Chapter 218: Little she devil

The blast of cold water hit Yuki’s face like an icy slap. A sharp gasp tore from her throat as the freezing spray flooded her senses, soaking straight through her hair and clothes. She threw her arms up, coughing and sputtering against the relentless pressure as the oversized tub quickly began to fill around her.

"You absolute asshole!" she shrieked, the icy water burning her skin as she tried to shield her eyes. "Kieran! Kieran!"

The name left her lips in a desperate, frantic scream. That only added more fuel to the fire behind Kaden’s dark expression.

"You don’t have a damn clue how to handle a woman!" she yelled, wiping the stream of water from her eyes, only for another blast to hit her cheek. "You’re going to end up miserable and die alone! What kind of psycho drug did you take to act like this?! Kieran wouldn’t do this! Kieran isn’t a heartless bastard!"

Kaden’s mouth twisted into a dark, merciless sneer. "Oh? Has your fried, alcohol-addled brain finally managed to figure something out?" he taunted, his voice cold over the hiss of the spray.

Yuki gritted her teeth, breathing heavily. Drenched completely, heavy strands of hair plastered to her forehead and cheeks, her designer dress weighed fifty pounds heavier as it drank up the cold water. Rage flared hot and wild in her chest, completely burning away the numbness.

"Shut up!" she roared, pushing herself up against the slick enamel of the tub.

She fought through the heavy stream, blindly reaching for the metal hose in his hands. Kaden tried to pull it back, but she lunged forward, her fingers locking around the chrome nozzle with an abnormally desperate, unyielding strength.

"Let go, Yuki," he snapped, his grip tightening as he tried to yank it away from her.

She didn’t let go. Instead, she looked up through her dripping lashes, her lips stretching into a slow, feral grin. Before he could process the sheer madness in her eyes, she threw all her weight backward, yanking the hose with everything she had. Kaden lost his balance. With a sharp gasp, he fell headfirst over the edge of the tub.

The sheer momentum of his heavy frame coming down on her was too much. Yuki’s legs gave out under his weight, and a terrified scream ripped from her throat as she tipped backwards, falling headfirst towards the sharp marble edge of the bathtub rim. In a split second of sheer, instinctual panic, Kaden realised what was happening. He twisted his body in mid-air, shoving his arm beneath her neck and flipping them over so he took the impact first.

CRACK.

His lower back slammed viciously against the hard rim of the tub. A harsh, pained groan exploded from his chest as he hit the floor of the tub, taking the full brunt of the blow, with Yuki landing squarely on top of him.

Water splashed wildly over the sides as they both sank into the pool accumulating at the bottom. They were both completely soaked now. Yuki blinked, taking a ragged breath as she found herself straddling his hips. Kaden lay beneath her, his eyes squeezed shut, a low hiss escaping his clenched teeth as he clutched at his bruised waist.

"You crazy little wolf..." he growled out, opening his eyes to snap at her.

The sharp pain in his back was throbbing violently, but the words died in his throat the moment he caught the look on her face. That wicked, evil smile was back. His stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. Slowly, Yuki raised her right hand. Clutched tightly in her fist was the hand shower.

"I win..." she whispered, grinning like a demon.

She slammed the dial to maximum pressure and pointed the nozzle straight at his face. A violent stream of icy water blasted him dead-centre. Kaden barked out a choked curse, throwing his hands up to shield his eyes, but Yuki was already laughing hysterically.

Sitting triumphantly across his lap in her ruined dress, she sprayed him relentlessly, watching the icy water wash over his sleek hair and tailored shirt. The brief flash of pure, unadulterated joy on her face was absolute. But victory was fleeting.

The moment Kaden recovered from the initial shock, his hand clamped like a vise around her wrist. "That is it," he barked, his deep voice carrying a lethal promise.

He groaned as his bruised back protested, but the sheer anger in his eyes told her she was dead meat. Realising the danger, Yuki’s laughter cut short. She scrambled off his lap and bolted out of the tub as fast as her heavy, waterlogged clothes would allow.

Moving in a drenched gown was like running through wet cement. The long, heavy train dragged uselessly on the tile floor, pulling her backwards. Her foot caught on the heavy hem, and she stumbled forwards with a sharp gasp.

Before she could hit the floor, a hand caught her around the waist. Kaden yanked her back, spinning her around and slamming her back against the bathroom wall. He towered over her, his chest heaving up and down, water dripping from the ends of his dark hair straight onto her nose. Yuki stared up at him, still grinning, genuinely amused by the fact that she had managed to break his composure so entirely.

Kaden closed his eyes and let out a long, shuddering sigh, the anger slowly draining into sheer, exhausted defeat. "Let’s call a truce," he muttered, his voice raspy. "Please. Stop messing around."

He looked at her, genuinely lost on what to do with a girl who was staring back at him, blinking innocently while smiling like a psychopath planning her next heist. He pinched the bridge of his nose, stepped back, and snatched a plush white robe off the heated towel rack. He threw it squarely over her shoulders.

"Get out of your wet clothes. Now," he instructed, trying to hold onto his sanity.

"No," Yuki replied instantly, without batting an eye. She set her jaw, dead set on making every single second of his night a living hell.

Kaden stared at her, his patience hanging by a microscopic thread. Cold water was supposed to sober people up, but he was seriously starting to wonder if she was just playing him for a fool.

Was this little wolf still drunk, or did she just want him to lose his mind?