Chapter 10: Chapter 10
RICHARD probably had the most beautiful physique she had ever seen. He looked like he worked out a lot. His skin had a golden glow with every movement. His muscles flexed as he fixed the blanket around his waist. He was a work of art made by an expert sculptor.
He looked like a Greek god who came down from Mount Olympus to seduce a mortal like her. She was not easily attracted to handsome and muscular men. But when it came to Richard, she felt cold and hot and breathless at the same time.
She grabbed the door frame when she felt her knees weaken. It’s just a body. I’ve seen a lot of bodies before. Just because he had an incredible physique does not mean I’ll lose myself like Cynthia Lyn. I am not as weak as that.
She choked at the enticing voice from her mind. But you want to go near him. You want to touch his muscles. You want to know how it feels to be kissed by a man like him. You’re dying to know where your attraction toward him is going to take you. Just this once.
No! Esmeralda tilted her head. She heard a warning from her mind. She had to leave that room right away. She should find someone who will do it for him. She was not feeling right anymore. She hated his effect toward her.
He lifted his gaze, and their eyes met. “You’re back.”
“U-um…” She stood anxiously. “I-I really don’t know how to give a massage. Maybe I should call Cynthia Lyn or Kadyo…”
“I’m not actually asking for a massage. You can just put some ointment on my back or in places I could not reach,” he said and shifted in her direction. “It’ll just be quick. If I could do it on my own, I’m not going to bother you. Please?”
There was something magical with the way he said ‘please.’ Her feet moved toward him in their own volition as if she was hypnotized. She stood behind him. “Where does it hurt?” she asked.
He took her hand and placed it on his back. “Here. I think a hard object hit me back at the river. And here, too.” He put her hand on his side near the waistband of his shorts. “I think it is bruised.”
EEEE! She screamed in her head as she felt his warm skin. She felt like burning. And his muscles were rigid. She was tempted to squeeze them. Where else was he hurt? Below the waistband of his shorts, perhaps?
“Did you see it?” he asked and turned.
“Saw what?” Esmeralda asked and stared at him in confusion.
“If there are bruises on the parts I showed you.”
She gazed at his waist where her hand was placed and lifted it. She was busy fantasizing about him and forgot she was there to help him because he was hurt.
Esmeralda grimaced when she saw the bruise on his back. There were also bruises on his shoulder, at the center of his back, and on his waist. It must all because of the hard objects that hit him from the flood. His bigger bruise already looked purple.
"I'm sorry we could not apply a cold compress for now," she said and gently caressed the bruise. “There’s no ice available because there’s no electricity…”
He smiled curtly as he looked at her. "Ointment is fine. It smells awful, but it can ease away the pain."
She brought the coconut oil to her nose. “The smile is fine. I actually prefer coconut oil on my skin and my hair."
Esmeralda froze when he caught a few strands of her hair and smelled it. “Why does it smell good on you? Makes me want to devour you…” he said in a low voice.
Devour. Like, he wanted to eat her? He licked his lower lip as he gazed at her. She looked like a delicacy in his eyes that he wanted to taste. And her heart was pounding. If she would base from his seductive stares, he meant to taste her in an erotic manner?
No. It’s just my imagination. I’m just putting malice on it.
“Am I like a sweetened rice cake?” she said and laughed. “I’m glad you find it fragrant. My brother Jeremy hates the smell, though. He said I’m like a ghoul who applies coconut oil and transforms at night.”
"Do you lure your victims? Then you eat their heart for a midnight snack?" he said, his tone laced with anger.
She wondered as she gently applied oil on his bruises. “You look like you have grown in Manila. Don’t tell me you believe in ghouls and ghosts?”
“Let’s just say there are many ghouls out there who pretend to be angels, and their victims had no idea that they came to take everything from them—their hearts, their hard work, and their trust.”