Chapter 56 Tonight
Clara Bennett's injuries required rest, so Mason Reed took her home to care for her.
Initially, Clara was worried. Mason was not good at housework and couldn't even cook properly. With her injured, the house would surely be a mess.
But when Mason carried her through the door, she was pleasantly surprised.
The house was clean and tidy, everything in order, just as it had been before her injury.
"Not bad, right?" Mason said with a low laugh.
He looked at her with the eyes of a boy waiting for his teacher's approval.
Clara smiled brightly.
She had always thought her husband was unfathomable, but that was limited to seeing him browse financial news in multiple languages.
She hadn't expected him to be so capable at home!
Soon, Mason brought out two dishes.
Clara tasted them; they were decent, though a bit salty.
But she was already pleasantly surprised by this.
"I knew it, my husband is the most capable and amazing!" she said, looking at him with a playful expression. "Looks like getting injured is a good thing. I can be a hands-off boss, doing nothing and just waiting to be taken care of!"
"Sure," Mason said with a faint smile, his gaze meaningful and his voice slightly husky. "Then tonight, I'll take good care of you. How about that?"
Clara's face instantly turned bright red, her heart beating wildly.
Mason watched her and continued eating heartily.
For Clara, everything else could be managed, but bathing became a challenge.
Mason offered to help her, but she firmly refused.
He chuckled softly. "We're married. Why be shy about this? You can't move around easily now, so it's only right that I help you bathe."
Clara lowered her eyes, saying nothing, her small hands gripping her clothes tightly.
Seeing how nervous she was, Mason didn't push her.
But her lowered eyelids, her biting her lip, her innocence and shyness about matters between men and women, her soft, hesitant voice in front of him... it all made him lose his rationality and struggle to control himself.
Mason narrowed his eyes and took a deep, long breath.
"Okay, go ahead," he said, handing her a clean towel. "I'll be right outside the door if you need anything."
Clara nodded and quickly went into the bathroom.
After a while, Mason grew concerned and paced outside the door.
"Are you done yet?" he knocked on the door, and the sound of water stopped for a moment.
"Or should I come in and help..."
"No!" Clara shouted quickly. "I can do it myself!"
Mason paused, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The sound of the water was making him restless.
Thinking of Clara struggling alone in the slippery bathtub with her leg in a cast, trying to be careful on the tiled floor...
He furrowed his brows.
He should go in and help! Not to take advantage, but to make sure she didn't fall.
With that thought, Mason pushed the door open, and as he looked up, he saw Clara trying to climb out of the bathtub...
Her tender, translucent skin, the beauty fresh from the bath, completely bare...
Mason swallowed hard, his mouth dry, feeling all his blood rush to his head!
Clara was also startled.
Because of her leg injury, she couldn't get it wet, so she had kept it outside the bathtub. Now, as she tried to climb out, her legs were spread wide, a rather... compromising position.
"Ah!" she screamed, her face turning bright red with embarrassment and nervousness. She slipped and fell toward the tiled floor.
But she didn't hit the ground; she fell into a warm embrace.
Mason grabbed the towel, about to cover her, but his hand stopped mid-air.
The sight before him was driving him wild...
What should have happened on their wedding night had been delayed for almost half a year! Back then, he hadn't touched her because they were practically strangers living under the same roof, and they needed time to adjust.
But now...
"Don't... don't look!" Clara said shyly, turning her face away, her small hands frantically trying to cover herself.
"Okay, I won't look," Mason said with a light laugh, his husky voice thick with desire. He bent down and scooped her up.
"Just looking isn't fun," he whispered in her ear, his breath hot. "Some things... need to be done!"
Clara's mind went blank.
By the time she came to her senses, she was already carefully placed on the bed in the bedroom. Mason leaned over her, his deep eyes burning with flames.
Clara breathed heavily, feeling his gentle, tender kisses raining down on her.
"Tonight..."
He wasn't asking for her permission but asserting his masculine dominance, whispering three words in her ear: "I want you!"
Clara squirmed uneasily, her large, watery eyes filled with shyness and confusion.
Mason smiled, carefully avoiding her injured left leg.
"Don't be afraid," he said with a deep laugh. "Trust yourself to me!"