Chapter 59: Drunkenness (Part 2)

What?! He just walked away?

A wave of disappointment washed over Claire.

"Lucas..." Her soft voice, like a 100,000-volt jolt, hit Lucas Zeller straight in the chest. A moment later, two slender, pale arms wrapped tightly around his waist from behind. He could feel her heated body pressing against his back.

Lucas stiffened, sucking in a sharp breath as he rasped, "Your body is still wet. If you don't dry off, you'll catch a cold."

"But I feel so hot... It's like there's a fire burning inside me, jumping around like crazy," she murmured, her voice thick with drowsiness as she leaned against him, clearly on the verge of sleep.

"I told you not to drink so much. You're drunk," he muttered, grabbing her wandering hands as they started to trail across his chest. His dark brows furrowed tightly, forming a deep crease.

"Am I drunk?" she asked, swaying slightly as she moved around to face him. Now, standing in front of him, her exposed figure was fully visible, every curve and line highlighted under the soft lighting.

God! Was she trying to make him lose control? His body had already reacted the moment he had laid eyes on her in the bathroom. If she kept pushing, he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold back. He could already feel the wolf inside him ready to bare its fangs, ready to devour her.

"Lucas, why are you so tense?" Claire asked, her half-lidded eyes gazing dreamily at him as she poked his chest. Her hands slid up, casually pulling open his lounge shirt.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Lucas's voice rose in alarm. He reached out, trying to catch her mischievous hands, but in the process, his fingers accidentally brushed against the soft fullness of her chest.

The moment his hand made contact, it was as if he'd touched a live wire. He jerked his hand back immediately, his face flushing with embarrassment.

Claire, tipsy and uninhibited, let out a playful giggle at his discomfort. Her fingers danced across his finely sculpted chest, tracing invisible patterns as she teased him. The warmth of her touch sent sparks of sensation racing through his body, straight to his brain. He fought hard to keep his impulses in check, but when she pressed her body even closer to his, her soft skin against his bare chest, he felt his control slipping away.

His muscles tensed even further, his body going rigid as her warmth seeped into him. The closeness, the intimate contact—it was driving him to the brink of madness.

"You foolish woman, do you even realize what you're doing?" he growled, his voice strained as he roughly pulled down the shirt she had been tugging on, trying to hide his bare chest once again. His normally composed face was twisted with the effort of restraint.

Claire blinked up at him, noticing his deeply furrowed brows, as though he was struggling with something beyond his control. She tilted her head slightly, her hazy mind attempting to understand. Was he in pain?

"Lucas, are you... are you hurting right now?" she asked with concern in her voice.

What? She realized? Lucas's eyes narrowed as he stared at her in surprise, trying to read her expression. Did she really understand what he was going through?

"Are you upset, Lucas?" Claire asked again, her voice carrying a hint of playful innocence, as though she were trying to coax him into responding.

His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice—it was just too sweet, too alluring. It was almost... exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Yeah," he admitted, his voice a low rumble.

Upset didn't even begin to cover it. If she kept clinging to him like this, he was on the verge of losing it completely.

"Lucas, I understand you," Claire whispered softly, throwing herself into his arms. Her hands reached up to wrap around his neck, holding him even closer.

"You understand?" Lucas's breath hitched, his mind racing. What could she possibly understand? Did she have any idea what kind of torment she was putting him through right now?