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He still didn’t reply, now utterly unsure of what to say to all of this.
“I’ve said too much, haven’t I. I should head back inside.” She sighed, turning around, but before she could proceed, her leg abruptly gave out on her.
Simon quickly wrapped his hand around her arm and over her shoulder, holding her steady so she didn’t fall. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Are you still trying to seduce me?” she asked bluntly.
He stopped himself from chuckling, now attending to her pitiful state. “I’m sure there’ll be time for that, but I’m occupied with worrying about your leg. Can you step on it?”
“I…it hurts when I do.”
Eloise looked down at her leg, biting her lips, trying to ignore the way the man’s touch burned in her skin. After finally speaking her mind for once, she couldn’t even make a quick escape, and now she was forced to prolong this awkward encounter with him. Regardless, the concern this stranger displayed was a little comforting.
The masked man crouched down, holding her ankle softly. He threw his wineglass to the side, allowing it to fall to the damp grass while studying her heel.
She widened her eyes, momentarily losing her words. “W-what are you doing?” she asked.
“Inspecting your injury. Do you mind moving your leg upward? I want to see if you have complete motion.”
He carried his hands further up her skirt, and she shuddered as a fiery desire gave rise. Suddenly realizing how it must have all looked, she gave an embarrassed smile. “I—I’m all right, really,” she said.
But the moment he applied pressure to her calf, she winced.
“That doesn’t look all right to me…Do you mind if I—”
He pointed at her skirt, implying he wanted to raise it slightly higher.A blush found its way to her cheeks, and she tried her best to hide it. But knowing there was no other option, she hesitantly nodded, permitting him to continue.
His hand gently trailed further up her skirt, pressing against her thigh. She gasped at the feeling, catching him smirk for a short second. Was he enjoying this?
He supported one hand on her thigh and the other on her ankle, nodding for a moment as if he had arrived at a conclusion. “It’s nothing serious,” he said. “It seems like a nasty cramp—it should fix itself soon with a bit of rest.”
“Oh,” was all she could utter. She audibly gulped, trying to recover from the shock. His touch still lingered on her bare skin, inviting her to inappropriate thoughts.
“Perhaps you should sit down for a moment. Here, let me help you,” he said as he wrapped a hand around her waist.
He took far too much liberty with touching her, she thought, but soon berated herself for accusing the man when all he had tried to do so far was help.
Guiding her toward a nearby wooden bench in the shade of a white willow tree, he helped her sit down. The garden was dimly lit, and the flora was grown in such a way, it would be difficult to see beyond the white willow unless from up close. Eloise took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.
“…Thank you, I must say,” she said. “For helping me, I mean…”
“I wouldn’t be a dangerous rake if I didn’t heed the call of a damsel in distress,” he joked.
She raised her chin once more, refusing to show that she was bothered by his words but more so to hide the smile that came to her lips.
“I enjoy playing and listening to the pianoforte,” he suddenly spoke out. Eloise tilted her head, wondering why he chose to share such information with her. “It’s perhaps the only thing that helps me forget about…the miseries of life, you know?” he paused once more, noticing her eyeing him curiously. “What? You shared something personal with me, I thought it would only be fair if I reciprocate the gesture.”
“Well. That sounds…beautifully melancholic.” She grinned widely at his attempt at honesty. “Hmm, perhaps I could play it for you someday.” She didn’t know what possessed her to say that—there was no way of her ever knowing who he was, nor did she even know how to play the pianoforte in the first place.
“Well, I must confess that women who play the piano are quite enchanting.” He inched closer to her, brushing a strand of her loose brown hair behind her ear. “So, I’m not sure I’d still be able to resist you if you did…”
She froze, unable to say anything more. She inched closer to his lips, feeling his hot breath against hers. The masked man placed his hand around the nape of her neck, carefully caressing her sensitive skin.
Their lips were inches apart, driven by pure passion, and she did the inevitable: she kissed him. It started sweet, soft and careful. But it quickly escalated into a lustful and desire-filled battle of tongues. Eloise’s hands wrapped tighter around his neck, driving him closer to her, never pausing for a breath. It was all heavenly. Until she felt a finger brush over her mask, causing her eyes to jolt open and her to abruptly pull away.
Grasping what she had just done, she immediately jumped to her feet in panic, wincing a little from the pain. “I—I need to go.” She spun to face the entryway of the veranda, making haste for the door, ignoring anything and everything the man was saying.
Everything was being drowned out by her loud thoughts.
