Chapter 86

[ 1,045 words ]

Emilia’s POV

I could maintain my elegance in front of anyone except this bastard.

“You.” I pointed at him. “Get out of the pool. Now. I’ll count to three.”

He didn’t even bother looking at me. “What are you going to do? Jump in and molest me?”

I snorted. “Molest you? Please. Look at those guys behind me. Every single one of them has better muscles, better tans, and better charm than you. Even the waiter over there is more of a man than you, gigolo.”

If Sebastian was difficult, I was no pushover either. When we fought, we both bled.

He raised an eyebrow, his green eyes glittering under the pool lights. “A man’s charm shows in bed. Want me to call them over so you can taste the real thing?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? An impotent man like you has the nerve to lecture me about male charm?”

That hit a nerve.

His face darkened instantly, his jaw tightening. He crooked his finger at me. “You. Get down here.”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I said no.”

He nodded slowly, a dangerous smile curling his lips. “Fine. If you won’t come down, I’ll come up.”

I felt a flicker of victory. Finally. All it takes is a little heat to get this bastard moving.

“Give me your hand.”

He stretched out one arm, his torso emerging from the water, water streaming down his defined abs, the moonlight catching every ridge of muscle.

I hesitated. “Why would I have the strength to pull you up? There’s a handrail right there. Use it.”

“I’m so pissed at you I got a leg cramp. Can’t move. If you don’t help me, I’ll call that curvy blonde over here.”

My stomach dropped. If he called the women over, the men would follow. And then I would be stuck with an audience for the rest of the night.

I reached out reluctantly, completely unprepared.

The next second, I was underwater.

I hit the pool with a splash big enough to wake the dead. Before I could process what happened, my arms wrapped around him like an octopus.

I couldn’t swim.

Sebastian’s smug voice cut through the ringing in my ears. “Oh, so you asked for a swimsuit five minutes ago, but you can’t even doggy paddle? Truly a landlubber.”

“You son of a bitch!”

I dug my nails into his back. He didn’t even flinch. Behind me, I could hear the howling laughter of his pack members. I refused to turn around. I had never been this humiliated in my entire life.

Sure I had asked for a swimsuit. But my plan was to walk around the pool looking chic. Maybe dip my toes in. That was it. I was good at art. I was good at academics. But swimming? The one thing that escaped me.

Marcus’s voice boomed across the water. “Alpha, if you two want to flirt, take it to your room. Don’t do it in front of us, alright?”

“Yeah! Look how tight the Seventh Madame is holding you. We’re jealous!”

“Pretty sure there’s CCTV here. Don’t go too far…”

I buried my face in Sebastian’s chest, my cheeks burning. I whispered into his ear, “Carry me up. You win.”

“I changed my mind.” His voice was low, dangerous. “I don’t want to go up anymore. And…” He pushed me away from him. “I don’t want a landlubber clinging to me. You’re on your own.”

He let go.

I sank like a stone.

Water rushed into my mouth. My arms flailed uselessly. I couldn’t even scream for help. One thought echoed in my mind. He left me again. Just like last time.

When I had completely given up, a strong hand grabbed my waist.

I surfaced, coughing violently, and spit a mouthful of water onto his shoulder.

“You disgusting woman. No one has ever treated me like this before.”

I glared at him weakly. I wanted to strangle him. But at that moment, I could barely crush an ant.

When I caught my breath, I gritted out, “If you wanted me dead, why did you save me?”

“I didn’t want you dead. I was trying to unlock your swimming potential.”

“Don’t bother. Even if I have potential, I don’t need you to unlock it.”

I turned my head away and shouted, “Waiter! Throw me a lifebuoy!”

More laughter erupted from the poolside. Didn’t these idiots need to sleep at midnight?

Sebastian laughed too. That infuriating, arrogant laugh. His arms tightened around me, and he started swimming toward the deeper end.

“Not bad,” he murmured. “From the outside, you look like a flat bean. But when I touch you… it’s not so bad.”

My breath hitched.

Why did his voice sound like that?

I looked up. His face was inches from mine. Water clung to his eyelashes. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass. And his green eyes… they held me like a trap.

My heart stuttered.

Damn it.

“Pervert.”

“What did you just call me?”

“Impotent.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “You’re the first woman who dares to insult me like that.”

“I’m not insulting you. I’m stating a fact. We’ve been married for almost three months. I’ve never once seen you… interested.”

His gaze darkened. “Just because I don’t touch you doesn’t mean I can’t. Since you’re so curious, I’ll make the sacrifice. I’ll prove it to you—using your body.”

Sacrifice?

“Don’t flatter yourself.” I pushed against his chest. “I don’t have the time or energy to play games with you. Carry me up. Now.”

He ignored me completely.

One of his hands disappeared underwater. I felt him unzipping my jeans.

“What are you doing?!”

I grabbed his wrist, panicking. Did he want to do it here? In front of everyone?

I twisted my head around. Sure enough, three heads were bobbing by the poolside, watching us like we were a live show.

“What does it look like I’m doing? When a man unzips a woman’s pants, what else would he be doing?”

I kicked him under the water. He didn’t even flinch. He just laughed.

“Didn’t anyone tell you?” His breath was hot against my ear. “Kicking underwater is useless. You’re not just a landlubber. You’re a stupid one.”

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