Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 117: His Antidote

Chapter 117: His Antidote

For a brief moment, the two of them remained silent, their eyes delving right into each other that it seemed they might have forgotten the ocean and waves that brought them this tranquil.... or maybe it was never the ocean.

Leaning close, Ivan’s hand reached forward to brush a strand of her hair away from her face, and he noticed the way her eyes reflected a nocturnal sparkle that had him beguilingly tranced, with no escape. His thumb caressed her smooth cheek lightly, and he watched the way her eyes hesitantly moved to look at the hand that hadn’t withdrawn from her face yet. The uncertainty in her eyes was still there, her reluctance, he didn’t miss it, but what was his excuse again?

He was selfish.

Lowering his face at a measured pace, his crimson eyes fixed on the pink lips he was about to devour for dinner, Ivan was forced to stop when he felt her palm on his chest. His eyes moved from her intrusive hand to her face that had been tinted pink, and the reason behind that flustered face was because she could feel his heartbeat, pounding at an abnormal rate in his chest. As if shocked by the feeling, she made an attempt to take her hand back when Ivan caught her dainty wrist, and then he whispered, his voice sounding like silk.

"This is what happens to me when I see you, when I get close to you. Could you perhaps explain this uncontrollable beating to me? Refusing is not an option, I mean, you’ve always wanted me to learn and understand this type of feeling, haven’t you not?" Placing her palm back to his chest so she could feel his racing heartbeat - the same heart that never once beat even when she stabbed it, Samantha had completely forgotten how to breathe as she met his intense stare.

"I- I did say I was going to kill you, is it not being unfair to yourself that you are more than willing to reveal this side to.... someone who promised to end you? What if I’m putting on an act, and all of this was just a trick to win your favor?" She asked in one breath, not averting her stare as she couldn’t allow herself to be seen as inferior, but there was no suspicion in the way he stared at her, no alarm, no nothing.

All she saw was his yearnings and her uncertainty reflecting back at her.

"I told you I’d give you many opportunities to get rid of me. I wasn’t joking when I made that promise to you." With his hand on her wrist still keeping her palm glued to his chest, he slowly moved it up, letting it brush through the fabric of his outfit and making sure she felt every sturdiness hidden beneath until her delicate fingers curled around his neck.

"Daggers are already ineffective, let’s try something new shall we?" Smiling subtly, he released her dainty wrist, and her fingers, which presently curled around his throat, could hardly grab his neck in full, but her hold was surprisingly firm. Rather than feeling alarmed by her actions to choke him, he found it..... titillating - the warmness of her palm seemed to stir up a different kind of feeling in him, it was no different from a passing current, and he knew she felt them, she always had.

"Make good use of this opportunity, or I will kiss you." The continuous clashing of waves seemed to have been drowned by the palpitating beat of Samantha’s heart, and her eyes took notice of the strange shimmering in his eyes again. It reflected magically against her own, speaking a thousand words that were yet to leave his mouth. She had completely forgotten about what he just said to her, not until she felt the coolness of his lips pressing against her own, whilst her round eyes grew wider.

Her grip around his neck loosened, as if the power from her system had been drained by his intimate touch. When her hand dropped, she could feel Ivan slid his hand to the back of her neck, cradling it as he tilted her head gently to the side so he could have more access to that sweet mouth of hers, and Ivan couldn’t have wished for anything better.

His touch was gentle, not harsh, and when he pulled back so he could look directly into her glazed green eyes, Samantha covered her mouth with her palm before he repeated his actions again, but it wasn’t because she hated it, she was merely afraid of getting used to liking him and the taste of him. When Ivan’s naturally arched eyebrows pulled into a slight frown, Samantha withdrew her palm and pointed at the ocean to distract him.

"Back in our village, my brother and I... we always messed around with water. When my Father returned from wherever he went to, I would get most of the scolding since I was the eldest. He didn’t mind that my brother was the one who started it, but as the eldest I should have stopped him since there was scarcity of water in our village.... but do you know why we never stopped?"

Without waiting for his response, Samantha got to her feet and crouched down to where the current of the water met the shore. Looking behind her to find Ivan watching her as usual, she beckoned him over with a smile. Ivan, although hardly interested in what she wanted to show him, eventually stood up to join her with a boring gaze.

He watched as the hand he so desperately wanted to be on him right now was being welcomed by the wave that reached the shore, and he suddenly felt jealous that it was able to enjoy the caress of his little lamb. He couldn’t suppress the jealousy in his eyes as he looked away.

"What is it you want to.." Ivan automatically lost his voice when the oncoming water suddenly splashed upon his handsome face. For a millisecond, time seemed to stand still when he felt the icy droplet land upon his pale skin, and it was no one else but his little lamb’s doing.

"What?" His lips parted in astonishment, eyes staring at his little lamb in surprise.

What he hadn’t expected was for her to suddenly burst into laughter as though she witnessed something funny, her emerald green eyes sparkled with delight as they crinkled at both ends, enthralling him as he continued to watch her face lit up. Upon noticing Ivan’s indifferent reaction to what she just did, Samantha covered her mouth before he misunderstood her actions, attempting to stifle the euphoria that inevitably escapes.

"Have you never played with water?" She asked softly, and when she didn’t get a response from him, she awkwardly cleared her throat, mistaking his silence for anger. "Forgive me if I.."

Without warning, Ivan followed the method she had used, whilst he glided his hand through the water, only to gather a handful and splash Samantha’s surprised face with it, leaving her drenched. Eyes widening, Samantha gasped, a mixture of astonishment and delight as she turned her head to look at Ivan, stunned by his retaliation.

"Did you just..?!" When he looked away, Samantha could see he was trying to suppress a playful grin. Her eyes, which carried bewilderment now gave way to amusement. "What sort of retaliation is this? I honestly thought you were upset!"

"Maybe I was." He hummed, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as a sense of mischievousness began to awaken within him. Completely ignoring the rules of etiquette as he was her Lord and she a mere servant, Samantha scooped a large portion into her cupped hands, an action Ivan didn’t fail to catch as the smile on his lips slowly faded concerning what she was about to do, and he shook his head.

"Little Lamb, what-what are you...don’t, listen to me." For the first time, she heard Ivan stutter as she sprang up to her feet, a mischievous glint splaying in her eyes as the water in her cupped hands splattered across Ivan’s face, rolling down his appealing throat and drenching his regal outfit. Ivan stayed motionless, the weight of the water sinking in, including the melodious laugh of his little lamb as it reached his ears.

"You’re starting to underestimate me, come here." He beckoned her over, but to his surprise, she refused. "Little Lamb." He called her in a tone that indicated he was serious, but the mischief in his eyes told her he wanted to punish her for something.

"Do you enjoy being chased all the time? Come here." Ivan rose to his feet as she began to back away, and he still sensed the playful mood she was in as she shook her head in refusal. The pain and his worries had been erased from merely spending time with her, she was his antidote, and he would never let go of her.