Hellbound With You

As if scalded, Alicia retracted her hand. That one move was so fast it made the water splash on the both of them.

She lifted that hand up, palm open and facing him. It was as though a policeman had ordered her to 'hands up' while pointing at gun at her. She did not know whether she should scream out in mortification or blabber whatever that came to her mind, just to distract both of them from this embarrassing situation or just curl up into a ball and hope that she disappeared until things calmed down. Her flustered expression was almost comical in its extremity.

For a moment, she struggled to find the right words to say as she kept herself as still as she could, not wanting to have another 'accident' of the sort occurring again. Once was more than enough. Her heart would not be able to bear it.

"Oops…" she said. An 'oops' that did not sound particularly surprise or excited nor was it taunting. It was a nervous and forced 'oops'. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to touch your… erm… thing. It's a little accident."

His expression darkened at her words. Oh damn…

"A little accident…??" he repeated her choice of words, his voice sounding darker than usual. "So… what if it's a little accident?"

She blinked multiple times. "It's not intentional! I really did not mean for that to happen, so… you should accept my apology and… yes, forgive and forget?" Her tone at the end was pitched higher to sound like a question rather than a statement.

A sound which seemed to be a half snort and half laugh was his immediate response. "Forgive and forget… you're saying that accidents should be resolved just by saying a simple 'sorry'?"

"Well…" Alicia knew she was in a pinch now. She could only scold herself inwardly for her own words and for the fact that this body of hers was so clumsy to have that accident occur in the first place. Just where the hell did her usual wits go?! She did not like how her comebacks sound so embarrassingly dull and bordering on silly! "Of course, a sorry would never be enough depending on the circumstances and especially if someone got hurt." She quickly reasoned out, trying so hard to redeem herself.

"And based on how you are putting it… it seems like you think that no one got hurt in this little accident?" He stressed on the word 'little'. And it seemed to her that he sounded a little sarcastic, but she could not be sure.

Alicia felt her heart began to pace harder now. And it was not only because of his words. That gleam she had seen flashing within his eyes just now… there seemed to be a lightning storm in those grey irises…

It looked… breathtaking and… dangerous as hell.

She struggled for words. "W-wait… you got hurt?" her eyes widened, belatedly registering that his words implied that. It was incredibly unsettling and mortifying how her brain was working so damned slow now that it was embarrassing. "B-but… but I just touched your pen –" her eyes flared but she managed to bounce back and cleared her throat, "I just touched it. Don't you make a fool of me again! There is no way you have gotten hurt just because I touched you… there!"

Thinking that she had found the right moment to escape, Alicia pulled herself up again to leave the tub.

But instead of finally escaping the tub, Alicia found herself being effortlessly pulled back into it – forgetting that Ezekiel was not only a tall but also solidly built male. She fell on him again. Her eyes stretched even wider at the realization that she was… she was now straddling him! How in the world…

Her entire body went into a paralyzed state at the very clear feel of him between her legs. When her gaze flew up to meet his, she almost felt like someone had forcefully taken her breath away – him. This man she… hated. Yes, hated.

He was looking up at her through the strands of his dripping wet hair. His expression as cold as ice, yet his gaze… they scorched like the fires of hell itself.

She could no longer take her eyes off him, could not move a single muscle away from him. The warning bells that had begun to ring like crazy at the back of her head were rendered absolutely useless. Why? Why was her body not listening to her?

Before she realized it, her betraying gaze had strayed down to his lips. Her heart was trashing wildly in its confines now, the heat between them getting impossibly hot. Something had happened to her… and it was all his fault. He definitely… did something… sinful… to her, right?

She felt his big, searing hand landing and touching her nape and she did not know why she sighed out, as if his touch was something so incredibly pleasant and something that she was looking forward to.

His long searing fingers moved to the back of her neck and then slowly, he exerted a slight pressure and guided her forward. The way he touched her, guided her – it all came as shock to her senses. That felt almost tender… Ezekiel? Tender? Why did these two words not seem to belong together?

"You want to kiss me…" his voice sounded so dark, so… deep, so… she could no longer think of the right word to describe it.

"No…" she lied, breathless. It was almost unbelievable how she managed to say the complete opposite of what she really felt at this moment. He had made her want him… seduced her to bits… and now she could not even deny it to herself anymore. This body… it wanted him… and she reasoned out it must be because of his demonic power running through her. That must be what was affecting her emotions and her mind now.

"Lies…" he whispered in her ear, calling her bluff. All the while, running his fingers down her spine. "Did you forget I can feel everything you…"

Goosebumps rose over her skin. "All your fault…" came her breathless reply. Still resisting.

"You really love blaming others–"

"It's… the truth." Her breath hitched when his hand had somehow slid over her jaw and cupped it, his thumb slowly parting her lips apart.

"Such a little… bad liar…" A seductive gleam filled his eyes.