Chapter 363 Gabriel's Arm Reached Past Her Ear
Water droplets slid down Gabriel's toned torso, disappearing at the edge of his towel.
Fresh out of the shower, Gabriel was drying his hair when he spotted Jessica in his room. Their eyes met, and Jessica quickly looked away, blushing all the way to her ears.
Gabriel's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he noticed the spare room card in her hand. He walked toward her, towel in hand.
"Don't come any closer!" Jessica turned away, covering half her face with her hand.
Gabriel's cold eyes fixed on her. "Why are you doing here?"
Jessica frowned. "How should I know? Isn't this my room? The film crew booked it for me!"
Gabriel paused, seeing her tense posture. "Are you going to keep talking to me with your back turned? Turn around. It's not like you haven't seen it before."
She clenched her fist, thinking, 'Yeah, we've seen it all before. We had sex, even after breaking up. We're adults. No need to be awkward.'
She turned around, her eyes landing on Gabriel's well-defined chest and handsome face. She quickly shifted her gaze to a wall cabinet next to him.
"Let me see the room card," Gabriel said, not wasting words.
Jessica handed him the card, still staring at the wall cabinet. "Can you put on some clothes before we talk?"
Gabriel glanced at the card, his eyes calm and indifferent. "I was showering, and you barged in. Be glad I'm wearing a towel. What right do you have to ask me to put on clothes?"
Jessica closed her eyes, then looked directly at his face. "The film crew booked this room for me! I didn't barge in!"
Gabriel handed the card back. "You're in the wrong room."
'How could I be in the wrong room?' she thought. 'The film crew booked this room for me with my ID. This is the 22nd floor; I can't be wrong.'
She snatched the card back, checked it again, and said, "Room 2210, see? I'm not in the wrong room!"
Jessica's stubbornness flared up, making further explanation pointless. Gabriel turned to get his room card when the doorbell rang urgently.
Jessica seized the chance to look away from Gabriel and rushed to open the door.
A hotel staff member in uniform, with a name tag indicating she was the front desk manager, stood there. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Our staff made a mistake and didn't verify your ID before giving you the room card. You're not supposed to be in room 2210. That card belongs to another guest."
Jessica was confused. 'What mistake? Wrong room card? I am not supposed to be here? If this isn't my room, then it's Gabriel's? Who's the other woman?'
She stared blankly at the manager until an arm reached out and closed the door.
Gabriel's presence loomed behind her. She turned quickly, almost bumping into him. His arm retracted from the door, and he stepped back, giving her some space.
Jessica's lips curled slightly, her eyes emotionless. "Did you hear that? The hotel gave me the wrong room card. I took another woman's card by mistake. It's not my fault. If you want to blame someone, blame the hotel staff!"
The words "another woman" made her smile widen, her eyes narrowing. She turned to leave and didn't forget to say, "Sorry for disturbing your time with another lady."
Just as she was about to open the door again, a large hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
The force was strong, and she couldn't dodge in time.
The doorbell kept ringing as the hotel manager persistently pressed it, trying to get her to leave. Jessica stumbled as Gabriel pulled her away from the door.
Still reeling from Gabriel's rejection, she turned to him. "What are you doing?"
"I will blame the hotel, but not now." Gabriel pulled her away from the door before letting go. "Normally, I stay here when I come to Stellaria City for business, and I've never encountered this situation, nor have I ever had any roommates."
Jessica's expression didn't change, but she clearly didn't want to stay too close to him, especially with Gabriel's shirtless upper body. The familiar scent was too close. She moved two steps to the side to keep her distance.
Seeing her avoidance, Gabriel didn't say anything. He finally picked up a shirt from the sofa and put it on. Although he didn't button it, it made Jessica feel a bit more comfortable.
The faint heat under her skin finally had a chance to dissipate.
