Chapter 177 Chapter 177
Flustered, she glanced up from her phone and met his mischievous blue eyes. “Fine, a date it is,” she replied, not seeing anything wrong with that. His unwavering gaze rested on her for a while, and neither of them spoke. She noted that he still wore his beloved silver chain. His white hair hung messily into his eyes, framing them. It looked soft. She got the urge to touch it, her eyes glued to its silky strands.
“Valerie,” he said huskily, moving her attention back to his face. “Can I kiss you?”
Surprised at this, her eyes widened a fraction. “Why would you ask?” she said breathlessly, a pink hue spreading over her cheeks.
“I was trying to be fucking polite,” he said and shrugged. He playfully twirled a strand of her long black hair around his finger.
She giggled. “But swearing isn’t polite, Maxwell,” she said.
“Where I come from, swearing is acceptable,” he countered smugly.
“Uh, huh,” she smiled, not having a clue what he was talking about.
“So…?” he asked, impatiently leaning in. “Can I?”
He shifted and put his weight on his arm. His blue eyes were close enough for her to see tiny dark red splatters in his iris. It was an odd mix of colors, but strangely fascinating and entrancing. She got lost in the moment and even forgot to give him an answer. He dipped his head, his breath fanning over her lips. The sensation made her shiver in delight.
Her hands let go of her phone, instead moving around his neck. He bridged the small distance that separated them and kissed her. She sighed contentedly, letting him lead the kiss. The sensation of his lips on hers was amazing, had her heart explode with happiness. She drank him in, met his gorgeous eyes that looked darker now, filled with desire that was meant entirely for her. She blushed, and he deepened the kiss, invading her mouth with his tongue. He tasted cinnamon, ash, fire—and she loved it, couldn’t get enough of it.
One of her hands wandered to his hair, fingers touching his silky strands. Her other hand followed his sharp jawline, found the end of the silver chain, and lightly pulled on it. The husky growl she received had her shudder. His hands gently mapped her body, mindful of the injuries on her back. They traveled up to her cheeks, cupping them. He moved his thumbs over her skin in a tender caress that reminded her of a soft feather.
When they ended the kiss, he lingered close to her, his hand trailing over her cheek. The longing in her eyes, the amount of affection brimming within their depths, was a miracle to him. She barely remembered him, yet it was apparent that her feelings for him had not disappeared. He couldn’t help but wonder whether that would change once she regained her memories. Especially those revolving around the confrontation with the blood mage.
“When you have your memories back, we need to talk about something that happened recently,” he muttered. He kept his expression neutral; nonetheless, it was apparent to her that he felt bad about this matter, whatever it was.
“I’m sorry. If I remembered, this wouldn’t be so difficult,” she sighed dejectedly. “It’s my fault.”
“No,” he said. “No, it’s mine. I should have been faster, but I wasn’t.” She felt the sudden tenseness of his muscles. An emotion she couldn’t place manifested in her heart and made it heavy like a stone. This sinking feeling was all too similar to guilt, but it was different from the guilt she usually experienced. Confused, she put her hand over her heart, her gaze moving to his face.
“Why would my accident be your fault?” she asked, scrunching her brows. “That doesn’t make sense. I just slipped and fell down a stair.”
He inhaled and exhaled, frowning. “You will agree with me when you regain your memories. I’m sure.”
“I doubt that,” she replied honestly. “It sounds like you’re beating yourself up over something that wasn’t in your hands.”
“We will see,” he said gloomily. She didn’t like his attitude, and as she quelled her curiosity about the issue, she tried to come up with something that would cheer him up.
“Maxwell…? I’m sure that things will turn out fine,” she said in an attempt to reassure him. He sighed and nodded slowly. His gaze came to rest on her hand that was playing with one of his braids. She twirled his hair and let go of it.
“Whatever happened, I know that you don’t mean any harm,” she said softly. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’re doing for me right now. You are a big help; I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Her words cheered him up. A spark returned to his dull eyes, brightening the vibrant sky-blue of his iris. He placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead and held her tighter. “Valerie, I have to tell you something important soon,” he whispered. “But first, you need to remember everything.”
“Something important?” she echoed curiously.
He gave a faint smile, bopping her nose with the tip of his finger. “Yes,” he whispered. “You should sleep now, sugar.”
“How can I sleep when you say that?” she complained and pouted. “Now I’m curious.”
“Your eyes are closing as you speak,” he remarked, amusedly. “Sleep, sugar.”
She continued to pout, but the exhaustion eventually won. Sighing in defeat, she lay down next to him, letting him pull the cover over her body. She closed her eyes and snuggled up to him. His soft chuckle reached her ears as he draped his arm around her shoulders to pull her in. In her exhaustion, she didn’t even register that the light had magically turned off on its own.
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The kitchen looked like a war zone. In their endeavor to make a strawberry shortcake together, Maxwell and Valerie had created a mess with the ingredients. She wasn’t happy with him and his antics since they had caused the major part of this disaster.
“I told you not to open the flour yet.” she nagged at him. “It was so obvious you would knock it over.”
“It was an accident,” he growled. “Also, you knocked over the milk.”