Chapter 396
Chapter 396
As she neared the ground, fear gripped her heart. It wasn't about falling to her death. No, it was seeing Connor standing there, steady as a rock, arms wide open, his eyes both firm and gentle. She feared he might get hurt because of her.
But her fears didn't come to pass. Chloe landed safely in Connor's arms. In that split second, he wrapped his arms around her waist almost instinctively. The momentum spun them around a few times, her feet never touching the ground. It felt like they were waltzing.
Eventually, they came to a stop. Chloe's cheek rested against Connor's chest. She could hear his heartbeat clearly-steady and strong, but faster than usual. She knew he had been just as nervous.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
Connor held her tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into himself. For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still. If only it could.
Chloe quickly gathered her senses. "We can easily be spotted here; we need to leave, fast."
Connor let her go but immediately cupped her face and planted a firm kiss on her lips. "Let's go,” he said, releasing her.
Chloe didn't dwell on the kiss. Both of them were overwhelmed by the relief of surviving a dangerous situation. They left the garden hand in hand and soon reached a busier area.
Pax was back, panting and leaning against a palm tree. Normally sweet and mild-mannered, he was now cursing under his breath.
Juztin seemed in high spirits. He had been taking a walk on the beach and approached Pax when he saw him. Lovebot was buzzing around above their heads.
Connor turned to Chloe. "From now on, stay close to Pax."
Chloe nodded. “And you stay within my sight either.”
Connor's lips curved into a smile. "Silly, don't worry about me."
They walked toward the others.
Pax was furious when he saw
Connor. He had run back on foot—a ten-kilometer distance in under thirty
minutes. Don't ask how he he
broke the world record. It was
el
because a brown bear had suddenly appeared out of the forest and chased him.
Juztin greeted them as they approached. "Where have you all been? I've been looking for you forever."
Still catching his breath, Pax asked, "Juztin, why were you looking for us?"
“Faith and Diana went to the Wildlife Safari Park. I wanted to see if you guys wanted to join them."
Connor furrowed his brows. "What did you say?"
Juztin explained, "Isn't there a big Wildlife Safari Park here? Diana was upset and kept crying. Faith wanted to distract her, so she took her to the park and asked me to wait here for you guys. Let's go too. I heard it's fun. Content belongs to
Pax, traumatized by the bear encounter, said, "I'm not going. Just seeing wild animals now makes my legs freeze."
Chloe noticed Connor's serious expression. She knew what he was worried about. He feared this might be another of Claire's schemes.
Without a word, Connor started walking. Chloe followed. "I'm coming with you."
Naturally, Juztin followed too. Pax eventually resigned himself and followed as well.
Connor and Chloe's concerns were
justified. As soon as they reached the entrance of the Wildlife Safari Park, they saw Faith running out, distraught. "Something... something terrible has happened..."