At the same time, Sophia was wondering about the same thing. Arthur was probably wearing nothing underneath the bath towel.
Having that thought in mind, she reminded him, “The robe is in the cabinet.”
Walking toward the cabinet, he took out a bathrobe and wore it. Right after that, he yanked the towel from his waist.
As her eyes were glued on him from the beginning, her breath came to a sudden stop as he undressed before her. Did he forget I’m here too?
Since he was changing into the robe in front of her, it left Sophia to her own imagination.
Fixing the sash on his robe, Arthur brushed his hair aside as he turned to look at her. As soon as their eyes met, there was an indescribable tension
brewing between them.
“Have you had a boyfriend before?” Feeling bored as he was waiting for clean clothes, Arthur popped a question at her.
Sophia was already twenty-three years old, but somehow she felt like a loser if she answered honestly, so she lied instead.
“Of course.” As she answered his question, she pretended to be calm.
“How many boyfriends did you have?” he asked intensively.
“Just one.”
“How far did you make it?”
“Pardon?”
“Holding hands, embracing, kissing, or sleeping with each other… At which stage were you guys at?” Arthur’s eyes stared intensely into hers and his voice sounded like he was interrogating her.
Taken aback by the explicitness in his question, Sophia stuttered, “C-Can I not answer this question?”
“We can exchange our secrets. You can ask me the same question later.” His eyes did not waver as if they were locked onto hers.
Her eyes blinked a few times at the suggestion and considered it. In her opinion, it would not be a bad bargain, though.
“All we did was… hold hands. “Sophia decided to give in to the temptation with a lie. She was aware that the most intimate thing she had ever done with a man was sharing a kiss and that happened to be with Arthur. To get the snowball rolling, she would now need to tell more lies to cover up for the first.
He raised his eyebrow with a hint of satisfaction when he heard her answers. “Really?”
“Yeah, I won’t lie.” She kept a straight face
even though she was certainly not telling the truth. Remembering her promised right, she tested the waters. “Can I ask you the same question now?”
“Sure.” Sitting down at the bedside, Arthur leaned backward with his elbows on the bed. He then lifted his chin and fixed his gaze on her.
“How many girlfriends have you had before?”
“None at all,” he answered honestly.
However, Sophia did not find it credible and spoke her mind, “I don’t believe any of your words! You must have had many girlfriends before. Isn’t Miss Jennings one of them?”
“I never lie.” His eyes lit up like a torch as unquestionable authority lay underneath them.
She choked on his words with thoughts running through her mind. If he thinks he can fool me…
“Then… How far did you ever go with a woman?” Learning what she wanted to know, she decided to change the topic. Arthur might never have had any serious relationship, but could he say the same about those women whom he had been sleeping with?
“We kissed!” His answer was a surprise to Sophia.
As she was dubious with him, she shot him another question. “With who?”
“You.” Her mind froze as she heard him. answer without hesitation. With a shocked expression, she stared at him while having a hard time believing his words. She could feel the burning sensation on her cheeks as well.
Up until now, he had been only kissing one woman, which was her.
“Stop lying. I have a hard time believing it because you were so good at kissing last time.” Sophia intended to lift the mood by teasing him.
“There are a few things that come naturally to man and one of them is kissing.” However, Arthur was serious with an explanation. A smug smile slowly formed on his face as he explained, “Are you trying to imply I have good kissing skills?”
Warmness crept onto her face as she shook her head hard. “I’m not!” I am not
going to stroke his ego!
He squinted at her denial with displeasure. Is she trying to say I lack skill? he wondered.
Suddenly, he rose from the bed with determination and walked toward her. “Why don’t you tell me how I am doing at kissing exactly? I want to know your opinion.”
When she saw him closing their distance, her whole body tensed as she wondered about the reason why he was so bothered by her opinions.
“How can I-” How can I give out
opinions regarding this matter? He is only trying to take advantage of me!
Before she could finish her words, Arthur had already closed the distance between them. With his face staying dangerously close to her, his hands cupped her face. “Why don’t you try it again and tell me how you think?”
Right at that moment, he pressed his lips onto hers and began to kiss her.
At first, Sophia was so mad at him, thinking that he was only looking for excuses to kiss her. But soon enough, the woody scent of cedar filled her mind and it became all she could think of.
