Chapter 215 Chapter 215
“This is your last warning!” she screamed. “If you don’t stop right now, I will…”
He didn’t even let her finish her sentence and threw her into the waves. She yelped and was engulfed by cold water. It was shockingly different compared to the hot air, freezing her momentarily. Brushing her wet black hair away from her face, she glared at Maxwell, who doubled over in laughter.
“You should have seen your face,” he cackled. “Fucking hilarious.”
Valerie seethed quietly, wanting payback—right now. “Ah, yes, it must have been quite the sight,” she drawled slowly, her sly tone making him suspicious. “But I wonder what you’ll look like when you find out that I definitely won’t make a strawberry shortcake for you when we return home. I planned to bake one, but now I changed my mind.”
As she had anticipated, his smirk vanished. He opened and closed his mouth without saying anything, looking shocked.
“What?” he forced out. “No. I was just doing a little prank, nothing serious. You can’t do that to me.”
“I can. That’s what you get for being mean, Maxwell,” she grinned and stuck out her tongue.
“I’ll make it up to you,” he said. Her cake tasted the best, and he’d be damned if he couldn’t eat it even if it was only for a short time.
“And how?” she asked, cocking her brow.
“Wait,” he said, “And close your eyes, sugar.”
The water reached up to her waist, the waves lightly pushing and pulling at her body. She had gotten used to its temperature by now and enjoyed the cold. He stood close to her, and when he continued to watch her wordlessly, she shut her eyes. Filled with anticipation, she waited for what he would do.
First, she felt the pads of his fingers touch the side of her neck. They wandered higher, to her chin, where they lingered. She expected him to kiss her lips, but he had something else in mind. Gently, he tilted her chin up, exposing her bare neck to him. He buried his face in the column of her neck and placed a kiss on her wet skin, his warm breath tickling her. Simultaneously, he embraced her, pressing her flush against his muscular body. She felt every ridge of his abs as they touched her stomach.
Valerie let out a shaky breath, realizing how intimate his embrace was. It sparked desire in her. He teasingly kissed her neck again and again, chuckling when he sensed her growing lust—she was putty in his hands, and she thoroughly enjoyed each of his touches. His hands shamelessly wandered over her curves, making her shudder in bliss. However, when she opened her eyes, she halted.
“Hey, people are watching us,” she mumbled, remembering that they weren’t alone. She embarrassedly evaded his burning red eyes.
“I don’t give a fuck about them. You’re the only one who matters.”
She was amazed at his boldness—he never minced his words, and that was one of the things she loved about him. His honesty was refreshing, and he often managed to make her heart pound in elation with his words. Her lips curved up as she showed him a sunny smile. She stood on her tiptoes and pecked his lips.
“And you’re the biggest charmer I have ever met,” she giggled.
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Not much later, they returned to the beach to sunbathe. It was so hot outside that their swimwear and hair were almost dry within a few minutes. Maxwell lay down on a beach towel, and Valerie joined him. He closed his eyes, curling his arm around her stomach as he pulled her in. She smiled upon seeing the calm expression he wore. He looked truly content and at peace—she could gaze at his face all day and never get tired of it. Valerie was glad that he didn’t have to worry anymore and that he had left his resentment behind.
After a while, she began to feel hot under the burning sun, and she started to crave cold ice cream. When they had arrived, she had seen an ice cream parlor near the beach, and she was tempted to go there and buy some for herself—and probably for him too. Maxwell never said no to sweet foods.
“Maxwell?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. He lazily opened his eyes and watched her without saying anything.
“I will buy ice cream, do you want some too?”
“Yeah, sounds nice. I don’t want to get up, though,” he said. “It’s cozy here.”
“Okay, you lazy ass. I’ll go alone and buy it for us,” she said and cracked a smile. “Let me guess, you want strawberry ice cream.”
“That’s right,” he replied.
“Great, then see you in a bit,” she answered, put on her sunglasses, and walked away. The ice cream parlor was farther away than it had seemed—they had chosen a secluded spot on the beach, so she had to walk for a few minutes. Maybe he would be a little impatient by the time she came back—she could only hope that the ice cream wouldn’t melt until then.
With her eyes set on the small white building in the distance, she strolled over the sand, dodging people who were sunbathing or playing beach volleyball. The closer she got, the more crowded the beach became. Her eyes trailed over the people, and she wasn’t surprised to spot a few supernatural beings among the humans, even some ghosts here and there. The humans, of course, were oblivious to them.
Before she could get in line at the parlor, she was held up by someone who came to stand right in front of her. She only needed one glance at the guy’s face to know that he was a stuck-up jerk. His arrogant grin was exasperating even before he had opened his mouth to speak to her.
“Hi there,” he said, giving her a once-over that prompted her to cross her arms in front of her chest.
“What do you want?” she asked suspiciously, sounding a tad ruder than she intended.
“You’re in a bad mood, huh?” he grinned. “Maybe I could help out with that.”
“I doubt it,” she sighed. “If you could let me pass, I want to get ice cream.”
“I want to accompany you,” he persisted, clearly overlooking all the obvious hints she was dropping. Her mood turned sour as anger manifested within her, layered with disgust. She was fed up with their conversation. It hadn’t even lasted two minutes, and she already wanted to leave. Not without her ice cream, though.