Chapter 641: Chapter 641: Your Gift—Unwrap It Yourself
Cyrus Hawthorne gave a faint "hmm," yet his actions didn’t stop. It was unclear whether he had truly heard Ann Vaughn’s words.
Ann Vaughn was almost half-leaning in his embrace, her back resting against his broad, firm chest. Feeling a bit bored, she gently swung her slender legs and suddenly frowned.
She didn’t feel it while soaking in the bath earlier, but now her feet occasionally sent sharp bursts of pain.
After wearing sky-high heels all night, she ran all the way downstairs, dashing through the snow. It would be odd if they didn’t hurt.
Still, she just frowned briefly, and even though she quickly relaxed her expression, Cyrus Hawthorne caught the subtle change.
Seeing her suddenly stop moving her little feet, he understood everything.
"Done." Cyrus put away the hairdryer, casually running his elegant fingers through Ann’s long hair that reached her waist, his voice deep.
Ann made a sound of "mm" and directly wanted to roll into bed. Who knew she’d be caught by Cyrus’s single-arm hug, unable to roll away.
"...I haven’t slept well for two days." Remembering the chaotic night before leaving the country, Ann’s body trembled, eyes showing panic as she clutched her collar tightly, looking aggrievedly at the enigmatic man under the dim light.
Before saying she was unwilling to cooperate, why not first consider whether his stamina was something she, a mere weak woman, could withstand?
She was aggrieved, but she dared not voice it QAQ.
A fleeting look of helplessness crossed Cyrus’s stern face. He held her slender waist with one hand and caught her feet, which she had lifted slightly due to the pain, with the other.
His warm palm supported one of her soles, kneading it with just the right amount of pressure.
"Does it hurt?"
Ann instinctively wanted to pull her foot back but was caught by him, unable to move away. Her face turned crimson, and she whispered softly, "Dirty..."
Although she had just bathed, she hadn’t worn shoes because the room was carpeted for comfort, so she ran out barefoot.
The room was cleaned daily by staff, and the carpet was spotless, but Ann still felt somewhat embarrassed.
Compared to her discomposure, Cyrus appeared calm as if doing something utterly ordinary, naturally so.
He looked down at the small, tender foot in his palm, its white, delicate features from ankle to arch smooth and graceful, like a naturally formed piece of art, enticing and captivating.
Slightly tightening his grip, he could envelop it entirely within his palm.
For some reason, a sense of delight flowed through Cyrus, his Adam’s apple rolling slightly.
Ann was striving to overcome the inexplicable embarrassment of having her ankle kneaded in his embrace when she saw the man lift her leg halfway up, lowering his head to press a gentle kiss on the back of her foot.
Ann: ???
Ann: !!!!
"Ah—" The shame in her heart instantly broke its chains, bursting from her throat as she tried to escape Cyrus’s embrace, but couldn’t break free from his iron-like arms.
The sudden increase in body temperature made her head spin, almost imagining she was about to ignite.
"You, you..." Ann’s eyes brimmed with a thin mist as she looked at Cyrus, whose eyes held a captivating allure, her voice trembling, "How could you kiss there?!"
After discovering her sensitivity at her ears and waist, Ann ruefully realized she had yet another sensitive spot.
His light kiss made her entire body go soft beyond control.
"Is there anywhere on you I haven’t tasted?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow at her blushing face, his thin lips forming a teasing smile, "Including here, it’s mine too."
Having said that didn’t make it better; it only made Ann feel as if her blood would soon reach a boiling point due to her body temperature.
Finding no words to refute him, Ann merely pressed her little mouth tight, attempting to kill him with a glare full of embarrassment and fury.
This man was simply... so unrestrained!!
But admittedly, the pressure of his massage was too perfect, alternating between light and firm, caring for every sore spot, making Ann increasingly drowsy with comfort.
"Did you see the New Year’s gift I prepared for you on the nightstand in our master bedroom?" She lay softly on Cyrus’s shoulder, struggling to stay awake to ask.
"Too much work, I haven’t had the chance." Cyrus adjusted the position of the tiny person in his arms who was nearly melting, speaking casually.
In fact, knowing Ann was abroad, Old Master Hawthorne took Kenny to Cloudmere Manor, and whether or not to return to unit 8 hardly mattered to him.
He hadn’t gone back for several days and hadn’t given it any thought.
Without her, that place was just an empty shell.
And so was he.
Ann nodded drowsily, clutching his jacket, intentionally teasing him, "What about my gift? Did you forget?"
Given how busy he was, he probably didn’t have time to prepare her a gift, but Ann didn’t mind, she just wanted to see him at a loss.
However, her cunning plan failed.
Cyrus chuckled softly, lifted her little hand, and placed it on his cold belt, whispering seductively in her ear, "Your gift, unwrap it yourself."
Squinting, Ann hadn’t immediately realized what it was, feeling it hard and cool to the touch.
With a glance down, she was nearly scared out of her wits.
"Cyrus Hawthorne!!"
"You beast!!"
"I want a refund!!!"
It’s not like she hadn’t imagined Cyrus offering himself as a gift to her, but this initiation was nothing like she had fantasized!
Listening to her exasperated complaint, the laughter in Cyrus’s slanted eyes deepened. He proceeded to tuck her feet into the soft covers, turned to embrace her, and laid a kiss behind her ear.
"If you don’t want to open it, let’s sleep."
Ann glanced at him suspiciously, "Not just a stalling tactic?"
She hadn’t forgotten the painful lesson of him lulling her to sleep, only for her to be rudely awakened by him in the middle of the night.
What a trick to lull her to sleep, clearly aiming to exploit her defenseless when asleep!
"Don’t trust me?" Cyrus’s narrow eyes squinted slightly, regarding her dangerously.
"...I do! You better not betray my trust in you!" Ann quickly closed her eyes, fearing that if she delayed even for one second, she might be devoured by a wolf.
Despite the worry that the man beside her might pounce on her at any moment, with her cheeks against his warm and rhythmic chest, Ann unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
Once her breathing became steady and even, Cyrus, propping his chin with one hand, gazed deeper, his long fingers loosening the hand she held tightly to her collar, enclosing it in his palm, a soft laugh escaping his lips.