Chapter 151: What Reward?

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: What Reward?

She suddenly thought that it was actually quite nice when Adrian kept quiet sometimes.

Otherwise, with a silver tongue like his, she could never out-talk him.

But as he spoke, he turned his head slightly to look at her, a hint of disappointment and dejection in his eyes.

Caroline had never seen him act like this. The look in his eyes made her heart lurch, and she frantically grabbed his sleeve, trying to figure out how to placate him.

"No, that’s not it. I meant the CEOs in novels."

Adrian caught the flicker of panic on her face and was satisfied.

It also confirmed one thing for him: Caroline really fell for this whole playing-the-victim routine.

He lowered his head, took her hand, and spoke with a slight smile before she could say anything else:

"Mm, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll wash up before I touch you. Can I have a reward afterward?"

"..."

Caroline felt that something was off, as if she had been played.

Even so, to keep things from escalating, she hesitated for a moment before playing along.

"What reward?"

Adrian smiled faintly. "You’ll find out soon enough."

He paused as if a thought had just struck him. He had been about to let go, but he stopped and said with a serious expression, "If you’re worried I won’t get clean enough,"

"..." Caroline looked at him. She already knew what was coming.

Adrian’s gaze drifted downward to the fair, slender hands cradled in his own palm.

His thumb gently caressed her palm. "You could also help me wash. You’d have more peace of mind about a job you handled yourself, wouldn’t you?"

His low voice was laced with a seductive allure.

Caroline felt a tickle in her palm where he stroked it.

It felt as if her heart had been given a gentle tickle, too.

As he spoke, her mind obligingly flashed with all sorts of risqué images.

This, in turn, caused the tips of her ears to slowly turn red, and a faint blush soon spread across her face as well.

But blushing was one thing.

Then again...

Even if she was a bit slow on the uptake, she should have realized what was happening by now.

’This guy is doing it on purpose.’

’He’s been doing this on purpose from the very beginning.’

Finally putting it all together, Caroline pursed her lips. "Wash or don’t, I don’t care. But either way, you’re not getting in my bed if you’re not clean."

She snatched her hand back, huffed, and turned to leave.

...

When Adrian emerged from the bathroom, he carried the fresh scent of a recent shower.

It was the scent of the body wash she always used.

The scent was familiar to her.

The man was familiar, too.

But when the two combined, as he leaned down and drew close, it sparked a novel sensation within her.

It was the thrill of feeling as if she had successfully marked him as her own, that he belonged completely to her.

But the words he suddenly spoke shattered the delicate, amorous atmosphere.

"I’m all clean now. Can I hold you?"

"..."

Caroline lowered her gaze to his large hands, which were already resting on her waist. She said flatly, "And if I said no, you’d stop?"

Adrian just smiled. Not holding her was out of the question.

The moment she finished speaking, he spun her around and settled her onto his lap. He affectionately rubbed his cheek against hers as they sat on the sofa and watched TV together.

Caroline thought to herself, ’When Adrian decides to act like a proper gentleman, he’s actually quite wonderful. At least for now, I’m really enjoying this time with him.’

However, this moment of innocent romance didn’t last long before Adrian shattered the peace.

"Can I have my reward now?" Adrian murmured, nuzzling against her ear. His lips brushed against the shell of her ear, sending a pleasant shiver through her.

"Wh-what reward?"

Adrian didn’t answer, but she quickly understood.

And then, she found herself surrendering to his skillful touch.

...

The next morning, the alarm clock rang.

Caroline groggily sat up and turned off the alarm.

She flopped back down and closed her eyes for a few seconds, only to snap them open again with a jolt. She glanced to her left; the spot where Tiny had slept last night was empty.

She turned her head to the right; the spot where Adrian slept was also empty.

Her gaze shifted upward. Adrian’s phone and watch were still on the nightstand.

If it weren’t for that detail, Caroline might have been dazed enough to wonder if they had even slept here last night at all.

She slowly climbed out of bed, left the room, and saw the little guy standing on a small stool. He dipped a small washcloth into a basin of water, rubbed it for a moment, then pulled it out and scrubbed his face vigorously.

Finally, he wrung out the washcloth, dried the droplets from his face, and carefully hopped down from the little stool.

"Mommy, good morning."

Ryan greeted her with a beaming smile.

"You’re up so early. Where’s your dad?"

"Dad’s making breakfast."

After Caroline had brushed her teeth and washed her face, she walked down the hall and, just as expected, saw Adrian in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

After breakfast, Caroline patted Ryan’s little head. She looked him over from top to bottom and side to side before asking seriously:

"Is your cold all better?"

Ryan sniffled hard, but alas, the familiar feeling of a stuffy, runny nose was gone.

’This meant Mommy and Daddy couldn’t stay home with him today.’

’But, if his cold continued, he’d probably be sent to stay with Grandpa and Grandma for a few days.’

’Between those two choices, he’d much rather be all better.’

So he nodded vigorously. "All better!"

No sooner had he said it than he let out a couple of soft coughs.

That was the only time he had coughed since getting up.

At least the frequency had decreased significantly.

"Mm, I think you’re pretty much better," Caroline said, feeling his forehead and then stroking his hair.

Adrian emerged, already changed for the day. He fastened his watch as he said, "Since you’re almost better, you can go to Grandpa’s today. We’ll come back and get you tonight."

After fastening his watch, he turned to pack the boy’s medicine for the day into his little backpack.

"Okay, you promise! Remember to come get me tonight."

Adrian replied, "When have I ever forgotten to pick you up?"

That comeback left Ryan speechless. He silently shouldered his backpack and followed them out the door and downstairs.

As usual, they split up. Adrian was tasked with taking their son to the old family residence, while Caroline drove straight to work.

After she got to the office and finished the morning meeting, it wasn’t long before Franklin Whitman came bustling into her office.

"Took the last two days off to stay home with the kid?" Franklin Whitman asked, holding an insulated mug and feigning nonchalance.

In his mind, ’staying home with the kid’ was a bit of an exaggeration. She was probably off enjoying a romantic getaway with that Adrian fellow.

’Hmph. He never thought his daughter would be so lovesick. They’d barely been together and she was already taking time off for romance.’

Now that Ryan was mostly better, Caroline didn’t bother hiding it. "Yes, Ryan had a cold, so I stayed home with him for two days."

A daughter knows her father best. After speaking, she shot him a cool side-eye. "Dad, you didn’t actually think I took time off just to go on dates with Adrian, did you?"

Franklin: "..."

And just like that, his concern was no longer about whether they were dating, but about Ryan having a cold.

"You silly girl! That little rascal being sick is a big deal, why didn’t you say so sooner? What experience do you two have with raising children?"

"..."

Yep. She knew it would come to this.