Chapter 42: About kissing
"O...kay," she replied, swallowing hard, her throat suddenly dry.
Trying to steady herself, she told her mind to treat it like a teacher guiding a student. She inhaled deeply and gave a small nod, a silent signal for him to begin.
Gently, Roman took her hand and guided it over the carrot. The first slice was jagged, uneven, and disappointing. Her shoulders slumped slightly as discouragement crept in.
"Imagine you are in an operating room," he said softly, leaning in behind her, "and you have to cut open a stomach without spilling a single drop of blood. Treat this carrot like that, controlled, careful."
His words were meant to encourage her, but they only confused her more. She had never even come close to slicing a stomach open herself, much less doing it without spilling blood. How was that supposed to help?
"But... I haven’t done that before," she murmured, a faint pout in her tone.
"It’s an imagination, Patricia. It doesn’t have to be real. You just have to feel it. Own it. Desire it..." he said, his voice dipping into a low, coaxing register that felt like a whisper caressing her spine. She hadn’t realized before how deep and rich his voice truly was, hearing it so close made her chest flutter unexpectedly.
Was she... ovulating? It was the only explanation she could cling to for this sudden, uninvited attraction. This man had once tried to kill her, how could she possibly feel drawn to him? Still, her body wasn’t listening to reason.
"Slowly," his voice instructed, and it anchored her just in time. She followed his guidance. Another slice, this one near perfect. A small, proud smile curved her lips. She did it!
But just as she managed to shake off her inappropriate thoughts, something pressed firmly against her backside, hard, deliberate. Her entire body went rigid.
At first, she thought it was her imagination. But then it shifted, pressing again, and the realization dawned, hot and unmistakable. Her heart slammed in her chest. She wasn’t exactly experienced, but even she couldn’t mistake that.