Chapter 20: .•8.5•.

Nicholas immediately heard the dangerous crack coming from above before Diana could, and without even giving it a second thought he quickly moved closer and wrapped his arms around her shoulders into a protective embrace, shielding her away from the falling pieces of glass, dirt and wood.

Just as the terrifying crash was heard, all she could see was a dark fabric stretched out before her eyes, effectively blocking her view.

So she looked up, finding herself gazing into those dark brown eyes, their color seeming to appear kinda reddish from up close as they peered right back into hers, only now realizing how close they were as she could feel his intoxicating scent, body heat and his rushed breath practically mixing with hers, noticing how his arms were protectively placed either side of her head, caging her in.

"Are you okay?" He breathlessly whispered as those dark eyes worriedly roamed all over her face, her lashes fluttering with sheer bewilderment and a hint of bashfulness as her cheeks started to heat up yet again.

"Is that...blood?" She heard Dan suddenly say from somewhere close right before another crash followed. And the moment they both turned to see what was going on their gazes fell upon an unconscious Dan, lying sprawled over the sea of weeds, dirt and debris.

.••.

Taking a glance from time to time at that vertical and visible wound through the tear in Nicholas' t-shirt, she quietly trailed right after him as he carried an unconscious Dan in his arms, from the greenhouse and all the way to the mansion.

Pushing the door open for him to enter, she waited then got in as well and closed the door behind them, hurrying to follow the male as he rapidly walked all the way to the grand living room.

"Nana!" He called after the maid before carefully placing the unconscious male over the floral-patterned sofa, Diana quickly moving to put a cushion under Dan's head, worriedly looking at that small gash on the side of his forehead.

"Sweet lord! What happened?" She suddenly heard miss Nancy say as she hadn't even noticed the moment she had arrived, straightening herself back up as she turned to face the woman.

"H-he can't stand the sight of blood," She quietly explained as her fingers nervously fiddled with the hem of her tank top, the maid turning to give Nicholas a shocked and equally curious look, to which he easily dismissed with a simple flick of his wrist.

"I-I will bring a first-aid kit," The old woman lastly said with a single nod of her head before scurrying away.

Left with the odd silence floating through the spacious room, Diana slowly turned around to peer at the only conscious being present within her vicinity, noticing he had already taken a seat on a plush-covered stool, not even showing a single tiny sign that could possibly indicate any hint of pain or discomfort whatsoever, even though he was definitely having a pretty serious injury from what she had seen earlier.

The moment those pieces of glass and wood had fallen, one of them must've scratched him pretty badly since he had taken the brunt of that hit by safely covering her away.

"C-can I see?" She anxiously bit her lip as she timidly peered at the male casually sitting just a few steps away, feeling so guilty for his injury since he had earned it by protecting her, possibly being also the savior of her life as well.

Only god knows where those sharp pieces of glass could've landed if it wasn't for him...

She lightly shivered at the thought as she momentarily lowered her gaze, lastly noticing he hadn't said anything and simply removed his t-shirt instead, her lips lightly parting open in surprise as soon as her eyes trailed over his toned and mildly glistening torso, those complex tattoos covering his arms now on full display for her to see. And to her utter shock and mortification, a pinch of liquid heat pooled into her lower abdomen in response at the view, making her cheeks heat up as well.

Good god.

She quickly averted her eyes, awkwardly clearing out her throat before she rapidly closed the distance between them and moved to take a closer look at the ugly wound crossing over his shoulder-blade, not failing to also feel that discreet and alluring perfume that seemed to constantly cling to him.

Lightly biting her lip again, she eventually dared touch his skin by gently placing her palm over the middle of his back and right next to the wound as she attentively scanned it for any remaining shards of glass, not failing to also notice the feel of its alluring warmth and smooth texture under her fingertips, making her want to trail them all over his body and feel some more...

Sweet heaven. What is happening to me?

She mentally questioned herself, lightly shaking her head to rid herself of such wanton and equally embarrassing thoughts as she struggled to focus on the task at hand instead.

And once she'd noticed miss Nancy entering the room with a small medical kit in her hand she didn't waste a single second and hurried straight towards her to retrieve some pieces of sterile cotton and disinfectant from the kit as the maid had started tending to her friend's small wound, but not before fleetingly glancing between the state of her master's dressing and that visible tint of red in Diana's cheeks whilst she busied herself around. She however, did not utter a single word about it and simply expressed a discreet and knowing smile instead.

Consciously avoiding Nicholas' gaze as she still felt so embarrassed about her previous thoughts, Diana hastily moved right back to her previous spot and poured some disinfectant on a piece of cotton before she started to gently dab at his wound.