When Love Is a Lie (Whitney and Damian) novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Done Savoring

Whitney felt frozen, her body stiff from head to toe. A fine layer of sweat formed on her back.

Noel did recognize her!

The driver had already opened the back door of the car. Noel didn't look at her again. He sat down inside, leaving the door open.

He was obviously waiting for her.

Feeling guilty, Whitney didn't want anyone to notice anything unusual, so she steeled herself and got into the car.

"Where to, Ms. Spencer?" the driver asked.

"Howard Group, please," Whitney replied.

After she spoke, the car fell into pin-drop silence.

She pressed herself against the car door, leaving enough space between her and Noel for another person to sit. The atmosphere was so awkward it was almost suffocating. Whitney curled her hands on her lap. "Thank you for saving me earlier."

Noel sat with his legs crossed while leaning against the back of the chair as he looked at the design drafts on his tablet. His dark casual attire did nothing to diminish his distinguished presence. For a long time, there was no reply.

That night was chaotic, and Whitney felt she should explain herself.

She gathered her courage, cleared her throat, and began, "I had too much to drink that night, so… I'm sorry."

She turned toward him, her palms a little sweaty. "Can you just pretend nothing—"

"Did you take the pill?" Noel suddenly interrupted her without even lifting his head.

"What?" Whitney was confused.

Noel finally lifted his head from his tablet. His deep, dark eyes behind silver-framed glasses met hers.

Up close and with the daylight, Whitney noticed how striking his eyes were. His long, dark lashes framed the deep pools of his pupils, alluring in their depth and pull.

Her gaze dropped. She noticed his Adam's apple slightly visible under the collar of his shirt, the solid build of his shoulders wrapped in the shirt, and the firm chest beneath.

In an instant, her memory was pulled back to that night. His narrow waist, the defined contours of his abs...

"Are you done savoring?"

Noel's voice broke through her thoughts. The dangerous look in his eyes, coupled with his half-smile, made Whitney's face burn with heat. She hurriedly looked out the window.

The car stopped at the roadside, and the driver got out to enter a nearby pharmacy.

In a moment, he came out with a plastic bag and handed it to Noel.

Whitney glanced at the bag before it was placed right in front of her.

"Take it when you get home," Noel said.

"It's for me?" Confused, she opened the bag. She bit her lip hard when she saw what was inside. It was the morning-after pill.

Lost in the moment, he hadn't used protection during the last round that night.

An awkward silence filled the car again. Whitney felt increasingly uncomfortable. "I'll take it," she muttered.

She recalled how he hadn't agreed earlier and brought it up again, "Can you just pretend that night never happened?"

Just then, Noel received a phone call.

Whitney had no choice but to wait until he was done.

A minute later, he hung up. Instead of answering her question, he coldly said, "We're not heading the same way. Get out."

He was the one who wanted to give her a ride, but now, he was saying it wasn't on his way?

Dropped off halfway down the road, Whitney watched Noel's car drive away. This man's mood was really unpredictable. She wasn't sure what she said that offended him.

But from his attitude, it seemed he didn't want anyone to know what had happened that night either. That meant they had an unspoken understanding, right?

The entire afternoon passed without Damian returning to the company. He called Whitney once, asking why she had left without waiting for him.