No Divorce? The Billionaire's Love Chase! novel Chapter 266

"Claudia, have you even counted how long it's been since you've had a proper meal at home?" York asked.

She pushed him aside to get her shoes. "If you're lonely eating by yourself, you can always ask Ann and your son to join you."

The change was immediate; York's expression cooled. Claudia bit her lip. "Or I could call Peter and Master Sayer to keep you company," she offered.

She reached for the door, but York grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. "It's been too long since we've eaten together, just the two of us. I'll book a restaurant for tonight. I can pick you up after work."

Claudia felt like York hadn't been thinking clearly lately. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded decisively. "Have Wilma come over to cook. I'll be home early."

Her clear answer seemed to ease the tension in his face. His gaze drifted from her eyes down to her lips, to the softness he craved. He tightened his grip on her waist and slowly leaned in.

The warmth of his breath drew near, and Claudia instinctively turned her head away.

York froze for a second before subtly releasing her. The door opened and closed, leaving him standing motionless in the foyer. They hadn't been intimate since the morning she'd been drugged. She was wary of his proximity, recoiled from his touch, and evaded his advances. No matter how hard he tried, she remained on high alert.

That evening, when York returned from work, Wilma had prepared a lavish dinner. "Wilma, you can pack up and head home now," York said.

He selected a bottle of wine from the cabinet and poured half of it into a decanter.

As he entered the dining room, he saw a plate of matcha truffles on the table. He stared at them, and the image of Claudia's breakdown flashed through his mind. After he had personally made that blueberry cake for Ann James and her son, Claudia hadn't touched a single matcha truffle.

Throughout the meal, he sat in stony silence, not eating or drinking, his face a thundercloud. He finally managed to outlast them, and after they had both showered and were ready for bed, the phone rang.

It was Rock, calling Claudia to say he was having nightmares and couldn't sleep. He asked her to bring up some of her aromatherapy blends.

Claudia sighed, got out of bed, and found the special blend she had made for him. But as she went to change, York blocked the doorway to the walk-in closet.

"Don't look at me like you're about to eat me alive," she said wearily. "Patients are like the elderly and children—they're vulnerable. You have to humor them."

Yanking the aromatherapy diffuser from her hand, York muttered with a dark look, "Get some rest. I'll go deal with him."