Page 49 of Sardonic Burn

Ignorance is bliss in this situation.

The white duvet only covers the bottom part of his body, and his chest and stomach are in my view. He changed the bandage and doesn’t seem to be in too much pain anymore, which is a relief.

Like a stalker, I’m staring at him while he’s sleeping.

His chest is moving up and down, and my eyes are drawn to his tattoos. There doesn’t seem to be a clear pattern. It looks like he picked as many designs as possible and had them permanently drawn on his body.

The only tattoo that makes sense is the serpent, as it does represent his family. I heard his father has one. It’s done elegantly, with the snake’s tail going all the way across his body and behind his back.

I blink, feeling my cheeks heating up.

Undoubtedly, Hudson is good-looking. Arranged marriages aren’t foreign in our lives, and I’m surprised that he’s not engaged and married already. He’s twenty-one, the same age our fathers were when they got married.

On the other hand, I can’t possibly imagine a woman ever having enough patience to put up with him. He’s a piece of work, and I can never understand his way of thinking. It’s like he acts first, thinks later. It’s a wonder he’s still alive.

Before I know it, I’m closer to his bed, sitting on the edge.

His dark-brown hair looks so soft. I’m pulled in, and I can’t stop the movement of my body. My hand touches his delicate locks, and I run my hand through the thickness. My heart flutters.

The air thickens around me, my lungs struggling to let it in. My lips part as I tilt my head to the side, looking at his face. It’s the first time I’m able to see him fully. His eyelashes are long, curled, and fucking thick.

He has a couple of freckles on the tip of his nose, and a small scar underneath his eye. The one I gave him decorates hisface perfectly. If I had known how pretty he’d look with a facial scar, I would’ve given him one long ago.

I remember that I have a matching one, and my heart skips a beat.

My body feels hot.

Tingles spread all over me as I accidentally brush my finger against the tip of his ear. His brows crease before relaxing. At that moment, my heart stops beating. The anxiety of getting caught creates a trail of goosebumps along my arms, and I struggle to breathe.

Hudson’s eyes snap open.

“What are you doing?”

I panic and yank his hair as roughly as I possibly can, leaving a few hairs in my fisted palm. Hudson cusses under his breath, now fully awake, and stares at me in both anger and pure confusion.

I clear my throat.

“I’m waking you up.”

“Even your waking up methods are brutal,” he mumbles. His voice is low and deep, and it sends another wave of tingles down my spine. His eyes are shining, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget how a mere look can make me feel.

For that brief moment, I felt more alive than ever before.

It’s a daring gaze, masked as a provocation that promises to unravel all the darkness that I’ve been hiding. And all I want to do is let him.

“Get dressed. There are quite a few things we need to go over.”

Hudson freezes. “Did you go to the basement?”

I snort. “No. I heard some noise but what I don’t know can’t hurt me, so I won’t be asking about that.”

A sigh of relief slips past his lips.

“Give me a few,” he says and takes the duvet off his body.

“Dear God!” I yell out and immediately turn my head to the side. “Who the fuck sleeps naked?”

“I do.” I can’t see him, but I can feel his stupid grin. “This a unique opportunity for you to get a good look.”

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