186 – Limits of His Self Control
After finishing all the preparations, Scarlett was about to lie down in bed when Viktor said, “Let me tuck you in.”
“Am I a child?”
Despite her retort, Viktor had already laid down on the bed and stretched out his arm as if to indicate he would be her pillow.
Scarlett recalled the day when she had pretended to lose her memory and had pulled his arm around her. She thought he had been asleep at the time, but seeing him do this now, she realised he must have been awake.
With her face slightly reddened, Scarlett quickly lay down on the bed. Viktor turned off the gas lamp, pulled her into his embrace, and spoke softly.
“Sleep well.”
“…Yeah.”
Scarlett felt a burning sensation inside her, and even her thirst seemed to intensify as she leaned into his embrace and closed her eyes to sleep.
However, sleep didn’t come easily. Having already awakened from her nap in the bathroom, the sound of his heartbeat beneath her hand on his chest made it even harder to fall asleep.
‘His heartbeat…’
The rhythm was so rapid that it seemed like he might also be feeling nervous. Scarlett sat up slightly and asked, “…Are you nervous?”
Viktor looked down at her as she spoke. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re right here.”
“That… makes you nervous?”
“Right now, apparently.”
As she hesitated, Scarlett leaned in like she was about to conduct a challenging experiment and kissed him on the lips, then asked, “…And now?”
“….”
With no immediate response, Scarlett placed her hand near Viktor’s heart again, feeling its strong beats. Finally, he spoke.
“Go to sleep. You said you’re tired.”
“….”
Viktor’s voice was gentle but firm, and his words resonated in her mind. Despite her curiosity and questions, fatigue overwhelmed her, and she eventually succumbed to sleep.
“When I tell you to sleep, sleep, Scarlett.”
Scarlett nodded and rested her head on Viktor’s stomach, seeking sleep despite what appeared to be an uncomfortable position. No matter how inconvenient it seemed, she ended up falling sound asleep, and Viktor couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“… You’re becoming more and more of an enigma.”
He murmured, shaking his head in amusement.
Feeling Scarlett’s breathing against his abdomen sent a jolt of energy through his entire body. Sometimes, she behaved as if she had a sense that he wouldn’t awaken. Contrary to her thoughts, Viktor’s mind was filled with images of Scarlett’s shoulders and smooth legs as she emerged from the bath, the moment when she unveiled her body as she removed her towel.
Having her rest against him without even touching her was torturous enough, but now she was lying on his stomach. It felt like she was testing the limits of his self-control.
However, she was mistaken if she thought he would be able to fall asleep like that.
//Viktor’s expression 🗿 Viktor’s mind (つ ͡ꈍ ͜ʖ̫ ͡ꈍ )
♔♔♔
How long had she been sleeping?
Scarlett sensed the commotion near the warehouse and sat up. Machinery noises were coming from below. She could tell from the sound that something was malfunctioning. Moreover, there was no soundproofing, so she could hear the voices of naval officers as well.
“Why is this happening…?”
“What did you mess with?”
“I just wanted to clean up a bit before you woke up, Scarlett…”
As Scarlett tried to get up, Viktor pulled her back into his embrace and said, “Now, when you’re asleep, you can’t be talking so much.”
“I need to go down for a moment.”
Viktor covered his face with his hands and let out a string of curses. In response, Scarlett looked at him with wide eyes and then sat up again. Having awakened him from sleep, she felt a bit sorry, thinking that there would likely be a commotion of naval and air force officers down there.
She put on her robe over her nightgown, opened the locked bedroom door, stepped into the study, opened another door, and descended the stairs. The security measures were indeed stringent.
As she descended to the first floor, ten naval officers rushed towards her and froze in a salute.
“Did we wake you up?”
“It’s okay.”
Scarlett said and pressed her palms against her eyes as if to check if she was still asleep. Afterwards, she continued walking. When she reached the ladder and tried to carry it, the naval officers rushed over.
Scarlett used her finger to point towards the aircraft as if she couldn’t speak. When the naval officers set up the ladder, she fetched a wrench from the toolbox, climbed onto the biplane, and tightened a bolt. The noise subsided.
Scarlett came down from the aeroplane, shaking the wrench, and said, “Ten crew members couldn’t handle such a simple task?”
In response to her words, the naval officers fell silent and couldn’t utter a word.
How could she work with such unhelpful people? Scarlett sighed.
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