summit. Nodding, she said obligingly, “Okay.”

With that, she took the first step to dismount from higher ground, but her foot landed on a wobbly rock that detached from the soil.

She swayed, but before she could fall, a large hand gripped her shoulder and steadied her.

Angela looked up at the man who kept her from stumbling and falling down the slope, but she felt defeated. Did the kiss mean nothing to him? Doesn’t he feel anything at all?

Richard let go of her shoulder, but offered her his hand as he said, “Come on, I’ll hold your hand until we reach the foot of the mountain.”

She stared at his hand, and her mind wandered for a brief few seconds. He was always there when she needed his help, making sure she didn’t get hurt. He didn’t look like he knew how his gestures could give her the wrong idea, and how he could easily lead her on to think he liked her when in truth, taking care of her was nothing more than an obligation on his part-nothing personal.

“No, thanks,” Angela said, turning him down with a smile as she took on a formal tone.

With long strides, she trekked down the way they came. From the back, her slender frame looked like it could carry the weight of the world.

Richard stared at her retreating figure for a beat or two before he followed her, striding easily, but very well-paced.

Hiking up a rocky mountain like this was comparatively easier than going down it.

At any given moment, Angela could very well step on a loosened rock and fall, especially since the trees here that she could hold onto for support were no better than saplings.

Richard walked ahead of her, and whenever there was uneven terrain or steep slopes, he would stand close to her, ready to catch her if she fell.

Presently, she was holding onto one of the smaller trees, hoping that it could hold her weight until her foot found a solid rock to stand on below the slope.

However, the tree was so young and weak that she uprooted it completely, causing her to fall backward when she skidded on the ground.

She let out a shriek just as Richard reached out to catch her, keeping her from hitting the earth. He pulled her against him and held her there while her arms snaked around his waist instinctively.

She was pressed up to his chest, still dazed from the fall as her heart beat frantically under her rib cage. Tired from the hike, she nuzzled into his broad and firm chest, then closed her eyes as she relished the break in the exercise.

He did not push her away but merely watched as she closed her eyes and lay there. Her cheeks were flushed, and there were beads of sweat on her forehead that sparkled under the sun. He softened at that moment and let her lean into him, holding her.

Upon sensing his relaxed stance, she smiled.

Around them, the mountain breeze whistled through the trees, and the sun was beaming down on the mountain, coating everything in its gentle, golden rays. For a moment, everything came to an idyllic standstill.

Angela could hear Richard’s strong and steady heartbeat. Inexplicably, her own heartbeat quickened as well, as if trying to match up to his.

“Captain Lloyd, are you always this dedicated to every target you are assigned to protect? I guess what I’m trying to say is, if I were any other girl, would you be this kind to her as well?” she asked slowly as she looked up at him.

He met her eyes, his gaze smoldering and dark.

Angela blinked, looking into his eyes as she asked, “Would you let her use your bathroom and let her go in and out of your bedroom as she likes?

Piggyback her when she gets hurt? Leap to protect her and shield her from every harm at any given moment? If she were the one holding onto you now, would you hold her even tighter?”

Angela wasn’t sure why, but her eyes grew misty as she spoke. Flustered, she looked down and broke away from his intense gaze.

Richard was speechless, floundered by all the questions she threw at him. He wasn’t. sure where to begin.

She waited for his response, but when he didn’t give her one, a bitter smile curled on her lips as she asked challengingly, “It’s not rocket science. All you have to do is answer yes or no.”

“I don’t want to answer,” he said monotonously as he let her go and turned to walk ahead.

It was at that moment that Angela was sure she was nothing more than a job and that he would have shown the same level of dedication even if she were any other girl. She was not special at all.

In that case, she did not have to torture: herself and delude herself into thinking she was different, that she meant something to him.

Fortunately, the trail got easier as they neared the foot of the mountain. When she took the final step to dismount from the hike, Angela thought her legs would give up on her.

She quickly found a large and flat rock to sit on, then called out to the man ahead of her, “Hey, you go ahead! I’m going to stay here and catch my breath for a bit.”

Richard glanced at her for a while and left without another word.

The base entrance was just nearby anyway. There was no point in him dawdling here to take care of her. That was what she told herself as she watched his retreating figure, but for some reason, tears sprang up to her eyes once more.

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