Chapter 39: A Dream
Cyril stood by his bathtub, his lips tightly pursed, intense gaze fixed on Hazel, who could feel her heart racing. She felt like a child caught doing something she shouldn’t, and she didn’t want Cyril to know what had just happened.
“Why are you here?” Hazel submerged herself back into the bathtub, covering her body with bubbles. She recalled coming out of the bathtub and wrapping herself in a towel, so why was she still in the water? Could everything that had just happened be a dream?
Hazel’s eyes revealed a hint of uneasiness. If it was all a dream, what about the man from her dream? She could still feel her heart racing because of him, and she couldn’t forget his enchanting otherworldly eyes.
Cyril noticed the uncertainty in Hazel’s eyes, and she appeared to be remembering something. “If I wasn’t here, you would have drowned in the bathtub,” he said with an intense, unrelenting gaze, still fresh in his mind.
In that moment, Cyril had genuinely panicked, wanting to wake Hazel from her apparent dream. “I just had a dream,” Hazel said, extending her tongue to moisten her lips. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the recent events were too real to be just a dream. If it wasn’t a dream, then what had happened?
Hazel had no idea why she had ended up in the mysterious man’s study, or why she had felt such a powerful attraction to his voice. Everything was beyond her control. Hawthorne’s face was etched into her memory, and the word “vampire” had taken root in her mind.
But why had Hawthorne claimed she found him? Hazel pressed her hand against her forehead, feeling like there was something crucial she was forgetting. Cyril fixed his gaze on Hazel, convinced she was hiding something. “Get up,” he ordered, his voice low and raspy, as if restraining some emotions.
Hazel’s shoulders remained bare above the water, and she looked captivating. However, she seemed oblivious to her allure. “If I get up, shouldn’t you leave?” she asked, looking at Cyril. His emotions were hard to read.
When Hawthorne had pressed her down earlier, Cyril’s face had briefly flashed in Hazel’s mind. Cyril’s eyebrows furrowed; Hazel’s reaction was odd. He approached the bathtub, looking down at her from above. Her wet hair and the small droplets on her curled eyelashes added to her charm. Her every breath produced a warm mist, and her flushed cheeks made her even more enchanting.
“Hazel, it seems like you’ve forgotten something,” Cyril’s voice carried emotional weight, and his body emitted an aura of anger that left Hazel feeling guilty.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
“I’ve forgotten something? You’re the one who barged into my bathroom,” Hazel retorted, her voice louder than she intended. She wasn’t sure why she felt guilty. Was it because Hawthorne had kissed her? Was she apologizing to Cyril for that? But she and Cyril had only gone so far, with no deeper connection, no romantic involvement – they were not a couple.
Cyril’s eyes darkened upon hearing Hazel’s words. He lifted Hazel from the bathtub, and the sudden exposure sent a shiver down her spine. She trembled for a moment. Cyril held her in his arms, and Hazel wrapped her arms around his neck, seeking his warmth. Cyril’s body radiated warmth, and she couldn’t resist moving closer.
He placed Hazel on her own bed, and then he watched her quietly, from her face down to her feet. Every inch of Hazel’s skin seemed imprinted in Cyril’s mind.
“Cyril, what are you planning?” Hazel pulled up the blanket, wrapping herself in it.
“Come on, Hazel, what are you hiding?” Cyril took off his shirt, feeling his blood boiling.
The fragrance emanating from Hazel was intoxicating. He usually had immense self-control, but when it came to Hazel, he admitted he felt somewhat indulgent.
Cyril lifted Hazel’s blanket and embraced her tightly. He didn’t know why he was doing this; it was almost instinctual. He couldn’t control it, and he didn’t want to.
Hazel looked at Cyril in astonishment, expecting him to repeat past actions. But this time, he didn’t. He simply held her in his arms, and they lay there together.
Hazel leaned against Cyril’s chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. He was incredibly strong, and that was her thought at this very moment.
Though Hazel had always known Cyril’s strength, there was something particularly clear about it right now.
Hazel thought back to the things that had happened between her and Cyril in the past, and her desire persisted, like a primal instinct. She couldn’t ignore the happiness Cyril brought her.
As she thought about Cyril, Hazel felt as if Hawthorne’s influence had diminished.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Hazel said, her fingers tracing circles on Cyril’s chest. Right now, nothing could distract her.
When she had emerged from the bathtub, her expression had been odd, and Cyril knew something had happened. But he had no idea what.
Hazel’s recent look carried a hint of confusion, puzzlement, and even a trace of longing.
What was she longing for?
“Hazel, you can’t keep anything from me, have you forgotten?” Cyril nearly roared, not understanding why Hazel insisted on testing his limits again and again.
“I told you, it was just a dream,” Hazel shouted back. She didn’t know how to explain what had just happened. She wasn’t sure whether she should tell Cyril everything. If Cyril knew about Hawthorne’s existence, she had no idea what would happen.
“Tell me the content of the dream,” Cyril’s words sounded like a command, shaking Hazel’s inner resolve. She wanted to argue, but she didn’t know what to say in that moment.
“Cyril, it was just a regular dream,” Hazel replied in frustration. What had just occurred had left her bewildered. But Hawthorne was real, someone she had encountered in reality. She couldn’t be sure what it all meant.
“I tried to contact you through the mind link, but I couldn’t sense you, you understand?” Cyril looked at Hazel. He couldn’t establish a connection with her. That indicated Hazel’s consciousness wasn’t clear enough. Even though Hazel was lost in her dream, receiving a mind link should have disrupted her dream.
Hazel reiterated that she had just had a dream, and it was just an ordinary dream. But if it was just an ordinary dream, why couldn’t she talk about it? The facts could only mean that Hazel was concealing something.
Cyril pinched Hazel’s chin, trying to make her lift her head and look at him, and her eyes appeared somewhat evasive.
Hazel fell silent, and Cyril’s words left her momentarily stunned. If Cyril was trying to convey information to her through the mind link, and she hadn’t received it, then it meant that everything that had just happened wasn’t merely an ordinary dream. It meant that everything could be real.
“Hazel, tell me what you’re hiding,” Cyril’s tone grew firmer. His hand tightened around Hazel’s waist. Cyril could clearly feel Hazel’s soft body pressed against his chest. Her breathing was steady, but her heartbeat was strong, and Cyril felt his own breathing grow chaotic.
Hazel tightly clutched the blanket. Cyril’s actions excited her. She hadn’t forgotten that she was undressed, and the moisture between her legs was causing her body to react. Yet Cyril had only pinched her waist and hadn’t made further advances.
Looking at Cyril’s face, his captivating features and the wild aura about him were intoxicating. Hazel swore that this was her boldest move.
Hazel inched closer to Cyril and kissed his lips.