Chapter 144 Finding Loopholes

Cosette let out a moan into Maxen's mouth, almost out of breath, as he devoured her lips without a pause. She shivered as she felt his heated palm on her hips, slipping under her top ever so slowly.

His palm was hot to the touch, transferring the heat under her skin. Her chest moved in and out heavily, anticipating another passionate time with him. But just as Cosette was giggling evilly in her head, Maxen reluctantly peeled his lips from her.

He rested his forehead against her, hand squeezing her hip mildly. Unlike the last time, her nightwear was so thin and so easy to take off. But alas, he had to reluctantly stop himself.

"Forgiven," he breathed out heavily, still catching up to his breathing. Since he had his eyes closed with his forehead against hers, he didn't notice the frown that appeared on her face.

"So soon?" she blurted out in a tiny voice, feeling his grip around her hips tighten.

With great reluctance, Maxen pushed himself away from her. Hovering over her, he stared at her flustered face and finally saw her disappointed frown.

"We can't do it," he stressed through his gritted teeth, clutching the sheet right beside her ear. "Cozie, do you have any idea it takes every ounce of my energy to stop myself? Don't force me to break my promise to your father."

"What promise?"

This time, Maxen froze. He stared at the genuine wonder in her eyes, biting his tongue.

"Did you tell my dad that we're dating?" she gasped, clutching his chest tightly. Horror filled her eyes when he remained silent, keeping his lips into a thin slash. His silence was enough for her to get the answer she needed.

Maxen snitched himself! No, the two of them!

Maxen let out a deep sigh, pushing himself away from her until he was sitting upright. Meanwhile, Cosette also propped her elbows against the mattress to sit up, facing him squarely.

"You told him?" she asked once more.

"I'm sorry, Cozie." Maxen ran his fingers through his tousled hair. "I tried to keep it a secret, but my conscience doesn't let me sleep at night. You and your father took me in with open arms, and despite that, I am… unworthy, he treated me with the same respect he had for his business partners. I can't disrespect him by keeping our relationship a secret. He deserved to know that from me since I'm the man."

Cosette pursed her lips into a thin line. "Well, I should've known you wouldn't be able to keep it a secret from him."

"I'm sorry."

"So, what did he say?" she asked, not dwelling on other things since there was nothing that could be done. Her question, however, caused his brows to raise. "What sort of promise did he ask you?"

"Aren't you going to ask if he was angry?"

"He won't be angry since he knows I like you very ton much," she explained with a tiny voice. "Moreover, that works better for him too! At least, he already knew what sort of man I'm going to marry instead of welcoming a total stranger into his territory. He might as well groom the man who will take care of his daughter, rather than worry to death if I even married a good man. It's the problem with having wealth in your name, you know? The only true love people have is their love for money and power."

Cosette bit her tongue when silence followed her remarks. That sounded so wrong if someone looked at it in the eyes of the law. Also, it sounded like they were grooming Maxen just so they could keep their wealth! That was definitely not their plan!

"Don't misunderstand our intention. I just want to know what sort of promise he asked, and you gave him," she continued, clearing her throat before silence overtook them completely.

"For what?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

'To find a loophole, obviously.' This time, she managed to bite her tongue to stop herself from selling herself out.

"Just… curious," she answered. "Just tell me what you two talked about, hmm?"

Maxen narrowed his eyes, observing the curiosity in her eyes. A helpless exhale escaped his nostrils after several seconds.

"He told me to preserve your chastity until the wedding night," he confessed. "That is, in case we break up, you could've kept your… chastity. I agreed, so even if I wanted to touch you, I can only do kisses…" — but kisses felt more like sweet torture since his body, mind, heart, and soul wanted more than just a kiss.

How conflicting.

Maxen raised a hand and wiped her slightly swollen lips with his thumb. "I really like you, Cosette," he blurted out under his breath but didn't feel the need to be embarrassed about it.

"And because of that, I want to protect you from anyone, even from myself. I want to respect the sacredness of marriage and everything along with it. That includes you," he added bitterly, sighing, dropping his hand to the side.

"Max…" Cosette's eyes softened as his resolution moved her heart, but at the same time, her brain was screaming, 'I don't need such respect! Just disrespect me!!'

She knew how hard it was to keep it in. She glanced down and caught his bulge despite how loose his sweatpants were. When Cosette raised her head, Maxen also looked back at her as if he wasn't enduring any pain down there.

"He didn't say we can't do other things, right?" she asked, watching his brows knit. "I mean, he just wants to preserve my virginity. That means no penetration."

"Cosette, what are you…?"

"I'm saying we can do other things." The side of her lips stretched until her pearly white teeth were showing. She didn't explain but reached for his hand. To his surprise, Cosette guided his hand to her bosom while keeping her eyes on him.

"You didn't promise we wouldn't touch each other, right?" she continued, guiding his hand to cup her breast. "Let's do some research, shall we? Else, we will have to wait for years until we're legal to get married. I'm not that patient."