Chapter 54
“No, I learned from my father’s friend.”
At the thought of a man touching Adele’s body, adjusting her pose as she studied how to shoot, Noah’s stomach churned. He brushed his fingers against her arm, as if to remove an imaginary speck of dust that offended his eyes.
As he touched the soft flesh, he could feel her thin bones. She felt like a porcelain doll that would break if he exerted even just little bit more force.
Darn it, I really need to be more careful when holding her in the future. Noah thought hard as he lightly massaged her wrist.
Adele thought he was looking for wounds so she reiterated, “I’m all right, I’m not injured anywhere.”
“Mm, I know.” He caressed her hand with his thumb, “Do you have any thoughts of learning how to shoot again?”
“Yes?”
“Learn from me.”
He could touch her arm or hug her from behind with an excuse of ‘teaching her how to shoot’. As a bonus, he would get to have lunch with her and spend more time together. Isn’t this what they would call ‘killing two birds with one stone’? As Noah smiled, Adele skin crawled as she felt something sinister was about to come and pulled her arm out.
“I have long passed the age to effectively learn. I would not be able to absorb anything new. By the way, I have something I wanted to say—”
He cut her off, “I think it would be nice if you say you want to learn how to shoot, at least one hour a day.”
“I won’t.” then she added, “But, uhm… thank you.”
“Hm? Didn’t you already thank me earlier?”
“It’s not that…” Feeling self-conscious, Adele cleared her throat. “About the nights before. You must’ve had a hard time because I wasn’t in my right mind.”
“…”
“Thank you… for taking care of me.”
It was so mortifying that Adele was flushed from her ears to the nape of her neck. Noah watched her reddening and licked his lips.
Now you did it, and now I want you. His eyes were filled with passion and a raging desire to make love. I want to suck you dry and devour you with kisses until you are left gasping for air.
But he had no choice but to hide it for now. Instead, he opened his mouth.
“With your words alone?”
Adele blinked, “Sorry?”
“You should give me a reward—” Noah smiled and lowered his head, narrowing the gap between their lips. “—as I did take care of you that day.”
Adele looked suspiciously at his approaching face. His lashes fluttering eagerly with the corners of his mouth slightly raised. It was the kind expression a boy would make when he jokes with a girl he likes.
“Ah?” Adele realized something, but found it incredulous.
This man likes me. Why? Since when? He clearly hated me when I was his sister-in-law. But now? Come to think of it, it is strange. He enjoyed… having s*x with me. Would this be possible if he actually hated me?
He even listened very kindly to her when they went out for a picnic, he took care of her when she was drugged, and when she was stuck in a rut, didn’t he come from the Imperial Palace to save her?
She ruminated to herself and thought back on her memories.
For two years, he always had a cold look talked rudely to her. But now…
Adele’s body heated up when she saw the gaze of a man who wanted a woman. A man who wanted her. Since when has this person been like this? It couldn’t have possibly started two years ago since he was so cold to me back then. But he’s been surprisingly kind to me after our first night.
“Aren’t you going to give me a reward?”
“…”
“Then I’m taking it by myself.”
Noah poked Adele’s cheeks. It was softer than it looked, he felt a little addicted to the feeling and wanted to touch it more.
Damn, really want to bite and suck.
She grabbed his face and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Noah was stunned and his body stiffened drastically.
He thought it was a dream.
Adele quickly lowered her hand and slithered out of his arms. The people who came to see the circus had already went far away, the streets had already long hushed into silence.
Feeling shy and wanting to run away, Adele mumbled, “I… have a lot to buy.”
Dodging Noah’s questioning gaze, Adele hastily turned around and scampered away.
Adele was embarrassed of her actions and couldn’t wait to get away from Noah.
His heart may change in the future. But for now, let’s just let him in.
Even with those thoughts, she still walked quickly.
Noah, dumbstruck and frozen in disbelief, abruptly came to his senses and followed after her.
“More.” He pestered, “Give me more.”
“I have a lot to buy!”
“You made me so hard that day, I almost died.”
Adele burst out laughing when Noah, who was usually cold and unfeeling, acted so petulantly.
He sure is a man who knows how to bluff.
So, she turned around and told him, “What do you mean, ‘hard’? I know you liked it.”
Noah put his hands in his pockets and said in a relaxed voice, a crooked smile emerging from his lips. “So, you’re aware of everything that happened that day? I thought you couldn’t remember anything.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Adele immediately regretted she couldn’t control her mouth better.