Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
James had a thermos in the car and was about to hand it to her when he caught a glimpse of her through the rearview mirror, curled up next to the door, eyes shut, completely still.
She was clearly exhausted, fast asleep in a daze. Though the heater in the car was running, her body still trembled from time to time, and her little face remained unnaturally pale.
Delicate and fragile, she stirred every protective instinct in him.
Looking at her like this, James felt his chest soften completely.
There was no way he could let her go now.
His hands tightened slowly around the steering wheel. His always-cool eyes took on a rare, stubborn glint, one that refused to be reasoned with.
Let her think I’m shameless or that I go back on my word, doesn’t matter. I’m just not going to hand her over to Jackson! When they arrived at the main house, he parked the car, then carried her straight to his bedroom.
After shutting the door firmly behind them, she finally stirred in his arms and blinked open her eyes in a sleepy haze.
Seeing the familiar layout around her, Lily thought she was dreaming. Wasn’t I staying in that princess- themed room Nancy had decorated for me? Why is he carrying me to his bedroom?
She discreetly pinched herself. When she confirmed it wasn’t a dream, she quickly tried to wriggle out of his arms.
But he was too strong. He held her firmly.
Unable to free herself, she could only say, “James, why’d you bring me to your room? Just put me down, I can walk back to mine.”
“You’re sleeping here tonight. You got doused with several buckets of cold water. I’m worried you’ll spike a fever in the middle of the night.”
Worried she’d argue, he added, “I’ll sleep in the study.”
They were about to get divorced; of course, she wouldn’t want to stay in his room.
But now that he’d said he’d be sleeping elsewhere-and made it clear he had no improper intentions-if she kept insisting on going back to her room, it’d seem overly dramatic. So she didn’t argue and simply nodded.
“You go take a shower. I’ll go downstairs and make you some chicken soup.”
He’s going to make chicken soup for me..
Lily didn’t want to trouble him, but she kept wanting to sneeze, and her head felt fuz and heavy. She was worried she was coming down with something, so she nodded obediently.
Right after nodding, she suddenly remembered something important.
Her pajamas were in the other room.
Although the two of them had stayed in this room together before, most of the time they’d kept to themselves, no awkwardness. But she couldn’t very well come out of the shower without pajamas, could she?
She was just about to say maybe she should go back to her room instead-if she got a fever, she could always get up and make soup herself-when his voice came again.
“I’ll go get your pajamas.”
Now that he’d said that, Lily couldn’t protest anymore. Like a well-behaved schoolgirl, she nodded again.
The water in the tub was warm and soothing; soaking in it felt especially good.
But she was far too tired tonight and didn’t stay in for long.
After sneezing twice more, she quickly dried off, slipped into her pajamas, and walked out of the bathroom.
Just as James walked in with the chicken soup, he saw her sitting neatly at the edge of his bed, legs tucked together.
She looked just like a little wife waiting for her husband to come home.
Something stirred in him. He couldn’t help wanting to pull her into his arms.
But remembering she loved someone else, and was eager to get a divorce, he worried such a gesture would frighten her, so he forced the impulse down.
He hid the emotion in his eyes and said lightly, “Lily, drink this bowl of chicken soup.”
“Okay.”
Lily had seen James’s stunning face enough times to be used to it by now.
But watching him walk over carrying that bowl of soup, her heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
James was always impeccably dressed in a suit, his demeanor cold and aloof-like a god on a mountaintop, untouchable and emotionless.
But tonight, his white shirt had gotten soaked with the ice water from earlier. It was wrinkled now from – her clinging to him. And with that steaming bowl of soup in his hands, he suddenly looked a little more grounded, a little more human. The coldness was still there-but now laced with a subtle warmth.
He looked even better.
And even harder to resist.
She quietly took a deep breath, her heartbeat still unsteady. Her ears burned as she lifted the bowl of soup and took small, careful sips.
The chicken soup was warm but not scalding, it went straight
The chill in her body slowly began to fade. to her core.
It felt like ever since she’d gotten tangled up with John, everything in her life had been cold. But ever since meeting James, her world had started to feel like spring.
Too bad… he was never meant to be hers.
As she drank the soup, James’s gaze unconsciously drifted to her face.
Her cheeks puffed out slightly with each sip, like a little hamster-it made his heart soften even more.
“Want me to get you another bowl?”
The first small bowl was nearly empty when he finally pulled his eyes away and asked.
“No, that’s okay.”
Seeing that he was still damp, she quickly added, “You should go take a shower. I… I’m gonna rest.”
When he saw her rest her hand on her still-flat belly, looking like she was stuffed full, James decided not to offer another bowl.
After rinsing out the bowl, James grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom
Lily hadn’t slept in that bed for a while. She thought returning to it would feel strange, that she’d lie awake unable to sleep.
But the blanket carried that familiar, clean, crisp scent of woods and herbs, his scent and somehow, it gave her a deep sense of comfort and security, Curled up beneath the gradually warming covers, she drifted off faster than she expected.
When James stepped out of the bathroom, that was what he saw.
The girl lay quietly nestled in his bed, looking especially obedient. Thanks to the chicken soup, her little face had finally regained some color, a faint blush softening her pallor; even her lips were a rosy red, sweet and soft in a way that tugged at his heart, and made him really want to kiss her.
But the swelling on her cheek-puffed up high-was an eyesore.
He called Ashton and gave instructions to block Yulia’s exit and teach her a lesson. Then he peeled a hard- boiled egg and sat beside Lily, carefully rolling it across her swollen cheek.
Yulia had slapped her with full force earlier. Lily’s face had really taken a hit.
As James gently rolled the egg across the bruised skin, his fingertips occasionally brushed her cheek. The pain faded, replaced by a warm, soothing comfort. Seeking more warmth, Lily unconsciously rolled over and wrapped her arms around him.
She murmured sleepily, “Hug…’
“”
James never used to check Facebook much.
But ever since Jackson had added him as a friend, he’d sometimes find himself scrolling without thinking. Just now, he had stumbled on another of Jackson’s posts-one set to “Only Visible to James.”
“Didn’t get to register our marriage today. Puppy is heartbroken. But Lily said she’d go on a date with me tomorrow night and give me a big hug. Puppy needs a hug…”
The post was accompanied by a photo of a little white puppy, tears in its eyes, begging for a hug.
As soon as he saw it, James’s mind swapped the puppy’s head for Jackson’s grinning one.
Disgusting. Face darkening, he tossed his phone aside and was just about to go get a thermometer when he felt a pair of soft little hands land on his body.
Then he heard her mumbling, “Hug…”
She was obviously dreaming about her little puppy… Jackson.
James’s chiseled features turned ice-cold in an instant.
He wasn’t going to be anyone’s stand-in-especially not Jackson’s.
With as much self-control and principle as a man could muster, he pushed her hand away from him and said coolly, “Lily, I’m not Jackson.”
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