Chapter 284
Don't Resist Me
"Claire, don't resist me."
Hearing Julian Sterling say that, Claire Bennett felt guilty for no reason at all.
She truly wasn't doing it on purpose. It was just that fear, worry, and all kinds of emotions had piled together, causing the panic in her heart and making her instinctively reject his closeness.
Julian Sterling seemed determined to get close to Claire Bennett and make her get used to his presence as quickly as possible. He gently lifted her chin.
Then he slowly covered her soft lips with his.
Claire Bennett's body resisted, but inwardly she craved his closeness. With those two conflicting feelings at war inside her, she let the man kiss her more deeply.
Sensing Claire Bennett gradually relax, Julian Sterling couldn't help drawing even closer to her.
The repeated sucking left Claire Bennett limp all over, and she could only go soft in his arms.
A moment later, Julian Sterling let Claire Bennett go.
Because she couldn't catch her breath, her cheeks were bright red. She looked as tempting as a peach, making Julian Sterling want to kiss her again.
But Claire Bennett sensed what he intended, and she reached out to brace a hand against his chest.
"Julian Sterling... let's eat."
If this kept going, she wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.
Julian Sterling responded in a slightly husky voice, "Mm."
Once she was free, Claire Bennett flushed and fled into cooking like she was escaping, silently wanting to cry but having no tears.
Why did it feel like after moving in together, she'd somehow put herself in an impossible position?
She had to pick up the pace and investigate what happened at Kinley Estate!
Claire Bennett ate dinner with little appetite, and Julian Sterling naturally noticed. After they finished eating, he said, "Claire, can we have a proper talk?"
Claire Bennett froze for a moment.
She felt like Julian Sterling was about to lay everything out with her. Or maybe she'd made it too obvious. Normal men had needs too, and she couldn't keep being like this forever.
She gently closed her eyes for a moment and sighed inwardly.
Forget it. She would just tell him. She was going for broke!
The two of them sat down on the couch. Claire Bennett hung her head low, looking especially dejected and downcast.
She thought about where to start...
"Julian Sterling, that day I..."
Before Claire Bennett could finish, a bank card was held out in front of her.
Her words stopped abruptly.
"What's this?"
"A bank card."
"I know that. Why are you giving me a bank card?"
Julian Sterling curved his lips in a smile and said, "I know you want to buy a house. This is my payroll card. From now on, I'll leave it with you."
He had already arranged for the same salary amount as Marcus Reed, Wes Mercer, and the others to be deposited into the card every month.
Claire Bennett parted her lips in surprise. She hadn't expected that what Julian Sterling wanted to talk to her about was... handing over his household money?!
Oh my God! With that interruption from him, the courage she'd just worked up vanished without a trace.
Now she couldn't bring herself to say it anymore.
Julian Sterling said, "My salary isn't very high, but aside from my regular pay, there are also extra bonuses and benefits. It should be pretty decent."
"Uh..." Claire Bennett looked a little dazed. She said softly, "You don't have to give me the entire card. You can deduct your own monthly expenses first, then transfer the rest to me."
"No need. Sterling International provides meals, and I don't usually have any expenses."
Claire Bennett was speechless. Where was anyone supposed to find such a perfect man?
He was basically a walking ATM, handing over every cent he earned in full. It really was touching.
After saying that, Julian Sterling stood up. "You worked hard making dinner. Get some rest. I'll wash the dishes."
With that, he walked toward the kitchen.
Claire Bennett was still standing there in a daze. It took her quite a while to come back to herself.
Holy crap!
Wasn't Julian Sterling supposed to be talking to her about sex?
He was actually just handing over his payroll card to her?
But it was obvious Julian Sterling had already finished talking about that topic. If she brought it up again, wouldn't she just be shooting herself in the foot?
In the kitchen, Julian Sterling's lips curled slightly.
Just now, he'd only been testing the waters.
And he was very satisfied with the result.
Although Claire Bennett had resisted him a little just now, she hadn't rejected him. Maybe she really did just have some psychological trauma, and once that passed, everything would be fine.
He believed that over time, she would slowly start accepting him again.
That night, the two of them were getting ready to sleep.
Because of that little incident while cooking, Claire Bennett really was a little uneasy. Julian Sterling wasn't going to suddenly do that just because of a disagreement, was he?
She hesitated in the bathroom for a long time. In the end, she really couldn't stay in there any longer, so she finally opened the bathroom door and went out.
Julian Sterling was lying in bed reading, with only a bedside lamp on.
When he saw Claire Bennett come out, he closed the book and looked over at her.
Claire Bennett instantly froze in place like a cat with its throat grabbed, not daring to move.
Seeming to notice her stiffness, Julian Sterling softened his tone and said, "Why are you just standing there? Come here."
"Oh..."
Claire Bennett continued forward uneasily and carefully lay down beside him.
Suddenly, Julian Sterling reached out his hand. She immediately clutched the blanket tight, her breathing stalled, and her whole body tensed severely.
To her surprise, he only turned off the light, then rubbed her head and said softly, "Go to sleep. Good night."