?Chapter 217:


    Hadley’s eyes widened in disbelief; the situation felt almost surreal.


    “Feeling any better? Is there still pain?” Eric asked gently, nodding towards the trash bin nearby. “If the pain has eased, you can spit out the ice. It’s just a temporary measure. We still need to use the spray.”


    With a vacant nod, Hadley turned and spat out the ice cubes.


    “Now, open up,” Eric instructed, holding up the spray bottle and motioning for her to lift her chin.


    Hadley finally spoke, her voice tight with difort. “I’d rather do it myself.”


    “You won’t be able to see well enough inside your mouth. Just trust me and open wide.”


    When it became clear that Eric wasn’t going to relent, Hadley reluctantly tilted her head back and opened her mouth. Her delicate teeth and pink tongue were revealed.


    She looked utterly charming…


    Eric’s throat tightened slightly. Supporting her chin with one hand and holding the spray with the other, his tone softened as he reassured her, “It might taste bitter, but try to endure it just for a bit, okay?”


    “Okay.”


    The moment the spray hit Hadley’s tongue, an unbearable bitterness seized her senses, nearly knocking the breath out of her. The taste was so vile, it felt like poison itself.


    Hadley clenched her jaw, trying to endure the assault on her taste buds.


    Eric, almost as if anticipating her every move, reacted instantly. Just as she turned her head, he swiftly pressed a firm hand over her mouth, blocking any chance of escape.


    His eyes, sharp as a de, locked onto hers with an unyielding re. “It helps with the burn, Hadley. You are not spitting it out,” Ericmanded, his voice brooking no argument.


    Hadley froze, confusion flickering across her face like a candle in the wind.


    The sheer awfulness of the taste sent a shudder through her, and she instinctively tried to pry his hand away, unable to withstand the lingering bitterness.


    Eric’s voice turned cool, almost teasing, yet lined with steel. “Disobeying me again, are you?”


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    Without warning, he stood and pulled his hand away.


    Hadley barely had a second to react before Eric grasped her cheeks, leaned down, and captured her lips in his own.


    She could only stare, stunned, as realization struck like a thunderp. Hadley was taken aback for a second, unsure of what to say.


    Was he kissing her again?


    As if bewitched by the moment, Eric seemed to savor the contact, his senses sharpening at every tiny detail. When Hadley’s longshes brushed against his skin, the soft, fleeting touch sent a tremor through him.


    His breath, warm and steady, curled against her lips as he murmured, “Still bitter?”


    Hadley’s lips parted, her thoughts scattering like dry leaves in the wind. She stammered, “N-no… it… it’s not bitter anymore.”


    “Is that so?” A low chuckle rumbled from Eric’s throat. “One kiss, and it’s gone, just like that?”


    “What?” Hadley blinked, utterly baffled, wondering if she had misheard him.


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