CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: CHERISH IT WELL

"I brought it back!" Chloe Preston smiled, her expression gentle and captivating, her eyes sparkling. "After all, you gave it to me."

Donovan Xavier’s dark eyes were profound as he watched her quietly, finally unable to stop himself from asking, "If you wanted my flowers, why did you accept someone else’s?"

"Oh, you mean that bouquet of jasmine?" Chloe Preston said. "A patient’s family gave them to me to thank me."

Donovan Xavier was stunned. So it wasn’t a gift from that doctor in the white coat?

He leaned a little closer, his voice coaxing. "So, are you still in contact with that doctor?"

"Which doctor?" The alcohol was starting to get to Chloe Preston. She frowned, her mind a total blur.

Donovan’s handsome face darkened, a nameless anger flaring up. "Chloe Preston, don’t play dumb with me. The one at the hospital who asked you to dinner!"

Chloe Preston thought for a moment, shaking her woozy head. "Oh, you mean Aiden Jenson?"

"We’re just colleagues. There’s nothing going on between us. You’re overthinking things."

"Really?" Donovan pressed. "Then why were you two standing so close outside the hospital today?"

Chloe Preston’s pretty little face scrunched up in displeasure. "How were we close? Wasn’t it just a normal social distance?"

As she spoke, she leaned in and gave his handsome cheek a light peck, her smile drunken. "This is what you call close."

Hearing her words, the tension in Donovan Xavier’s brow eased slightly.

"Are you still angry?" Chloe Preston asked, her small hands wrapping around his neck, her eyes shimmering.

Donovan Xavier lowered his head until his forehead gently rested against hers, his smile tender and affectionate. "How could I possibly stay angry when you’re being so well-behaved?"

Chloe Preston laughed, a laugh that was both cute and radiantly charming.

The next moment, her hands came up to cup his handsome face, and she stole a quick peck near his lips. It was fleeting, as delicate as a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water.

But it was enough to send Donovan Xavier’s heart into complete chaos. He gritted his teeth lightly, nearly losing control.

He smiled. "You’re certainly much more enthusiastic when you’re drunk."

Chloe Preston, lost in a drunken haze, thought he was praising her. She straightened up and swiftly kissed his cheek again.

Donovan Xavier was clearly enjoying it, a contented smile playing on his lips, yet he feigned a frown. "Chloe Preston, have a little self-restraint."

"No. Didn’t you say a woman should be more proactive?" As she spoke, Chloe Preston’s hands tightened around his neck. She leaned her head in to kiss his handsome face, utterly unrestrained and brazen.

She gazed at the face before her, a face that could make any woman’s heart pound, and was lost in the sight. Her eyes sparkled with a smile. "Donovan Xavier, you’re so handsome!"

Donovan Xavier was taken aback for a second before raising an eyebrow and giving a lazy smile. "And... compared to that Aiden Jenson?"

Chloe Preston’s eyes lit up as she blurted out, "You’re more handsome."

Sometimes, Chloe Preston really did wonder if she had been unable to forget him for four long years simply because he was so devastatingly handsome and charming.

Donovan Xavier was very satisfied with her answer. His eyes danced with unbridled joy and a thrum of emotion. He lowered his head and gently kissed her pretty, flushed face.

He gazed at her, his dark eyes deep, and said with a low laugh, "Well, this handsome man is yours now."

"Chloe Preston, you have to cherish me."

Chloe was still drunk; his words went in one ear and out the other. Still, she nodded her head like a little chick pecking at grain. Then, she lifted her head again, beaming, and moved to hug him.

Donovan Xavier leaned back to avoid her touch, using his hand to hold her still. "Alright, that’s enough. Control yourself and stop fooling around."

She was completely drunk, not the least bit sober, and he didn’t want to touch her like this. It would feel like he was taking advantage of her.

Chloe Preston, however, was not pleased. She frowned, her pretty, bright-eyed face puffed up in a pout as she made a move to kiss his Adam’s apple.

Donovan Xavier easily held her back. "Stop messing around."

"If you want this, we can talk about it when you’re sober."

Chloe grew frantic. "No, I want it now!"

It was rare for her to say something so audacious. Donovan Xavier was so stunned that a faint blush crept onto his handsome face.

His voice deepened. "Chloe Preston, if you keep this up, don’t blame me for not being gentle."

Chloe Preston didn’t seem to understand, merely humming an "Oh." Then, she tried to kiss him again, tugging at his sleep robe. She was acting like a tipsy, unreasonable little bandit throwing a tantrum.

Sigh, he was truly helpless against her. He admitted defeat.

Chloe Preston succeeded in planting a kiss by his lips and smiled, feeling incredibly content and satisfied.

She lay back down and let out a lazy yawn. "So sleepy..." she mumbled, smacking her lips softly.

Donovan Xavier lay down beside her and carefully tucked her in. He pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin in the warm, fragrant crook of her neck. "You’re not allowed to be sleepy!" he said, his tone a little petulant.

Chloe Preston thought his body felt very warm and instinctively snuggled closer into his embrace. She closed her eyes and murmured with a tipsy giggle, "So warm... so comfy."

Donovan Xavier was speechless.

Suddenly, she flung one leg over his powerful thigh and wrapped her arms tightly around his firm waist. Her posture was both brazen and domineering.

"Goodnight."

She was being surprisingly polite, even remembering to wish him goodnight.

"Chloe Preston," the man called her name.

The air fell silent.

Heh. She really fell asleep in an instant. She had lit a fire in him, and now she was fast asleep. How dare she!

Donovan Xavier’s face was dark as he ground his teeth in frustration.

「The next morning.」

Chloe Preston’s brows furrowed slightly as her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly woke up. She had been drinking last night, and now her head throbbed. Her eyes were drowsy and still clouded with a bit of confusion.

She shifted slightly, only to find herself lying in a man’s embrace—warm and strong, making her feel incredibly secure.

The man was still asleep. His brow was smooth, his handsome face peaceful. He lacked his usual daytime air of noble aloofness, looking much gentler.

Nestled in his arms, Chloe Preston watched him for a moment before gently rubbing her forehead. What happened last night? She seemed to have had a blackout, with no memory of the previous night at all. She remembered that he had been angry yesterday, and she had planned on coaxing him. She hoped she hadn’t done anything outrageous.

"Awake?"

A deep, lazy voice, one that was familiar to her very bones, suddenly came from above her.

Chloe Preston looked up and met the man’s profound gaze.

Donovan Xavier’s eyelids were half-lowered, a hint of a smile playing in his pitch-black eyes as he stared at her for a long moment.

"Why are you staring at me?" Chloe Preston asked.

Donovan Xavier raised an eyebrow. "I can’t even look? You weren’t like this last night."