Free Web NovelChapter 52: Chapter 52: Coaxing Him
###Chapter 52: Coaxing Him
Nina Wainwright desperately wanted to ask more, but when she recalled what Adrian Pemberton had said, she chose to remain silent.
Zachary Hawthorne sat down beside her and gently wrapped an arm around her waist. "Do you like the scenery here?"
"It’s alright," Nina Wainwright replied softly. "It’s quite lively at night. You can hear all the little insects chirping outside."
"There’s a hot spring here. We should go for a soak together in a couple of days." Zachary Hawthorne squeezed the soft flesh at her waist, his voice filled with an indescribable indulgence. He sounded like a completely different person from the sharp-toned, utterly domineering man of a moment ago.
Nina Wainwright was pregnant; she knew what would happen if the two of them went to a hot spring together.
Besides, Zachary’s libido was extremely high. When he got in the mood, he could go for a whole week without a break.
"I don’t want to. I don’t like hot springs," Nina Wainwright tactfully declined.
"You’ll soak with me," Zachary’s tone was commanding as his lips descended upon her earlobe.
Nina’s whole body tensed, but she had to restrain herself and stay calm. "Just let me know when you want to go. Oh, right, I came here with a friend. Maybe we can all go together?"
"A man or a woman?" The smile instantly vanished from Zachary’s face, and a deep, displeased frown settled between his brows.
Nina quickly replied, "A woman."
"A woman? You want her to see my body? You’re so generous," Zachary scoffed.
’This man is impossible to please,’ Nina thought.
No matter what she did, it was wrong.
She had only suggested bringing someone else along in the hopes that he wouldn’t try anything.
"Which friend is it? I’ll have her go home. I don’t want anyone here disturbing us." Zachary had finally managed to get a few days off because of his injury; of course he didn’t want anyone extra around to interfere with them ’nurturing their relationship’.
"I’ll talk to her, then." Nina had originally planned to ask Catherine Grant for help.
She had already gone back home, anyway.
But since Zachary was so against it, she had the perfect excuse not to bring it up.
Zachary pulled her onto his lap. Leaning back against the wall, he turned his head to look out the window. "I haven’t eaten yet. What’s good here? Recommend something."
Because of her pregnancy, Nina had been eating more sour foods recently... sour beef soup over rice, instant noodles, fish with pickled greens, and the like. Her tastes were simple, and she wasn’t a picky eater like Zachary. Besides, the food here was all very commonplace.
"I’m afraid you won’t like it," Nina said honestly.
Zachary frowned and picked up the menu sitting on the side. After flipping it open and seeing that the food was not much different from pre-made takeout, he scowled, "This is the place you chose to ’rejuvenate your spirit’? There’s not a single decent meal on here."
"When in Rome. If you can’t stand it, you don’t have to stay here with me. In any case, I find it perfectly palatable." With that, Nina turned her head away and stopped looking at him.
Zachary stared at her profile, a smirk playing on his lips. "It seems you’re deliberately trying to torment me."
"I’m not," Nina said, looking at him with a serious expression. "I’ve genuinely been in a bad mood lately. You didn’t have to come. Aren’t you happy with Luna Sterling? I begged you to stay home before, but you wouldn’t. It was because you wanted to be with her, wasn’t it? Now I’m giving you your chance, and you show up here on your own."
At the mention of Luna Sterling, Zachary acted as if he simply hadn’t heard.
He casually pointed to a few stir-fried dishes and a soup, then tossed the menu down.
Nina took out her phone to place the order for him on an app. "You have to place orders on your phone here, or the staff won’t bring anything. If you don’t, you can forget about eating."
"Then you can finish ordering for me. If you’re short on money, just let me know, and I’ll transfer you some." After speaking, he kissed her lips.
Nina put her phone down and quickly pushed him away. "Zachary, can you please not? I... I don’t feel well. I’m not in the mood."
Zachary gripped her chin, his gaze intense. "But I want to. If you don’t, then you’ll have to think of another way to help me."
Nina didn’t know how long he planned to stay. If she refused him every time, he would certainly get upset, and he might even become suspicious of her... Last time, she’d told him she was on her period, but that should be over by now. She couldn’t use that excuse to fool him again.
And if she didn’t satisfy him, he would definitely keep thinking about it.
Nina’s head throbbed.
When it came to these things, Zachary was an absolute chauvinist whose word was law.
"How about I help you after we finish eating?" Nina coaxed, her voice softening.
Zachary’s gaze was scorching. "How are you going to help?"
He had wanted to explore some new things in the past, but Nina had always refused, no matter what. She could be uptight and had a bit of a thing about cleanliness... but most of the time, she still went along with his wishes.
"The way you want," Nina said. She had no other choice now but to agree to the one thing he’d always wanted to try.
Zachary pulled her into his embrace, his voice low and impossibly sexy in its hoarseness. "Really? You’re willing? You always refused so adamantly before. Why are you being so obedient now? Are you hiding something from me?"
"Fine, forget it then!" Nina’s expression changed in an instant, and she pushed him away as if to get up.
She knew how suspicious Zachary could be.
If she tried to explain herself nicely, he would only dig deeper. Giving him some attitude was the only way to make him back off, at least for a while.
Eagerly anticipating how she would help him resolve his... issue... later, Zachary immediately pulled her back. "Seeing as you’re being so good, I won’t hold it against you if you’re hiding something from me. As long as it has nothing to do with Adrian Pemberton, I don’t care."
Nina leaned against his chest, her lips tightly pressed together.
Half an hour later, the food was delivered. freeweɓnøvel.com
Zachary frowned through almost the entire meal.
Nina ate very slowly, feeling deeply ashamed about the lewd act she would have to perform in broad daylight.
But for the sake of the child in her belly, she had to compromise... otherwise, Zachary would not let her off easily.
"Take your time eating," Zachary said before getting up. He went outside, pulled his luggage in, took a pair of pajamas out of his suitcase, and went into the restroom.
After she finished eating and packed up the meal containers, Nina listened to the sound of running water from the bathroom and gave a self-mocking smirk.
To Zachary, she wasn’t a wife. She was more like a tool, a living bed warmer.
She was carrying his child, yet she had to keep it a secret, terrified he would find out. She even had to compromise and give in to all his perverse desires.
When Zachary came out, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her until her legs went soft.
He carried her to the bed, stripped off his pajamas, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Miss your husband?"
"I did," Nina whispered.
How could she not? She hated him, ached for what he’d done, yet she still thought of him.
She imagined how wild he and Luna Sterling must have been at the hospital when she wasn’t there.
’Is it because Luna is pregnant, so he can’t get any release and has to come find me?’ she wondered blankly.
Zachary cupped her face, his nose brushing against hers. "If you’re uncomfortable, just say so, hmm?"
Nina nodded lightly, appearing perfectly docile.
「Night began to fall.」
When it was over, Zachary pulled her into his arms, kissing her again and again. "You did very well."
Nina whispered, "Did you like it?"
She sometimes even wondered if, after she had gone this far for him, he felt even a sliver of softness for her, or even a hint of pity.
"Very much." Zachary’s eyes were heavy with languid satisfaction.
