Chapter 72: Chapter 72

"Feeling better now?"

I shook my head. "My stomach still feels uncomfortable." Even though I lied. Baby was fine, actually. Just a bit full. I finished a plate of spaghetti and four slices of pizza. Cedric had removed the cola, which he said was a bonus for buying in bulk so I wouldn't drink it. But I wanted to. Just a little.

Cedric didn't give in. He just threw it away without even asking me. Suddenly, I started crying, making him flustered. Once he found out the reason for my tears, he didn't know what to do. He poured the cola down the kitchen sink, leaving only the canned bottle. My tears flowed even more.

"I shouldn't have given in to your craving for cola earlier."

I glared at him and said somewhat harshly, "Do you even know how sad it is for a pregnant woman not to have her cravings fulfilled? It's heart-wrenching."

"You can be quite dramatic, Joice."

I gave his shoulder a hard punch. He winced slightly before resuming his gentle rubbing on my stomach, which was perfectly fine. I did have some cola, but only a little. Just to satisfy my curiosity after such a long time without soda.

"You should get pregnant too, so you'll know what it feels like when your mood goes haywire!"

He laughed, and the way he playfully touched the tip of my chin with a look of fondness in his eyes annoyed me. I didn't know why, but my anger returned, albeit slightly.

Earlier, while feeding me spaghetti, he seemed genuinely remorseful. He apologized repeatedly for keeping things from me. Even though he had a very valid reason, and I knew it for sure, the disappointment was still there. I was just an ordinary woman with a high level of ego. Should I thank Sarman for pushing me a little? If not for him, maybe Cedric wouldn't have revealed his true self until the time he had planned. When I was officially his wife. He said it was so I wouldn't be angry for too long. I scoffed and was annoyed at his reasoning.

"I'm tired. I want to sleep." I adjusted myself to lie halfway on the bed. The clock on the wall showed it was already 11 PM. My hair was also dry thanks to the hairdryer. I seriously needed to get it washed again. It was dirty and still smelled like pizza because of Cedric's hands. So careless!

"How do I look?" Cedric asked while fixing my blanket.

"Go home."

He pouted. "You got my shirt wet earlier, Joice. Should I go home shirtless?"

I turned away, trying to suppress my amusement. I wanted to laugh, but then he'd know that I wasn't too angry anymore. I still wanted to be angry and maintain a grumpy expression toward Cedric.

I still remembered quite clearly when Cedric followed me to the toilet inside the room. I wasn't joking about threatening to wash my hair again because I felt it was dirty. Cedric had no say in it whatsoever. He could only surrender after trying to persuade me, which had no effect at all. He said he would redo it in the morning, but I refused! I didn't like sleeping with dirty hair.

When we entered the bathroom, I dropped my kimono, which I was still wearing. I was only in my bra and very short pants. Slowly, I approached the dry bathtub. I was just going to wash my hair, right? I didn't want to risk getting cold from taking a full shower again. Only my hair was dirty.

"Why are you just standing there?"

I saw that Cedric didn't divert his gaze anywhere else.

"Oh, I see. I'm not attractive anymore, right? My belly must be getting bigger," I said teasingly.

"N-No, it's not like that." Cedric took a step closer without hesitation. "Oh my goodness! Are you doing this on purpose or what?"

I looked at him with a confused look, though my heart wanted to burst out laughing. "Doing what on purpose? I don't understand." As I reached the edge of the bathtub, I sat down, making myself comfortable. "Hurry up, Cedric. I'll get cold."

Cedric rolled up his shirt sleeves. Occasionally, he let out a soft sigh. He grabbed the shower hose at the edge of the bathtub and started washing my hair gently. I tilted my head back slightly, closing my eyes. I felt the soft touch of Cedric's fingers on my scalp.

"You haven't answered my question, Cedric." The warm water flowed gently over my scalp, and the sound of dripping water filled the air.

"Which one?"

"I'm doing this on purpose. What am I doing on purpose?"

The water stopped flowing. I turned to face him and challenged his gaze. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as his eyes wandered up and down my figure. I slowly stepped closer until my half-wet, half-naked body was right in front of him.

I teased him, really teasing him until he almost lost control. I loved it when Cedric growled slightly against my neck. He left many wet marks there. It seemed intentional. I didn't forbid it or push him away. Well... what could I do? Being in the same room with a man with such an appealing body. And his gaze pleading with me to reprimand him, even if just a little.

Once he was given the opening, I was the one who lost control. Even the kiss on my lips felt more demanding than before. Usually, it could make me feel hot and cold, but now? He said that between our kisses, he missed the softness of my lips so much. I pouted. What a lie, right? Just admit that he was tempted to keep kissing me relentlessly. His lips not touching mine for three days, how could he bear it?

"You might get sick, Joice." Cedric released the demanding kiss slowly. I was genuinely struggling to keep up.

"Who made it last so long?"

Cedric grimaced. "I don't know who started it, me or you."

His shirt was clearly wet. My body was clinging to Cedric, only separated by my already bulging belly. If not for that, I think I would have been completely satisfied being enveloped in his embrace. He took a dry towel for me, and I quickly dried my hair and dressed properly. I didn't want to get sick because I spent too long in the bathroom like this.

I just complied.

"Joice," Cedric called as he gently touched my shoulder. He might have thought I was asleep, but I wasn't. In my mind, I was imagining Cedric's body shape, which was clearly visible, even though I had enjoyed being in the embrace of his bare chest several times, it still felt tempting. To be explored with my fingertips, of course.

"I'm going home," he said.

I processed his words. Go home? Whose shirt would he wear? It couldn't be with that wet shirt, right? I turned around and found him still shirtless. "Don't go."

His forehead creased. "It's already late."

"I know. I'm not blind to the clock on the wall."

He laughed.

"If Baby makes me uncomfortable again, what are you going to do? Who will massage me? Take responsibility."

His laughter increased. "Can I stay the night again?"

I frowned but nodded slightly.

"Do you need to wear clothes, or is this fine?" Cedric asked.

Extraordinary, wasn't he, Cedric? Now it was his turn to tease me like that? Really? Just wait and see. My retaliation would be greater than what he received before.

"Your body looks good. So it can be used as my living doll for bedtime company."

Cedric drowned in laughter. "Sure. As long as it keeps you company."

"Yeah, sure. You're bound to me for life. No way you can stray."

"Let's speed up the wedding, Joice."

This time, I looked at him with confusion. "Why?"

"I can withstand it today. I don't know about tomorrow or the day after."

A faint smile appeared on my lips.

"You... are the sweetest temptation in my life, Joice."