Chapter 27

Hoo, why was she trembling like this?

She was more nervous about what was to come.

Surely, they wouldn’t just swim in the pool.

She wasn’t afraid, but she couldn’t feel at ease.

Was it a floating sensation?

Adela checked the knot of her robe again for no reason. Her skin already felt sensitive. The smooth fabric brushing against her with each step was stimulating.

Before leaving the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Cheeks tinged with a light blush, blue eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The red mark she’d hidden under her clothes during the day stood out against her pale skin. Adela gently stroked the red mark left by passion with her finger.

A subtle shiver ran through her. She recalled the heat of that day, when the mark was left on her body.

She was looking forward to it.

She’d thought of it as an act she had to perform for the sake of perfect pretense, but now her heart trembled with anticipation.

It was because Braden’s acting was too perfect.

From yesterday until today, he’d been so sweet and alluring that it melted her heart.

“Will you show me the bedroom arts you learned?”

She remembered what he’d said.

He hadn’t even given her a chance, and yet…

Perhaps once during their contract she might display them—if she even had the presence of mind.

Adela finished her thoughts and left the bathroom.

Splash, splash.

She heard the sound of water. He must have started swimming first.

When she stepped outside to the pool, the fragrance of blooming flowers filled the air. It felt as if she were in a small forest lake.

Under the moonlight and the soft lighting, the water shimmered beautifully. She saw him cutting through the water. His back muscles, highlighted by the light, stood out with every movement.

He wasn’t wearing the robe.

She’d expected as much. He wasn’t the type to be obedient.

His confidence bordered on arrogance, but it suited him well.

The water droplets falling from his wet platinum hair looked like silver jewels. The droplets traced down his body.

Watching his arms, back, waist, and thighs move as he swam, Adela couldn’t help but admire him.

She hadn’t known a man’s body could be so beautiful and sensual.

His body and the way he swam were works of art.

Adela sat on a round sunbed with a soft mat in front of her, intending to watch him swim a little longer.

On the small table, there was a glass of orange sangria with ice and some simple snacks.

She was thirsty.

Probably from nerves.

Adela poured herself a glass of sangria to both quench her thirst and calm her nerves. The fresh, fragrant sweetness spread through her mouth.

He turned and swam toward Adela.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

He swept his wet hair back with his hand. The lighting cast deep shadows, accentuating his sharp features and straight nose.

Even wet, he was an incredibly handsome man. She could lose track of time just watching him.

“Just let me finish this.”

Adela slowly drank the rest of her sangria.

He propped his chin on the edge of the pool, watching her drink.

“Stop staring.”

She felt pressured to hurry up and finish.

“I don’t want to.”

He smiled sweetly, staring even more intently at her.

Another smile attack.

His smile was sweeter than the sangria.

“Want a drink? It tastes good.”

“Only if you feed me with your mouth.”

At his playful words, Adela shook her head as if she couldn’t handle him.

“Then don’t drink.”

“So prim.”

Amused, he chuckled softly. The way his eyes narrowed lazily was decadent.

Just that alone made the atmosphere between them heat up. Her stomach fluttered.

At last, her glass was empty. She had no more excuses.

Adela set down her glass and walked down the steps into the pool. The pleasantly warm water wrapped around her body.

“What’s the difference between a robe and being n*ked, anyway?”

Braden pulled her close as soon as her feet touched the pool.

The thin, wet fabric clung to her full chest, slim waist, and hips, revealing her beautiful figure.

His arousal, which he’d managed to half-hide, sprang up immediately.

“See? Your n*pples are showing through—almost like they’re begging to be touched.”

Braden gently rubbed her hardened n*pple through the clinging fabric with his thumb.

“Mm.”

“And your hips are on display too. It’s even more provocative than being n*ked.”

The robe, which should have come down to her thighs, floated up in the water, exposing her hips.

Braden grabbed her soft, pale hips, visible even underwater.

“Mm, Braden, stop.”

A wet, sensual moan slipped from her red, flower-like lips.

It was almost maddeningly seductive.

“Oh, right. Your hips are sensitive, aren’t they?”

With a mischievous expression, Braden kneaded the firm flesh in his palm.

He felt as if he’d go crazy. Now that he finally had her, he wanted her so much.

“Stop, ha, I want to swim.”

She pushed against Braden’s chest with her hand. There was no strength in it. He could have let her go, but he couldn’t now.

At first, he’d intended to let her swim since she wanted to.

But he couldn’t do it. The desire he’d suppressed since yesterday exploded. Just holding her like this was so stimulating his skin tingled.

All his senses focused on her.

He thought he was patient, but maybe not. He couldn’t even wait for the short time it would take her to swim.

“Who said you couldn’t? We can swim and kiss at the same time.”

Her black hair, tied up, her luminous white skin, and those maddeningly red lips.

He couldn’t resist touching her.

Braden cupped her cheeks with both hands. His touch was gentle, despite his burning desire. She always seemed so delicate, as if she’d crumble like a flower petal if he pressed too hard.

Braden softly sucked her upper and lower lips in turn, then released them. His tongue, warm and gentle, tasted sweet and fragrant.

“Delicious.”

Braden smacked his lips, then licked hers with his tongue.

“Told you. The sangria tastes good.”

Her lowered voice was as rich as wine.

“No, not that—your lips.”

Braden kissed her again. His tongue slipped inside, exploring her teeth, palate, and the soft flesh within, as if trying to drink up all her sweetness. The taste and their heated breaths mingled as one.

“You really are a bad woman.”

Braden muttered against her lips.

“What did I do?”

Adela, breathless from the kiss, panted.

“You know how much I want you, and yet you keep talking about swimming. You’re torturing me.”

“Torturing you?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know. I’ve been showing it since yesterday—obviously, blatantly.”

Braden gently bit her lower lip and let go.

“You said it was all just acting.”

“Who said that? That it’s only an act?”

“…?”

“Wanting you isn’t an act, Adela.”

Braden’s heated body proved his words.

“You said a scandal won’t seem real unless we go all the way.”

“And that I’m like some beast who can’t control himself?”

“….”

“It’s not like this with anyone else. Only with you.”

“….”

“Only you make me burn like this. That’s why I agreed. Because I wanted you. I chose you. Do you understand?”

It was strange.

It wasn’t a confession of love, and yet, even as he used such crude words, her heart ached and felt full.

She liked that he desired her so much.

“I wish you’d be just as eager for me, Adela.”

He smiled seductively, his eyes narrowing.

“So I wish you’d rush at me, sucking my lips, my chest, and even down there, just as much as I want you.”

His eyes smiled so beautifully, but his mouth was so shameless.

“Why do you choose such words?”

Adela frowned in disapproval.

“What?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“What part? Down there? Wanting? Needing?”

“All of it. Stop.”

As he listed those expl*cit words, Adela’s eyes reddened.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“So you’ll remember.”

“What?”

“Other men will only use elegant words with a noble Princess. Every time you’re in another man’s arms, you’ll think of me. No one else will have what I have, so you’ll keep thinking of me.”

“Oh, really.”

Adela shook her head, pushed him away, and glided through the water to put some distance between them.

She sighed, but embarrassingly, every time he spoke, she felt herself twitch below. If not for the water, he’d have noticed that she was aroused.

“You still want to swim in this situation?”

Braden followed, looking incredulous.

“My ears feel dirty—I need to wash them out.”

Adela floated on her back, looking up at the moon.

“I’ll clean them for you. Your ears, your lips, everything. Or maybe you should clean my dirty mouth.”

“Just shut up.”

For the first time, something rough came out of Adela’s mouth.

Ah, she’d already been influenced by him.

But why did she feel like laughing?

Her face was cooled by the night breeze, her skin wrapped in the gentle water.

Swimming under the moon, exchanging crude words with a man—she felt a strange sense of freedom.

He’d been like this from the start. He awakened sensations she’d never felt before.

Just a moment ago, she’d been so embarrassed, but now she was looking forward to what would happen next.

No doubt, he would give her dizzying, thrilling, and perhaps entirely new sensations.

As she drifted, the knot of the belt around her waist loosened. She felt the gown slip away from her body.

Adela made no move to catch it. The water glided smoothly over her bare skin, caressing her like a lover’s hand.

Heat surged within her.

She stopped swimming and met his gaze from across the pool.

In his burning eyes, her heart stirred.

〈To Volume 2〉