Chapter 21
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21
Their breaths mingled, soft and hesitant. It felt less like a kiss and more like the tentative touch of two blind people feeling their way toward one another. Or perhaps, a first greeting.
Their lips parted all too soon. Vanessa, who had reflexively closed her eyes, slowly fluttered them open. River Ross was so close their noses almost brushed. His blue eyes—the color of May, so chillingly beautiful that a mere glance made her knees weak—gazed back at her. He took her arms and draped them around his neck. Then his tongue coaxed her lips apart, slipping past her teeth to sweep inside, sweetly tasting the moisture within her mouth.
Vanessa felt him through the very tips of her senses, through the soft press of their skin and the warmth spreading across her lips. Surprisingly, he tasted expensive. The cool, heavy scent of his cologne became a flavor on her tongue, making her thighs clench.
She no longer knew what to believe. His gentle face was contradicted by his cool eyes; his warm hands, by his detached attitude; his slick lips, by his dry breath. Every part of him seemed like a lie, yet everything she saw felt entirely true.
He was like this very space, where luxurious goods coexisted with daily necessities worth mere pennies. He was an illusion, painstakingly crafted by summer itself.
“River, River! W-wait a moment.”
Just as she felt herself being pushed back, Vanessa gasped and pressed her hands against his shoulders. River Ross let out a low chuckle at the words she managed to force out with her ragged breath.
She was breathless. Her lips trembled delicately, like the wings of a newborn bird. River tightened his grip on her chin, capturing her wet, flushed, and softly parted lips once more. A little—just a little—deeper.
“Ah.”
Heat flooded her body. It was just like that afternoon, from nothing more than a touch. Helpless, Vanessa could only clutch at the fabric of her skirt. In the brief moment their lips parted, she gasped and pushed at his shoulder again.
“Wait, just a moment…”
“Why?” he asked, lifting his head from her neck. His voice was laced with annoyance.
Vanessa pushed at him frantically. “Right now… I-I’m sweating too much.”
“It’s fine.”
“N-no! I mean, isn’t it hot? How about we go out to the river just ahead for a bit?”
“Go out? Now?”
She nodded, her face flushed red all the way to her hairline. “I didn’t know this would happen when I came… I’m dirty. I want to wash. A wet towel, or if I could at least dip my feet in… that would be nice.”
He stared at her in silence for a moment, then released her without another word. Flustered, Vanessa grabbed his sleeve.
“Where are you going?”
“You said you wanted to wash,” he replied, gently prying her hand away as he stood. “I’ll fetch some water.”
He moved with a practiced ease, picking up a wooden bucket by the doorway. Before leaving, he glanced back at her.
“And in case you’re worried about nothing—you weren’t dirty. Not in the slightest.”
Vanessa stared blankly at the door he had left ajar. Her fingertips trembled as she touched her heated lips. What would happen when he returned? Would they go all the way?
The answer had been clear just moments ago. Even if she knew nothing of intimacy, she knew that was the final step before being taken to bed.
Of course, the act itself was something she had wanted. It was far more embarrassing than she had anticipated, a ticklish sensation that made her want to squirm, and she had been swept up in it so helplessly, but…
It was hot.
The kiss, his touch, his gaze—and her own body, reacting so passionately to every part of him. Vanessa let out a feverish breath. The hand that had been tracing her lips drifted down to fiddle with the ribbon at her collar.
Whenever she was with him, her entire body became hypersensitive. It was just their lips clashing and their tongues tangling, yet her core grew wet and her nipples hardened as if by habit. At some point, this response had become natural. The moment she realized this, an absurd wave of fear washed over her.
She was afraid that in the not-so-distant future, she might actually end up crying and begging for him. That she might give him everything without calculation, not even knowing where regret began.
“What are you thinking about with such a serious face?”
River Ross had returned before she even noticed, setting a wooden bucket of water at her feet. Floating on the surface was an abundance of peonies in full bloom. Vanessa’s eyes widened.
“Why the flowers?”
“I used the peonies you brought. It seemed a waste to just let them dry out.”
“I only brought them because they had already fallen to the ground.”
“If they can be used, they should be.”
And they were. They were refreshing to look at, but floating in the water made them seem twice as beautiful. Admiring them, Vanessa dipped her hands in and scooped up a flower.
“It’s beautiful.”
A strange, ticklish feeling bloomed in her chest. Whether it was a deliberate attempt to soothe her nerves or not, she appreciated the gesture.
She lifted her head from examining the peonies. River was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, his face slightly damp. He must have washed up while fetching the water. A single droplet clung to his bangs before tracing a path down his sculpted cheek. He raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
Vanessa quickly looked away, her face flushing to the roots of her hair. She didn’t want to think about how foolish she must look, nor did she want him to know how acutely aware she was of his every detail.
She set the flower back in the water, took off her shoes, and dipped her feet in. Only when her calves were soaked did she realize she hadn’t taken off her stockings.
“That’s a peculiar way to wash your feet.”
He let out a dry laugh, his own fingertips trailing in the water as if to check the temperature. Vanessa tried to ignore her burning cheeks and spoke with feigned confidence.
“All women do this. We can’t just lift our skirts in public.”
“This isn’t public.”
“Well, yes, but…”
“They’re getting wet. Hold this.”
He gathered the dampening hem of her skirt and placed it in her hands. Then, with the practiced touch of an expert—if such an expert existed—he unfastened her garter belt and slid her stockings off. Vanessa watched him with a sort of awe.
He seemed accustomed to this. Then again, with a face and body like that, it was impossible that this was his first time with a woman. He must have undressed hundreds of them.
Funnily enough, a strange sense of peace settled over her. She hadn’t tempted an innocent man; she had proposed a fitting arrangement to someone more than capable. This was a very fair deal.
He would receive her most precious dowry and enjoy some carnal pleasure as a side benefit. She would chip away at his honor a little, but neither of their futures would be significantly disrupted.
“Ah.”
Lost in thought, she was startled when his hand closed around her ankle. Vanessa let out a small gasp, her eyes widening. River examined her ankle from various angles with a serious expression.
“The swelling is still there.”
“Ah, yes. I took off the bandage because it felt stuffy, but they said I should be careful for a while.”
“Does it still hurt?”
“It’s actually much better. It doesn’t hurt at all anymore.”
“You moved so suddenly, I was worried I’d touched a sore spot.”
His long fingers pressed delicately against her ankle bone, her heel, and her instep, as if checking them. The sensation of being touched somewhere so rarely handled was unfamiliar. She curled her toes.
“That’s… it just tickles…”
If it tickles, it means that’s an erogenous zone.
The moment Rosalyn’s mischievous whisper flashed through her mind, a hot breath caught in her throat.