Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: This is how you keep a tab on me
“W-why would I ask you to touch me?” Winter stuttered, her heart hammering against her ribs, making it difficult to catch her breath.

Despite the discomfort, she refused to look away, pretending she was brave enough to withstand his charming smile.

What’s happening to me? She wondered, startled by how out of character she was acting all of a sudden.

Kalix’s grin didn’t waver as he shrugged. “The way you’re assuming everything, it’s clear you want me to touch you. Or else, how will you bathe?” He teased, leaving her dumbfounded.

The realization hit her like a crashing wave.

She was still trying to process his words when he added, “And I don’t mind if you ask me to help. You know, I’m already familiar with your body. There’s nothing I haven’t seen.”

Winter’s face turned scarlet as she yanked him away.

“Stop talking like that!” she shouted, feeling a rush of heat spread through her body.

It had been a while since she’d been with anyone. Or rather, since she’d been with him.

The thought of doing it again, and the way he spoke so casually about it, made her heart race.

Kalix chuckled, amused by how easy it was to fluster her. Just a few words, and she was already losing her composure.

He smirked, his gaze darkening. “If mere words do this to you, Angel, I wonder how you’ll react when we actually do it.”

Winter’s jaw dropped at his seductive tone, but she quickly gathered her courage and shouted,

“Leave! I don’t need your help, and we are not doing it anytime soon!”

Mortified, she desperately wished the floor beneath her would crack open and swallow her whole. But before she could drown in embarrassment, Kalix’s laughter echoed through the room, deep and rich, making it clear just how much he was enjoying this.

He was teasing her, playing with her emotions and she had fallen right into his trap.

“Okay, we’re not doing it,” he said with a smirk. “But if you change your mind, you can call me anytime. I’d be more than eager to help you, Angel.”

With a wink, Kalix turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Winter fuming at his words.

She yanked off her shoe and hurled it at the door. “I won’t!” she yelled, imagining him laughing on the other side.

Her hands shot up to cup her burning cheeks, her body still hot from his shameless remarks. It was as if he had read her mind , her thoughts that she hadn’t even realized were lingering in the depths of her consciousness.

Her palm pressed against her chest, feeling the erratic pounding of her heart.

Did she really want to be touched by Kalix?

The moment the question surfaced, a throbbing sensation bloomed deep within her, making her breath hitch.

The mere idea of it sent a thrill through her body, but it also left her utterly confused. No matter how much she tried to push it away, the memories of that night haunted her, replaying in her dreams over and over again.

Each time she woke up, there was that unmistakable wetness between her legs, something she couldn’t brush off, nor could she forget.

“What’s wrong with me?” she muttered, feeling utterly confused.

But she quickly pushed the thoughts aside, convincing herself that a bath would help wash away these lingering feelings that did nothing but make her feel giddy and restless.

Meanwhile, outside, Kalix stepped onto the balcony, his expression darkening as he pulled out his phone and dialed Stanley.

“There’s something you need to check,” he said, his voice sharp and controlled as he relayed the details of the situation he had found Winter in.

Back in the car, he hadn’t uttered a single word in front of her. He had simply held her, keeping her close, but the fear that something had almost happened to her burned deep in his chest, twisting into rage.

The thought of losing her, of not arriving in time, sent ice through his veins. And then there was the fury at whoever had dared to lay a hand on what was his.

The moment Kalix learned that Diana had sent Winter away to handle work at the Hillstone site, he didn’t hesitate. He had ignored the meeting and driven straight to get her.

Luckily, the tracker he had secretly installed on her phone kept him alerted to her location, allowing him to find her just in time.

Hanging up the call, Kalix leaned against the balcony railing, his gaze fixed on the darkness beyond. His mind drifted to the threats he had been receiving. The warnings to back off, to stop disrupting his enemies’ operations.

But they had made a mistake.

They had involved her.

The quiet click of a door pulled him from his thoughts, and his head snapped in Winter’s direction as she attempted to walk out of the room.

“Stubborn angel,” he muttered under his breath before striding toward her.

Winter gasped as he effortlessly scooped her up once again, carrying her back to the bed.

“You don’t have to be so stubborn all the time. Just call me when you need me,” Kalix murmured, his tone softer now, tinged with something she couldn’t quite place.

Winter stared up at him, suddenly aware of the shift in his demeanor.

He wasn’t teasing her this time. He wasn’t playing.And it unsettled her.

Then, she remembered that she had asked him to leave earlier, pushing him away for being playful.

Now, she wasn’t sure she liked the absence of it.

Winter didn’t argue. She simply stared at him in silence, her mind racing.

Did something happen? she wondered. She hadn’t been that rude for him to be this annoyed.

Without a word, Kalix grabbed the first-aid kit and knelt in front of her, carefully applying ointment to her scraped knees.

The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken tension, until he finally broke it.

“How did you end up in the forest?” he asked, his voice controlled but laced with an edge of steel.

Winter had been expecting this question. He had remained eerily silent throughout the drive back, but she knew he wouldn’t let the incident go unaddressed.

She hesitated, watching the way his dark eyes locked onto hers, waiting, demanding the truth.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke, “I booked a cab to return to the company since you needed me to attend the meeting with you. But then…the driver changed his route. He started driving toward a secluded road. I asked him why, but he ignored me.”

Her voice dropped slightly, the memory sending a shiver down her spine.

She wouldn’t lie that she had been terrified. The moment she realized she was being abducted, a deep, paralyzing fear gripped her. Fear of never seeing her loved ones again.

Fear of never seeing him again.

But thankfully, she always carried a backup, her pepper spray. She had used it just in time, managing to stop the driver despite the risk of losing control of the car and crashing.

Kalix’s expression darkened, his jaw clenching so tightly that she could see the tension in his muscles.

“Did he touch you?” he asked, his voice dropping into a lethal calm that sent a chill through her.

Winter swallowed, feeling the weight of his fury suffocate the air between them. She slowly shook her head.

“No,” she whispered. “I ran as fast as I could. I didn’t stop until I saw the road. Then I jumped in front of the first car I saw, praying someone would help me.”

She could feel Kalix’s energy shift. His silence was becoming heavier, more dangerous.

She didn’t know what he was thinking, but one thing was clear.

Someone was going to pay for this.

“But nothing happened to me, right?” Winter suddenly said, forcing a smile.

She didn’t want to see that side of Kalix again, the one that sent chills down her spine. It was raw, terrifying, and dark. A side of him she wasn’t sure she could handle.

Kalix’s sharp gaze locked onto her, seeing right through her attempt to act cute. He sighed, exhaling slowly.

‘She was trying too hard.’

He could feel her unease, sense the anxiety in her every move. And the last thing he wanted was to scare her more than she already was.

Setting the first-aid kit aside, Kalix shifted closer. Without a word, he pulled her into his embrace, his strong arms wrapping around her.

Winter stiffened for a moment before relaxing against him.

“What if I hadn’t reached you in time?” He murmured, his voice rough with unspoken torment. “What if something had happened to you? What if I was too late to even-”

He cut himself off, his throat tightening at the mere thought.

The idea of losing her, of finding her hurt, or worse, made his blood run cold.

But despite everything, there was one thing he was grateful for.

Winter had fought. She had managed to escape. And he had been there to catch her before anything could go horribly wrong.

He pressed his lips to her hair, inhaling deeply.

He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Not while he was still breathing.

Winter, on the other hand, didn’t resist. Instead, she melted into his embrace, letting his warmth surround her.

In his arms, she felt safe. Protected. Cherished.

“But how did you find me?” she suddenly asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

Winter felt Kalix’s body stiffen and she frowned and slowly pulled back. Her gaze searched his face as he avoided her eyes.

“I-I happened to drive there to surprise you,” he said, his voice unusually hesitant.

Her frown deepened. “That’s it? You just happened to show up right when I needed help?”

The timing was too perfect. Too precise.

Kalix gave a small nod, but the silence that followed only fueled her suspicion and before she could press further, a knock on the door stopped her.

Kalix took the opportunity to move away, heading to open it while Winter continued to watch him as he took a tray from James when something tugged at the back of her mind.

And then she remembered.

Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on her bag, tossed onto the couch.

Slowly, she got up and made her way over, fishing out her phone and charger.

The moment she plugged it in, her screen lit up with numerous notifications. But before she could check them, something else caught her eye.

An app she didn’t remember installing.

‘A tracking app.’

Her expression turned subtle and she turned the phone around, showing him the screen. “So this is how you keep a tab on me.”

Kalix halted mid-step, his expression unreadable.

For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words.

Winter’s grip tightened around the phone. “You put a tracker on my phone, didn’t you?”

Kalix didn’t deny it. He simply met her gaze, unapologetic, and Winter wasn’t sure whether she should feel betrayed or… something else entirely.