For Vivian, who’d never had an ounce of muscle in her life, flesh was supposed to be soft. On the other hand, Aidan couldn’t  have been more stone-like. The feeling of his body was very unfamiliar. She had often thought this whenever they held hands or she rested hers in the crook of his arm, but he was firm to the point she started to question if it was truly flesh.

(T/N: Then is he made of steel like Iron Man?) (E/N: Hulk? >.<)

As expected, it’s different when you read it and when you experience it.

She’d heard that muscles were firm, but she hadn’t thought it would be to such an extent. Vivian burned with the passion to fulfill her intellectual curiosity.

“It seems like you’re only reading, but when did you find the time to make muscles?”

“I tend to exercise regularly.” Aidan responded carelessly with his gaze attached to his book. She wasn’t sure how many times he’d answered so indifferently – she lost count. Vivian put down the notebook she had scribbled in with a loud noise and made an angry expression.

Did he perhaps want to train her right now? It felt as though she learnt of commands like ‘wait’ or ‘no’ that weren’t fated for her.

How could it be that the answers to her questions were not answered through his ‘body’?!?

“You know, Ray.”

“Yes?”

Vivian thought of the figure that had either avoided, pushed, or threatened her when she acted pleasantly.

It wasn’t like she was some wild beast! Now that they had built a symbiotic relationship, it was very troubling if he continued to behave in this manner. He had told her that he would teach her if she didn’t understand something! What were these actions after he made her heart flutter?!?

To avoid her touch and her curiosity filled questions was one thing, but wasn’t it a bit overboard to avoid even her eyes? At this point, Vivian truly wondered if he really found her uncomfortable to be around.

It could be that he had been alright before they first entangled tongues, but after the kiss, he was forced to rethink the situation. That might be the reason he avoided all contact with her right now. If that were so, he should just tell her honestly and not confuse her by escorting her to his estate. Why did he make such a suggestion in the first place then?

“Do you dislike me? You’re not even looking at me.”

“…….”

“I don’t want to hold up a person who doesn’t like me either. Since I’ve understood plenty where my novel is lacking thanks to you, I could easily find another man even if it’s not you, Ray.”

As Vivian spoke the sour words that weren’t even from her heart, Aidan’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly.

Since the servitude contract was no different from broken and the chastity contract held no meaning, it was possible for her to date another man at any time. After all, their contract did not have a clause that stated that they were ‘not allowed to date another person’.

“Just because Ray wants to make me the best of authors, you don’t have to sacrifice your whole body to do it with a woman you dislike.”

“I never said I dislike you.”

What? The Vivian who had confidently found fault in Ray was long gone, and her voice shook slightly as she responded.

“The problem is that I don’t dislike Vivian.”

Why was she in such a hurry? Aidan swallowed his sigh together with his words and gazed at Vivian.

He had felt this earlier, but she didn’t understand the definition of ‘slowly’. It was her nature to charge headfirst towards something that caught her interest till the end, regardless of the consequences. Just like a train that continued forward without a brake.

She was the exact opposite of Aidan. It was his preference to coil slowly around his interest like a snake and squeeze it as if it till death by suffocation.

However, the problem was that her pace was addicting and infectious. He, too, couldn’t find the composure to go about it by his preference.

“There’s something I had in mind…….” Aidan muttered such as he swept his eyes over Vivian without disguise.

Vivian’s eyes folded as she smiled before she rose from her seat suddenly and pranced over to his side. She took up his hand and kissed the top of it. Then she whispered, “What thoughts?”

Aidan’s fingertips flinched and shivered. “Eat a luxurious dinner slicing steak, wash in a warm bath with rose petals and rub on aromatic oil, watch the moon over the terrace railing while drinking wine……things like this.”

He had such romantic dreams?