Chapter 544
“Water?”
Watching him slowly blink his eyes open, she leaned closer and asked, “Do you want some water?”
“Yes,” Dylan answered softly, swallowing to make it seem more convincing.
Without hesitation, Christina pulled back and said, “Hold on. I’ll bring you some water.”
She headed out to get it, and in those few seconds, Dylan tugged the blanket up over his waist to better cover himself. A wave of relief washed over him. He had narrowly escaped the embarrassment of Christina thinking he was easily aroused.
Christina returned with a glass of water. She didn’t hand it to him directly. Instead, she gently held the glass to his lips. “Here, drink this.”
She was worried his arms might still feel numb or painful, making him unable to hold the glass on his own.
“Thank you,” Dylan replied in a weak voice, moving his mouth to the rim of the glass. A small smile curled at the corner of his lips.
With each swallow, the movement of his throat was impossible to miss and drew the eye.
With his gaze lowered, Dylan drank with such elegance that even the hint of weakness made his features stand out all the more.
He tilted his head just enough for a thin stream of water to escape the corner of his mouth. The crystal-clear liquid cascaded down, a single drop sliding along the line of his throat and another landing on his collarbone, glistening there. The droplets met and shimmered on his skin, filling the room with a strangely intimate tension.
There was something about it that was impossible to ignore. Christina found herself swallowing as her heartbeat quickened. Realizing her lapse, she took a few deep breaths to steady herself.
“You spilled some water. Let me wipe it for you,” Christina said as she set the glass down and gently dabbed at Dylan with a tissue.
The way the tissue brushed against his skin felt like the lightest touch, as if a feather had danced across his chest. His heart fluttered under the gentle attention, and her careful movements sent a tingling sensation through him. He swallowed again, unable to stop himself, and the movement of his throat seemed even more magnetic now.
“There. All done. Are you still thirsty?” Christina’s gaze remained on him, her eyes bright and clear.
“No, I’m fine,” Dylan continued his act, making his voice sound weak. His eyes flicked to the hospital gown he wore, and then he looked up with a look of false surprise. “Did you help me change into this?”
“Yes, I did,” Christina answered with a nod. “Now that you’re fully awake, you can change your pants yourself. If your hands are still too weak, just let me know and I’ll help you.”
“I can manage,” Dylan remarked, his face heating as his ears turned red. “I’ll do it myself.”
“Alright,” Christina replied, turning away to give him privacy. “Go ahead and change.”
Watching Christina stand with her back to him, Dylan couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto his lips. The cold edge usually present in his eyes faded, replaced by a warmth that shone through. To him, Christina had always been the brightest person in the room, impossible to overlook no matter where they were. He became so mesmerized that he forgot all about changing his pants.