Chapter 385: When Will You Stop Getting Hurt?
“You didn’t?”
Paige walked barefoot up to him, her clear eyes fixed on him as she asked, the front of her half-open shirt spreading with each step.
Enrico’s breath hitched.
“I will in a second.”
With that, Enrico grabbed her slender waist, pulling her into his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her, greedily capturing her lips, drawing in her breath as his eyes locked onto hers, swallowing the storm of emotions within him.
Paige raised her hands to his shoulders, her body fitting perfectly against his solid chest, responding to his kiss.
He released her lips and trailed kisses down to her jaw.
Paige tilted her head back, gazing at the patterns on the door, and asked, “How did you get in?”
She had designed the security herself. For him to get in unnoticed, without her receiving any alert, was unusual.
Enrico’s breath became heavier as he replied in a husky voice, “The security is decent, but stopping me is still a bit too difficult.”
“Then why didn’t you call me?” Paige asked, her voice trembling slightly, almost like a soft moan that surprised even her.
Hearing that, Enrico deliberately bit her soft chin and said, “I came to check on you. You said you’d take a bath and sleep at 10:30. What time is it now?”
His kisses grew hotter, roaming over the delicate skin of her neck.
“…”
Paige found it hard to handle his intensity and nearly couldn’t stand, so the hands pressing on his shoulders shifted to wrap around his neck, but she didn’t answer.
“No answer? Did you know I’d scold you, so you decided to seduce me?” Enrico teased.
He had been hiding behind the door, ready to give her a lecture. But when she walked straight toward the bathroom, she had him parched and captivated.
“…”
Paige remained silent, letting him continue kissing her.
Enrico opened his mouth, biting down on the vein in her neck. His voice was low and breathy, “How did you figure out I was here?”
He thought he hadn’t made a sound at all.
Upon hearing that, Paige couldn’t help but chuckle softly, almost as if challenging him, “The pillow Kevin gave me, which I kept on the bed, is gone.”
In reality, it was her instinct, honed over years of experience. The moment she opened the door, she sensed the unease of an intruder, but calmed when she noticed the missing pillow.
Sure enough, when Enrico heard this, he immediately bit the vein in her neck and gave her waist a pinch.
“You still dare to put that on the bed? Paige, you’re asking for trouble.”
Enrico was genuinely angry now, gritting his teeth as he growled. He pushed her towards the large bed nearby, his lips still on her neck, ready to go lower. But suddenly, there was a warm, wet sensation on his face.
The faintest hint of blood.
Enrico froze. One hand held her close, while the other touched his face, then pulled back, revealing a few traces of fresh blood on his fingertips.
All desire instantly vanished from his eyes.
“…”
Paige also froze, glancing at her hand. How had the wound opened up again? It even got on his face, and now she felt embarrassed.
Enrico took her hand and pulled up her sleeve. When he saw the bloodstained bandages, his expression instantly darkened. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with a silent interrogation.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
Paige chuckled awkwardly, “You know how it is. The hand moves a lot, and this wound keeps acting up, healing and reopening. But it’s nothing serious.”
Enrico looked at her coldly, then ordered, “Shower. I’ll help.”
“I can manage on my ow-”
Paige didn’t get to finish before receiving a murderous glare from Enrico. She quickly went quiet.
Fine, it was her fault for not taking care of herself.
The two of them entered the bathroom, and just as Paige was about to unbutton her shirt, Enrico, standing behind her, hooked his fingers around the collar and tugged it down, exposing much of her back.
She was slender, her shoulder blades prominent, and her back seemed small. Yet that small back bore several scars, some old, some new. The freshest one was near her shoulder blade, with tender new skin that hadn’t yet smoothed out. Who knew how long it would take for it to fully heal.
“What are you doing?”
Paige asked curiously, but before she could get an answer, she felt the heat of his lips pressing lightly on her shoulder blade.
She froze. He was kissing her scars.
His kisses were soft, as if he was afraid of hurting her. She stood up straight, feeling as if that one kiss had placed her in the palm of his hand.
Enrico kissed her scars, then wrapped his arms around her from behind, his hands grasping her wrists as he held her tight. His voice was deep and heavy as he whispered by her ear, “When will you stop getting hurt?”
“…”
His voice wasn’t accusatory, not even reprimanding. It was low, almost resigned.
Hearing it, Paige softly replied, “I’ll try my best not to get hurt anymore.”
“Good.” Enrico closed his eyes, pressing his cheek against hers as he said in a low voice, “If you can’t manage that, then just stab me instead. Stop putting yourself through this.”
He was utterly exasperated.
“…”
Paige’s heart trembled. She wanted to argue that she never chose to get hurt, but hearing the pain in his voice, she couldn’t say anything. Instead, she just promised again to take better care of herself.
“I wish I could keep you locked up in a cage.”
That way, he could watch her day and night, see what she ate, what she wore, and never let her face a shred of danger.
But he couldn’t do that. She’d never allow it.
Enrico held her for a long time before grabbing the showerhead and adjusting the water temperature to help her wash up.
When they left the bathroom, Paige sat at the edge of the bed while Enrico knelt in front of her, tending to the wound on her arm.
The wound hadn’t opened up too much, just a small tear.
As the antiseptic touched her skin, Paige frowned slightly and looked down at Enrico’s expressionless face. She said, “Temple in Heaven is almost ready for integration.”
“Mm.” Enrico was only focused on her wound right now.
“Aren’t you curious how much my dowry is worth?” Paige smiled as she asked.
Upon hearing that, his hand paused. He looked up at her, not like before when he would grin ear to ear at her words, but instead, he gazed at her intensely, a myriad of emotions swirling in his eyes as he said, “As long as you’re alive, unharmed, and marry me, that’s enough.”
“…”
Paige gazed at him, her long lashes fluttering slightly, and after a while, she whispered, “I will, Enrico.”
“You better not give me an empty promise.”
Enrico’s gaze was steady as he spoke, each word deliberate.
“Of course not.” Paige looked at him and said, “I’ve survived this long on my own. With you by my side, I’ll only live better.”
Her words seemed to soothe him. His expression softened as he placed a bandage over her wound and secured it with medical tape. “If you move this arm around too much again, I’ll treat it like a fracture and put you in a cast.”
“Okay.”
Paige agreed obediently, then changed the subject. “Which bed are we sleeping in tonight?”
Enrico closed the medical kit and casually pointed to the bed behind the partition.
It was the bed she used to sleep in. Paige tilted her head and asked, “Why are we sleeping in that bed?”