Jasmine lingered in the bathroom for quite some time. She washed her hair twice despite it already being clean.
Then spent several more minutes simply standing beneath the water.
Eventually, she decided to go out. She couldn’t stay in here forever.
Leonardo was surely waiting outside.
With reluctant movements, she turned off the shower and dried herself slowly.
As she pulled on the nightdress, the cool fabric settled against her skin like flowing water.
Looking into the mirror, Jasmine barely recognized herself. The gentle pink softened her features, while damp hair clung to her shoulders.
She looked...sexy.
Her cheeks immediately reddened again.
She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her wet hair before finally gathering enough courage to leave.
The bathroom door opened quietly. The bedroom lights had been dimmed.
Leonardo stood before the enormous window overlooking the gardens.
One hand rested casually inside his pocket.
The other held a cigarette.
Silver moonlight outlined his tall figure against the glass. Smoke curled lazily upward before disappearing into the darkness.
At the sound of the door, he turned.
His eyes landed on Jasmine.
She instinctively stiffened beneath his gaze. For a long second, neither of them spoke.
Then Leonardo crushed the cigarette into the nearby ashtray.
He walked toward her.
Each steady step seemed impossibly loud.
Jasmine’s heartbeat accelerated.
Without thinking, she retreated half a step.
The movement was tiny.
Almost imperceptible.
But Leonardo noticed.
His gaze lingered on her for a moment before moving to the towel wrapped around her hair.
Without saying anything, he reached forward.
Jasmine tensed. Instead of touching her directly, he simply took the towel from her head.
“I’ll do it.”
Before she could protest, he gently draped the towel over her hair.
His movements were surprisingly careful and gentle.
He slowly dried her hair, rubbing away the lingering moisture with practiced patience.
Jasmine stood perfectly still. The scent of cedarwood soap lingered faintly around him.
His fingers occasionally brushed through her hair while gathering another section into the towel.
There was something intimate about the gesture. Intimate and natural.
As if they had been married for a while. As if he was used to doing this for her.
A strange warmth spread quietly through her chest. When her hair was mostly dry, Leonardo set the towel aside.
He retrieved the hair dryer from a nearby drawer.
Warm air filled the room.
He combed through her hair with his fingers as he carefully dried each section.
Jasmine lowered her eyes. Neither of them spoke.
The only sounds were the steady hum of the dryer and the occasional whisper of silk shifting against fabric.
When the dryer finally clicked off, her hair fell softly over her shoulders.
Leonardo examined it briefly before giving a satisfied nod.
“There.”
He set the dryer away. Then he reached for her hand again.
His fingers wrapped around hers naturally, as though it had already become a habit.
“It’s time for bed.”
Jasmine swallowed. “Okay.”
He led her toward the enormous bed.
She climbed onto the mattress first.
Almost immediately, she pulled the blanket over herself.
Then higher. Until only her head remained visible.
Leonardo watched the entire process without saying a word.
After switching off the bedside lamp, he climbed into bed beside her.
The mattress shifted beneath his weight.
Before Jasmine could react, one strong arm slid around her waist.
With effortless ease, he drew her against his chest. The blanket rustled softly between them.
His warm voice sounded just above her head.
“Why are you hiding?”
“I’m...I’m not.” She replied.
Leonardo really didn’t want to force her anything. He had convinced himself all day that he’d wait until she wanted them to have sex. He knew she might not be ready for it tonight as everything had happened so fast.
But the moment she walked out of the bathroom, hell, when she had been in there, he had been so hot and bothered knowing she was naked and just few distance away from him.
He had smoked to distract his thoughts but when she walked out, his cock instantly got as hard as a rock.
And right now, he wanted her. He wanted her so bad.
He wanted to fuck her.
The moment his palm rested lightly against her waist, he felt her body stiffen beneath his touch.
He lowered his head slightly. His warm breath brushed the sensitive skin beneath her ear.
Jasmine trembled violently, not from anticipation but from fear.
Her heartbeat became erratic. Her fingers instinctively clutched at the nearest thing she could reach.
Sharp fingernails dug into Leonardo’s chest through the thin fabric of his shirt. It was clear what he wanted, he was pressing himself against her and she could feel his hard-on.
Now, his face was drawing closer to hers. He was going to kiss her. Jasmine tried to will her body to stay calm.
He had paid for her. She had no choice but to give in to whatever he wanted but...she just couldn’t shake off the tremors, especially being so close to him, it was awakening past memories, memories she had tried to keep buried.
It always happened like this. Each time, a man tried to get intimate with her, her trauma...her past fear took over. She had tried to assure herself that once she married Dante, she might be have to convince her body to have sex, but things crashed with Dante and now she was married to this man.
Those dark memories still won’t leave her alone.
Before he could kiss her, Leon noticed that she was trembling.
Every muscle in her body was rigid.
Her breathing had become shallow.
She looked as though she were enduring something terrifying.
He stopped moving immediately. “Jasmine?”
She didn’t answer.
Her eyelashes fluttered helplessly.
His gaze lingered on her pale face.
He understood, she wasn’t rejecting him.
She was frightened. She wasn’t ready.
But bloody hell, he was!
He was painfully hard! He was dying to bury himself inside of her.
He muttered a quiet curse beneath his breath. “Damn it...”
Carefully, he withdrew his arm as though afraid of startling a wounded animal.
Without another word, he climbed out of bed.
Jasmine heard footsteps. Then the bathroom door closed.
A moment later, the sound of running water echoed through the room.
Confused, she slowly opened one eye.
“Huh?” She stared toward the bathroom.
With the lust and hunger she had seen in his eyes, she thought he was really going to take her.
She didn’t see the Almighty Leonardo Madrigal as someone who would take any excuse from her as to why she didn’t want to have sex with him.
She had thought he would do it whether she wanted it or not, and whether she enjoyed it or not.
But he just left?
She recalled what her mother said about him dying soon.
Was his...manhood, perhaps already losing function?