Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 319

In the serene grandeur of Noblewood Estate, the vast villa felt unusually quiet today. Amanda was still recuperating in the hospital, and little Ivan had been whisked away to the Flores residence after school by Daphne's folks. The Flores had been like a second family to Julie, having taken care of her over the years as one of their own. Upon discovering that Julie's child, whom they had believed to be long gone, was actually alive, they doted on him as their own cherished grandchild.

Shannon remained at the hospital, keeping Amanda company, while Noah promised to join them later that evening. The quietude of the mansion was almost palpable. After a phone call with the little tyke, Julie grabbed her robe and headed for a solitary shower. Midway through, the sound of a turning lock pierced the silence.

With shampoo in her hair and through the misted haze of steam, Julie's eyes darted towards the door. There stood the silhouette of a man, shirtless and leaning against the frame with a mischievous grin. "Hey, babe, fancy a little couples' shower?"

Julie was speechless.

There he was, already undressed, and it would seem almost prudish not to invite him in. Yet...

"I'll be done in a jiffy!" She said with a sweet smile, pretending to dry her hair with a nearby towel.

The man at the door, Kieran, strolled in as if he anticipated her faux protest. Seeing her feigned towel-drying, he asked with pretend innocence, "Need a hand, honey?"

"Sure do, why don't you help by closing those peepers," she replied, a touch of awkwardness in her tone.

Despite their time together, they had never actually shared a shower. Julie's bashfulness had a reason; her shamelessness was merely a disregard for others' opinions of her, but with Kieran, she cared.

As he obediently began to strip, he quipped, "Guess I won't be helping, then."

Naked now, he stepped under the showerhead and began to scrub himself down with due diligence. His actions were proper, but his expression—his eyes magnified with desire—was anything but.

Julie reached to turn his face away, "Ever heard of 'hear no evil, see no evil'?"

He caught her hand gently, pulling her close under the cascade of water, unabashedly confessing, "As a man whose deepest wish is to be improper with you, can I honestly claim to uphold such virtues?"

"You're shameless..." Julie's cheeks flushed under the soft light of the bathroom.

He didn't deny it, simply pulling her closer and nodding in agreement. "Yep, I am."

"Don't think you can win me over with your cheeky tricks." She turned her head with mock haughtiness. "You might have me, but you'll never have my heart!"

He tilted her chin up and lightly pecked her lips, "Funny you should say that because all I want is you, not your heart. Is that okay?"

"So, it's just my body you love!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, pouting adorably.

Unable to resist, he kissed her flushed lips again, whispering, "Mrs. Hernandez, you're wrong. I don't just love your body; I love your soul too."

Julie shook her head, a look of feigned disappointment on her face, "They say on TV, when a man wants to sweet-talk a woman into bed, he'll say anything. If she believes it, she's a fool."

Kieran nodded earnestly, a proud smirk on his face, "Good thing my wife's no fool."

She stood on tiptoe, hands cupping his face, "The point is, when a man wants to sweet-talk a woman into bed, he's full of lies!"

He humored her with nods, "True, but I wasn't thinking of bed."

Glancing around, he winked at her suggestively, "The shower's spacious; plenty of room to maneuver."

Julie's face turned beet red, "You jerk!"

He teased her waist, his voice laced with innuendo, "The acoustics are great too."

"Old jerk!" Her soft voice was like a feather, teasing every cell in Kieran's body.

He held her, savoring the feel, "Go on, call me that again."

"Stinking, shameless old jerk." She laughed even as she chided him.

He tickled her waist and she retreated to the corner. Concerned the tiles might be too cold, he wrapped his arms around her, looking down at her rosy cheeks, his voice a deep rumble, "I'm the shameless old jerk, and what does that make you? A little temptress?"

"Who's a temptress?" She pushed against his chest, but it was like touching a hot iron.

Her gaze inadvertently slipped lower, and her embarrassment deepened, "Your little...'theory' needs real-world support, and the reality is, you just sweet-talked me for having sex!"

Kieran glanced down at his unabashed anatomy, coughed awkwardly, and said with feigned seriousness, "Well... it's just making a polite stand. I'm quite helpless in controlling it."