Ella cursed under her breath when she realized that she had twisted the faucet to the wrong side and turned on the shower!
Suddenly, she stiffened when she heard the sound of footsteps outside.
There was one single knock.
Did Adrian King just knock on her door?
While she stood there in momentary astonishment, she forgot to respond to the person standing outside.
And in the next moment, the bathroom door that she hadn’t bothered to lock was pushed open by Adrian.
There was a hint of visible remorse and concern on his face.
Ella froze when the man walked up to her, not caring one bit if his expensive suit was completely soaked in the water.
He stood beside her under the shower and slowly examined her from head to toe.
Soon, Ella recovered from her daze when she realized what he was doing.
Was he... perhaps concerned that she would hurt herself like the last time?
Seeing the deep frown that was etched between his brows, Ella was suddenly reminded of the nightmare she had last night.
In that hospital, both Ji Yan and Ronan were in a sheer panic. The urgency on their faces was unforgettable. But who could be the patient in the emergency room that could elicit such a reaction from those two?
Looking at Adrian’s face, a wild guess formed in her mind. Could that person in the emergency room be none other than Adrian?
But she did not acknowledge it. It was just a nightmare no matter how real it felt.
While Adrian was examining Ella’s body closely, he suddenly felt a soft touch between his brows.
’’Don’t frown too much...’’ Ella mumbled in a soft voice as she smoothened the lines between his brows.
The glacier in Adrian’s eyes seemed to have cracked suddenly.
Both of them were standing under the shower, thoroughly drenched and awfully close.
Yet, each person was carrying their own thoughts.
Ella was almost a foot shorter than him so she had her chin tilted up to meet his gaze.
’’Our first night together...’’ Ella started suddenly, ’’I initiated it.’’
In her previous life, her memories had grown fuzzy but she still remembered that she had been to one to initiate everything after getting drunk.
Of course, she mistook him for Max back then and it caused a huge rift between them when she uttered that guy’s name on peak.
’’What happened that day in the mansion... it was an accident. I did not hurt myself on purpose. I would not hurt myself on purpose.’’
Adrian glanced at her deeply.
’’We might have our disagreements but in certain things, we both are consenting adults so you shouldn’t blame yourself unnecessarily.’’
No matter what, she didn’t want him to carry unnecessary burdens.
When she had a problem with him, she would tell him. And when she did not have one, she would tell him that too.
With his intense paranoia and overthinking tendencies, these things would only harm him in the long term.
Hence, it was just better to assure him because she meant it when she said she would sincerely try to work on their relationship with him.
The man did not respond to her words.
Ella suddenly realized that she still had her fingers pressed between his brows, gently caressing his frown that was non-existent now.
The man looked at her calmly.
’’Ahem... That’s all...’’ She cleared her throat and retracted her hand.
But suddenly her wrist was grabbed by the man.
’’Are you saying...’’ Adrian gazed at her deeply, ’’you wanted the kiss?"
With the clay mask washed off under the shower, her face gradually turned red.
It was visible to naked eyes this time, given the lack of the barrier.
As thick-skinned as Ella was, she was a bit flustered under that unflinching gaze.
’’You did not want it?" His gaze dimmed and he released her hand.
As she watched him frowning, she could almost hear his thoughts running wild even though he did not say a single word.
Ella sighed, and ran her fingers through her hair by the side of her head.
With a groan of frustration, she pulled his tie and wrapped it around her wrist. She placed her other palm on the back of his head.
Then she stood on her tiptoes.
With adequate support, she did not trip over like the way she did in front of the Eve Mansion last time.
Adrian froze when the girl leaned over, ’’I told you we are adults. What I do not want, I would tell you,’’ she whispered against his mouth before pressing her lips against his.
The soft and subtle fragrance of magnolias invaded his nose before he felt the softness of the girl’s lips against his own.
Like the skim of a dragonfly over water, the sensation was brief as she stepped back.
Under the shower, the two people stood, thoroughly drenched.
A moment of silence lingered around them.
Two composed words dropped broke the silence.
Adrian cupped the back of Ella’s neck, and twirled her around.
One moment, Ella was right under the shower.
And in the next moment, she was pinned against the wall.
Her words drowned in her throat as the man captured her lips in a fiery kiss.
She gasped and his tongue thrust inside her mouth, entangling with her own.
Adrian’s fingers raked through her hair as he tugged at it.
And despite the firm force, she found his touch surprisingly gentle as he tilted her head upwards and kissed her strongly.
Ella froze only for a few seconds.
Because before she realized, she already had her hand wrapped around his neck as she kissed him back.
The man’s gaze deepened, a fire swirling in the pair of dark eyes.
He bit her bottom lips, almost in a punishing touch.
But as the corner of her eyes watered, he licked the spot he bit.
Gently. Patiently. He sucked and nibbled on her bottom lips and then caressed it.
The fierce kiss gradually turned soft yet passionate.