Crossing the Line
"It's not a flattering sight for others to see. I thought the young duke would dislike it too. Or am I wrong?"
There was no malice in Adeline's calm words. Noah didn't feel particularly offended. If anything, he was impressed that she still clung to him like a burr even after witnessing his wretched state.
What remarkable loyalty.
Noah sneered to himself before stripping off his outer garment as Adeline had requested.
His chest beneath the shirt was packed with firm muscle. Lower still, his abs twitched with every breath he drew.
"Want to look lower too?"
"...!"
Adeline, who had been staring blankly, whipped around in a panic. Noah let out a soft chuckle, as if mocking the flush that stained her cheeks.
He headed for the bathroom. Adeline neatly folded his clothes, picked up the robe, and followed.
She regretted offering to attend his bath so late, but retracting the offer now would be even stranger. If Noah asked for a reason, what could she possibly say? The fear that he might misunderstand her as someone harboring indecent thoughts toward a patient—and begin avoiding her—gripped her tightly.
"Th-this... it's scented oil. If you pour it here..."
Once inside the bathroom, Adeline kept her head turned completely away as she held up the bottle. The sight of her standing there with reddened ears twisted something inside Noah.
She had followed him in despite clearly being unable to handle it. The woman seemed almost devious. Was she provoking him? Or what?
"I want to smell it. Where?"
Noah caught her elbow and yanked her forward. Her unguarded body lost balance. As Adeline was dragged toward him, she suddenly grabbed the edge of the tub. Noah seized the nape of her neck to keep her from escaping and twisted her head around.
"Hoo..."
His nose brushed against Adeline's neck. His ribcage rose and fell sharply as he inhaled. The sharp bridge of his nose trailed slowly down the column of her throat and across her collarbone. Adeline, meanwhile, went rigid with her eyes wide open.
Perhaps it was the way his large hand gripped her neck to prevent escape. Or maybe the way his fingers traced the line at her nape. Like a beast suddenly bitten on the scruff, all she could do was remain perfectly still.
"Yeah. The scent is nice."
The oil that had been in Adeline's hand had already spilled into the tub. The more he pressed his upper body against hers, the more the water sloshed and overflowed.
"Why..."
Adeline finally released the breath she had been holding. Her stiffened hands pushed at Noah's shoulders. He refused to let her go, applying more force, so she shoved him with every ounce of strength she possessed.
Only then did Noah raise his head. His lowered gaze jerked upward—only to catch on her chest.
"..."
Adeline was soaked from the crown of her head to her waist. She looked like a drowned mouse.
Fuck.
Noah was a man weak to visual stimulation. The sight of Adeline drenched from head to waist ignited every peripheral nerve he possessed. Each droplet that fell from her hair into the tub landed with a lewd, distinct plop.
Her flushed cheeks and glistening eyes stirred a curiosity so strong he wanted to drive her to the very edge.
But what seized his gaze most intensely were Adeline's breasts.
Yes. Her breasts.
Through the wet dress, the generous swells were dizzyingly visible. Why had she chosen to wear a pink dress of all things? The abundant curves trapped beneath the pale pink fabric stirred raw lust in him—just like the day she had appeared in that slip dress.
"You've crossed the line."
She had crossed it.
Yes. Crossed it. Thoroughly crossed it.
I'm so fucked.
Stepping over the line Adeline had drawn—whenever that had been—was no small matter. Noah glanced down at his rigidly swollen cock.
Adeline glared at the man who had yanked her close. Her cheeks were rosy as she bit her lip, clearly furious.
So busy protesting what had just happened to her, she hadn't yet noticed that his cock stood at full, rigid attention.
But it was only a matter of time. If her gaze drifted downward even slightly...
His veins bulged on the back of the hand gripping her wrist. Just the mere thought of her eyes landing on his lower body made his member swell even larger. Damn it.
It refused to calm. Noah drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.
"I'm here to help you, Young Duke."
Help with what, fuck? Draining me?
Even though he knew she hadn't meant it that way—as if his brain were drowning in lust—her words sounded entirely different to his ears.
Suddenly he imagined her reaching for his cock. The water in the tub surged over the edge. A startled Noah had staggered, causing the splash.
The hem of her dress was now completely soaked, and Adeline's brow crumpled like a discarded sheet of paper. Noah pulled his robe tighter around himself. His groin throbbed with need; he rubbed his temple as he glared at her.
"Don't look at me like that. It's inconvenient."
At this point, even a single glance from Adeline was enough to make him hard. Unaware of that fact, her eyes hardened with resolve.
"I cannot tolerate being treated so carelessly."
"I only wanted to smell the scent."
Yeah. I didn't know it would get me this hard either.
"If you'd simply said so, I would have given you the oil."
Noah's eyebrows shot up in disbelief at her words.
"You spent the entire day refusing to even look at me. Were you planning to spray it on my face?"
In truth, Noah had found her refusal to meet his eyes irritating. It felt like being ignored.
Adeline bit her lower lip as if lost for words. She twisted her captured wrist, trying to rise and pull free. Instead of releasing her, Noah tightened his grip.
"Did you truly come here to assist with my bath?"
"..."
"There isn't some other purpose?"
"Other purpose... what are you implying?"
Adeline's eyes wavered. The suspicion he had casually tossed out took root in her obvious agitation. Could it actually be true?
"Something like trying to seduce me with your body..."
"Young Duke."
Adeline cut him off sharply. The confusion that had clouded her eyes froze into ice. Hmm. Wrong guess, then.
"I came here with purely good intentions to help you. Please refrain from insulting me any further."
"A young lady—not even a maid—assisting a grown man's bath doesn't exactly look proper, does it?"
"It seems I misjudged the situation. As you said, you're a grown adult. But you were an exception because you're a patient."
"Exception?"
Noah's brows arched.
"You're ill, and since I've known you since childhood, it's easier to see you as a same-sex friend rather than a man."
"Ah. So I don't register as a man to you?"
"Correct."
"Why?"
The conversation that had been snapping together perfectly suddenly slipped out of alignment. Adeline frowned, unable to grasp the meaning behind the question. After all, Noah had been the first to say he didn't see her as a woman. She had only echoed the sentiment out of pride, not wanting to lose. If neither felt any romantic interest in the other, shouldn't that be a good thing for his position?
Yet Noah furrowed his brow in clear displeasure, as though something filthy had soiled him. The sharp "Why?" felt like a slap, making it even harder for her to comprehend.
"If I don't look like a man to you, then who the hell does?"
"Not you. Not to me."
She could not remain here any longer. Adeline stood, determined to end the pointless argument. The hand that had been gripping her as if it would never let go released her surprisingly easily.
"Bathe by yourself. You clearly have the strength for it."
After spitting out the cold words, Adeline fled the room in haste. Her disappearance from his sight brought both relief and an inexplicable pang of disappointment. Noah unconsciously licked his lips.
Bang—!
The moment the door slammed shut, Noah tilted his head back. His hand had already closed around his throbbing erection.
"I do have the energy to drain it."
He muttered the words as he closed his eyes.
Using Adeline as fuel for this didn't sit well with him at all.
Me? That woman, of all people?
Yet the image of that leech who barely seemed like a woman—her breasts—kept flickering through his mind.
The pale skin visible through the pink dress. Her reddening face. The more he recalled the way her cheeks had trembled, the harsher his breathing grew.
Fuck. How irritating.
Reason and desire tangled into a chaotic mess.
The urge to immediately spill from his angrily swollen cock.
Yet the conviction that it shouldn't be Adeline waged a fierce war against that desire.
"Hoo..."
But Noah was a man weak to instinct. Any trace of wounded pride over the fact that he was pleasuring himself to thoughts of Adeline vanished as though it had never existed. He began to stroke himself.
Before his eyes, as he slid his hand up and down the dark red shaft, Adeline appeared. He imagined yanking the back of her head as she boldly stood inside the tub.
He pressed the tip against her red lips. The mere contact made his heart hammer so violently he ground out a low curse. Fuck. He rubbed the broad head against her trembling eyelids and clenched his teeth.
"Open your mouth a little..."