The sensation felt through my fingertips was firm yet hot. The skin that touched kept sticking together because of the sticky ointment. For some reason, that feeling was very embarrassing, yet I wanted to keep touching.
Ariella, who was applying the medicine to his palm with a tense expression, suddenly realized that the distance between him and her was very close.
Because she had leaned in to treat him, their knees were so close they were about to touch, and their faces were even closer.
If she tilted her head up just a little more, the tips of their noses would touch.
Gulp. She swallowed dryly without realizing it. The surroundings were so quiet that it felt like he could hear the sound of her swallowing.
Ariella felt her cheeks warming up and chewed on her lip.
‘It’s not like our hands haven’t touched before. Why am I suddenly like this?’
Even at Lizzy’s debutante ball, she had held his hand and danced without any hesitation. She had even held his hand at the masquerade ball.
But why was such a trivial touch, especially one for treatment, so embarrassing now? She couldn’t understand herself.
What kind of expression was Nobert making right now?
Was he feeling something similar to me? Or was he just getting treated without a second thought?
She was very curious, but Ariella couldn’t bring herself to look up and check his face. If she did, he would see her cheeks flushed red.
“Does it hurt?”
She ignored the strange atmosphere between them and forced a bright voice.
“…It’s alright.”
For some reason, Nobert’s voice was unusually lower than usual. He flicked a few of his fingers.
“Thanks to your generosity.”
Whether by coincidence or intention, his finger brushed against her index finger, then slowly wrapped around it.
As the hot, sticky sensation covered her skin, Ariella’s face flushed.
Thump, thump, thump!
Her heart was pounding wildly, and her chest ached dully. She realized for the first time that feeling overly excited could feel like this.
Ariella briefly closed her eyes in a thick tension where even breathing was nerve-wracking.
I can’t do this anymore.
Thinking that, she made up a suitable excuse and hurriedly took her hand away.
“I, I think this is enough. I should call Sir Adam back…”
Not knowing that mentioning Sir Adam now would only provoke Nobert even more.
It was just as her fingertips were about to separate.
Whoosh!
A large hand grabbed her hand tightly, as if snatching escaping prey.
“Ah…!”
Ariella, who reflexively groaned, raised her head.
And she found him.
Nobert, with a face that looked like he was about to suffocate from suppressing his wildly surging desire, was staring intensely at her.
“It’s not enough.”
In his red eyes, there was a desperate desire and even jealousy that far exceeded what she had expected.
Only then did she realize.
“Not nearly enough yet.”
Long, firm fingers weaved between Ariella’s fingers, neither quickly nor slowly. The rough and soft skin rubbed against each other, creating a sticky sound.
It was just holding hands.
The feeling was strange because of the ointment, but still, this was just… a handshake. It certainly should be.
But strangely, this trivial contact felt very sensual to Ariella. It felt like fire was rising from the skin that touched, and her whole body was pounding with excitement that started from her fingertips.
With all her nerves focused on her hand, even her gaze was captured by him.
Ariella stared at him, holding her breath. The hand that slowly stroked the back of her hand was leisurely, but there was no room to spare in his eyes.
Nobert’s face, which had even thrown away the politeness he usually held, looked somewhat savage, to the point of being nervous.
His charcoal-dark eyebrows were distorted, and his red eyes were blazing as if he would devour her at any moment.
For a moment, she felt like time had stopped, but Ariella, clinging to her fading mind, parted her lips.
“Ka, Nobert…”
The only word she managed to utter after much effort was his name.
But fortunately, or unfortunately, this had a great effect on stopping Nobert.
Nobert clenched his teeth so hard that the veins in his neck stood out, barely gathering what little patience he had left.
Had he been momentarily blinded by her unusually beautiful appearance today? Or had he lost his reason at the sound of her voice mentioning Adam or whatever?
Damn it. He cursed himself inwardly for his shamelessness and released Ariella’s hand.
Even as he regained his senses, the presumptuous desire to not let her go like this added to his self-loathing.
