CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 73: HE REALLY IS SO BAD

That voice was so familiar. But how could that be? He should be by Crystal Sutton’s side, never leaving her. Zinnia thought it was utterly ridiculous; she must be hallucinating again.

"Zinnia! You were the one acting so high and mighty, so why are you pretending to be so weak and pitiful now!"

However, the man’s voice sounded from above her head once more.

Zinnia slowly raised her head. It was only then that Jenson Forrest noticed her eyes were an unnatural shade of red. Her right eye was especially bad, looking as if it were weeping tears of blood.

"What’s wrong with your eyes?"

Jenson furrowed his brow, bending down and reaching out to touch Zinnia’s cheek.

The dazed woman seemed to snap back to her senses, forcefully swatting his hand away.

SMACK!

A crisp sound echoed as she hit the back of Jenson’s hand.

"Go away! Leave me alone!"

Zinnia lowered her head, bracing herself against the ground to try and stand up. She couldn’t bear for Jenson Forrest to see her in such a pathetic state.

Her resistance and rejection made Jenson’s heart clench, and his expression flickered through several emotions. When did she stop relying on him and start pushing him away? All he knew was that he hated this feeling. A sense of losing control, of panic, was slowly growing in his heart.

"After causing all this trouble, you’re the one acting wronged? Don’t move!"

The man spoke coldly, slipping an arm under Zinnia’s knees and lifting her into his arms.

Her body was suddenly lifted into the air. Zinnia’s eyes stung so much she couldn’t open them. Fear made her instinctively wrap her arms around the man’s neck, her cold body pressing into his chest.

Jenson’s icy expression softened slightly as he bent down and placed her in the car.

She was in a sorry state. She was utterly drenched and covered in dirt. The denim over her knees was torn, seeping blood. Beneath her tangled hair, her small face was pale white, but her eyes were red and swollen. She was stubborn yet fragile, a complete contradiction.

"To the hospital," Jenson instructed in a deep voice.

The car sped off immediately, and the partition silently rose. Jenson raised his hand, his fingers grazing Zinnia’s small face.

Zinnia couldn’t open her eyes. Tears flowed uncontrollably, and her heart felt vulnerable and anxious. When he touched her, she awkwardly turned her head away.

"Still angry with me?"

Jenson’s movement paused. He knew she was angry that he had abandoned her and refused to believe her. A flicker of remorse crossed his brow; he hadn’t realized at the time that her eye was genuinely injured.

"Who am I to hold a grudge? That would make me a thankless wretch. My only purpose is to remember the kindness of the Forrest Family." Zinnia turned her head away and said coldly.

Jenson’s warm fingers gently smoothed the messy strands of hair at her temple, his large palm coming to rest against her cheek. "Speak nicely."

Zinnia’s little face remained cold. She closed her mouth and twisted her neck again, trying to shake his hand off. She was furious. He had just been holding Crystal Sutton. Had this very hand also caressed Crystal’s hair and wiped away her tears just like this?

She felt Jenson stiffen. He didn’t have much patience for her, and Zinnia braced herself for him to lose his temper and throw her out of the car.

However, in the next second, the man’s familiar, warm breath drew close, and a soft kiss landed on her brow. It was gentle, soothing, and tender.

Zinnia froze again. Jenson pressed his forehead against hers and let out a soft sigh. His breath tickled her nose as he spoke. "Your brother was wrong. Don’t be mad at me. You’re hurt, so be good and let me take a look, hmm?"

Zinnia couldn’t tell if it was her eyes or her heart that ached more. Tears burst through her tightly shut eyelids as if from a broken dam, droplet after droplet falling onto the back of his hand as he cradled her face. They were scalding hot. Jenson’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He felt his entire heart tremble and soften from her crying.

"Alright, let me see."

He lifted her chin, and this time, Zinnia didn’t dodge. Her ’brother’ was her Achilles’ heel; she could never resist the warmth he offered her. He was so cruel, so very cruel. He knew...

Zinnia’s heart felt sour and swollen. She felt him cautiously lean in. He used his thumb to hold her lower eyelid down and the pad of his forefinger to gently lift her upper eyelid. As he leaned in to examine her eye, his magnified, handsome face slowly came into focus through her blurry, tear-filled vision. She saw his furrowed brow and the worry in his eyes.

"Looks like a piece of debris got in. Don’t move."

Jenson spoke as he blew gently on her lower eyelid twice, making her flinch. "I got some of it. Don’t be scared, it’ll be okay in a moment."

He patiently soothed her, blew twice more, then his thumb brushed away her falling tears, dabbing at the foreign object he’d dislodged.

Zinnia closed her eyes, feeling much better. She raised her hand to rub it, but Jenson caught her wrist.

"Your hands are dirty. Don’t rub it."

"It’s a little uncomfortable," Zinnia whispered, her eyelashes trembling violently.

Jenson raised his other hand and covered her right eye with his large palm, rubbing it gently a couple of times. Zinnia’s world went dark, but her senses were filled with his familiar, woody scent. How pathetic, she thought, to still feel so at ease.

When Jenson let go, she leaned against the seat, already feeling a little drowsy.

"Don’t open your eyes just yet."

Zinnia nodded, then felt Jenson’s large hand move to her waist. Then, he seemed to be pulling at the zipper of her jeans!

"What are you doing!?" The hairs on Zinnia’s arms stood on end. She immediately reached out to grab his hand.

The man paused. "I’m taking off your pants to treat the wound on your leg."

Zinnia was mortified, her ears turning a faint shade of red. "There’s no need. It’s just a scrape. I’ll take care of it when I get back."

"If you wait until you get back, the wound will be inflamed!" Jenson’s voice was low and displeased.

Zinnia thought about her meeting with Master Lise the day after tomorrow and worried that an inflamed knee would affect her performance. While she hesitated, Jenson had already forcefully pulled her hand away from her zipper.

The man looked up at her blushing, embarrassed face and chuckled softly. "Shy? Is there any part of your body I haven’t seen?"

As he spoke, he had already pulled the zipper down. He patted her thigh. "Lift your hips."

Zinnia’s face flushed crimson. Although he had seen her naked many times, this was the first time he’d undressed her and tended to her like this. It was hard to describe, but this felt completely different. Especially with her eyes closed, the sense of shame and the embarrassment of being watched so intently were magnified.

Still, she steeled herself, lifted her hips slightly, and let Jenson help her pull her jeans off.

He lifted both of her legs onto his lap, retrieved a first-aid kit, and began cleaning and bandaging the wound on her knee. Then he started to help her put her pants back on.

After getting one leg through, Jenson glanced up and saw the girl’s face, flushed red and biting her lip, her expression a mix of awkwardness and embarrassment. Her long hair was spread out damply, her eyes were shut tight with her lashes trembling, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with red. She looked so alluring, as if she were being passionately touched by a man, yet he had done nothing at all.

Jenson’s gaze darkened. With a flick of his hand, the jeans slipped from his grasp.

Zinnia, her leg raised, missed the opening of her pants. Instead, her foot landed squarely on his hard abdomen. Beneath her toes, his stomach muscles instantly tensed.

His large, hot palm clasped her slender ankle, and Zinnia’s toes curled instantly. In his eyes, that small movement was provocative enough to ignite a wicked desire.

He released her ankle. Zinnia had just breathed a sigh of relief when his hot palm slid from her ankle, up her calf, and onto her thigh, his touch growing ever more audacious...

Just as Zinnia was about to open her eyes, the man’s other hand pressed down on her waist as he leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"Don’t look. Just feel."

His voice was too seductive. Zinnia turned her face away.

His hot lips and tongue followed, planting kisses along her neck. The trail of heat reached the sensitive skin behind her ear, teasing her relentlessly. "Your face is all flushed. What were you just thinking about?"

"Nothing, I wasn’t..." Zinnia’s face burned. She shook her head, trying to dodge his touch.

In her panic, her red lips brushed against his Adam’s apple. It bobbed in response, and a low grunt escaped his throat, echoing in the quiet car.

Sensual and tempting. Zinnia froze.

Her flustered appearance, however, only made his eyes soften with affection as he chuckled.

"Zinnia, do you like it when I serve you like this?"