Ambergris Locakboxes Traveled Salt Routes by Hugh Calder 136
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty–Six: Do You Love Corren?
Agat, Dreston kissed her without breaking the kiss.
For a second, Cassienne didn’t even realize what was happening. Her back met the cool surface of one of the lab desks, and he settled her there gently, but the intensity in him was anything but gentle.
He kissed her again and deeper, as if he had been starving for this.
His hands slid from her waist upward, fingers pressing into her sides, then higher, until they curved over her breasts.
He squeezed them and Cassienne’s eyes flew open. The haze shattered instantly, and reality crashed back in.
She pushed against his chest.
“No.” Her voice trembled. “I can’t.”
He leaned closer, breath warm against her cheek. “Cassienne, please-
“No.” She shook her head, sliding her palms between them and forcing space. “We shouldn’t do this. It’s not right.”
Her voice was firmer now, though her body still betrayed the heat of moments ago.
“You’ll be cheating on Tina,” she said, swallowing hard. “And I’ll be cheating on Corren. Please… understand.” 1
The name hit him like a slap.
Corren.
Even now. Even here. She was still talking about another man.
Cassienne quickly slipped off the desk, her heels hitting the polished floor. She straightened her blouse, avoiding his eyes, and started toward the glass door.
She needed air, distance and clarity.
“Do you love him?”
His voice stopped her mid–step. And she froze,
For a moment, she didn’t want to answer. She didn’t want to have this conversation, not here, not now. They were already standing on a dangerous edge.
She inhaled slowly.
She needed him stable. She needed peace. She needed this month to go smoothly for her mother.
Fighting him now would ignite something neither of them could afford.
She turned slowly.
“Dreston, please,” she said softly. “Don’t do this now.”
But something in him had shifted. For the first time in years, Dreston allowed himself to be selfish.
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty–Six Do You Love Corren?
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He crossed the distance in two strides and pinned her gently but firmly against the wall beside the glass panels. His hand braced beside her head. The other rested at her waist, not rough, but unyielding.
“I know what I was to you,” he said, voice low and raw. “I know what I did.”
She tried to push him away, but he was stronger. Not in a violent way, but just… immovable.
“I am sorry,” he continued. “I am sorry that I hurt you that much.”
Cassienne looked away, jaw tightening.
“Let me go.
>>
“But now,” he pressed on, his voice breaking slightly, “I regret everything.”
She refused to look at him.
“And do you know why?”
She stayed silent.
His fingers tightened slightly at her waist. “Because I finally realized that I truly love you.”
Her breath caught. She closed her eyes. And the tears finally came, it was slipping down her cheeks.
“Yes,” he continued, his forehead almost touching hers. “I love you, Cassienne. I know you don’t believe me. I know I don’t deserve your trust. But it’s the truth.”
Her shoulders trembled.
“Give me a chance,” he whispered. “Let me make everything right. I promise I won’t hurt you ever again.”
She sniffled, lifting her hand to wipe her face with the back of it.
Silence stretched between them.
Her heart was pounding. Her mind was spinning. Her past was screaming. Her present was trembling.
Finally, she nodded faintly.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Hope flickered in his eyes.
“But can we talk about this when we get home?” she added quickly. “This isn’t the place. This isn’t the time.”
Her voice steadied.
“This conversation deserves more than… this.”
Home.
The word echoed in him.
Home.
For a second, he allowed himself to hold onto that. He stepped back slowly, releasing her.
She drew in a deep breath, steadying herself, smoothing her blouse again.
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty–Six Do You Love Corren?
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The lab suddenly felt too bright. Too exposed. She moved toward the glass door again.
But he wasn’t done.
“I asked you something,” he said quietly behind her.
Then she paused.
“Do you love Corren?”
This time, she turned fully. Her eyes were clearer now. Still damp, but stronger.
“I would rather not use the word love,” she said carefully.
His chest tightened.
“But I do like him,” she continued. “A lot.”
The honesty didn’t come with an apology. It came with dignity. His expression went unreadable.
She held his gaze for one final second, then turned and walked out of the lab.
Leaving him standing there alone between regret and hope. Between the past he ruined and the future he was desperate to rebuild.
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