The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Chapter 171

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“If I told you I was just here to help you get better, nothing else, would you believe me?” Barnaby said.

Hannah stared at Barnaby’s handsome face, so close she could feel his breath. Her heart thundered in her chest, and for a moment, she couldn’t tell if it was hers or his.

His breath was so hot against her skin, she felt like she might melt.

“Do you really need that to treat me? Huh?” Barnaby’s voice was low and husky, sending a shiver down her spine.

Hannah was at a complete loss for words.

Arthur totally set me up, she thought. Even if she tried to explain herself, it would never wash away the suspicion.

Trying to explain would only make her look guiltier, so she decided to just keep quiet.

“Maybe… you could use it,” she murmured, her voice shaky and uncertain.

Barnaby’s breath caught. “How exactly?”

‘Does she even realize she’s not just playing with fire, she’s about to get burned herself?’ he thought.

“Like, right now, you could get off me, take it into the bathroom, handle it yourself, take a shower, and then come out. After that, I’ll give you a needle treatment,” Hannah said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Barnaby was speechless.

“So, when you said ‘just the two of us,’ you actually meant… treating me?” Barnaby asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“Isn’t that what you meant?” Hannah retorted, her voice innocent, but with a touch of defiance.

Barnaby looked into her eyes, bright and sparkling like spring blossoms, half innocent, a little teasing, and just a hint of mischief. He gave a wry smile.

“Sorry, I crossed the line,” he said as he got up.

Hannah sat up in bed, a sly smile tugging at her lips. “Mr. Thole, you really are such a model teacher.”

“Just wait until you’re legal. Then you’ll see what I do to you,” Barnaby said, pinching her cheek before planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. With that, he turned and headed into the bathroom.

Hannah sat on the waterbed, listening to the sound of water splashing in the bathroom. She couldn’t help but smile, her legs swinging back and forth without her even noticing.

Twenty minutes later.

The sound of water stopped, and the bathroom door opened. Barnaby walked out, wearing a loose white bathrobe, still looking cool and fresh from the shower.

His robe was open at the front, showing off his solid chest and sculpted abs. Droplets of water traced down from his hair, along his neck and collarbone, over his chest, and finally vanished into the towel at his waist.

It was the classic hot guy stepping out of the shower moment, and Hannah got the full view.

“That was quick,” Hannah teased, glancing at her phone before giving his lower half a cheeky look, a wicked grin on her lips.

His eyes narrowed, and step by step, he cornered Hannah at the edge of the bed, leaning in and caging her between his

Chapter 171

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“Girl, never joke about a guy’s speed. Tease me again, and I can’t guarantee I’ll hold back a second time,” he growled, voice low and dangerous.

Hannah could feel the chill coming off him and realized he’d spent twenty minutes in a cold shower. But even that couldn’t put out the fire blazing in his eyes.

She didn’t dare test his limits any further, so she gave him a gentle push. “Alright, I’m done teasing. Go dry your hair, get on the bed, and I’ll treat you with the needle.”

But Barnaby didn’t budge.

Hannah raised an eyebrow. “Not interested in getting treated now?”

“You lit this fire, so you’ve got to calm it down first,” Barnaby said, his eyes locked on her.

Hannah just stared, totally speechless.

She snuck a glance at his lower half, didn’t see anything unusual. Figuring he was just playing around, she still leaned in and gave him a quick, butterfly-light kiss on the lips.

That finally did the trick, Barnaby let her go, looking totally satisfied as he went off to dry his hair.

When he came back, Hannah had already laid out a set of needles by the bed.

“Here, take this first,” Hannah said, handing him a glass of warm water and a black pill.

Barnaby didn’t ask any questions. He just picked up the pill from her palm, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it down.

Seeing that, Hannah teased, “Aren’t you worried I just gave you poison?”

“Not at all. If I die by your hand, I’d die happy,” Barnaby said with a smirk.

Hannah just scoffed. “Ugh, you’re so corny.”

But since Barnaby didn’t ask, Hannah was spared from explaining that the pill was made mostly from the Obsidian Pearl. If she did, she’d end up spilling way too many of her secrets.

After Barnaby swallowed the pill, a warm feeling spread through his stomach, and then a wave of drowsiness hit him.

“How long will the treatment take?” he asked, lying back on the waterbed with his phone in hand, sending a message.

“The needle treatment will last about half an hour. After that, you’ll fall into a deep sleep. When you wake up depends on how your body and mind recover, could be anywhere from 12 to 42 hours.

During that time, you can’t be disturbed, so I suggest putting your phone on silent or turning it off,” Hannah explained.

As she spoke, Hannah quickly gathered her loose hair and, with practiced ease, braided it into a braid from the crown of her head, securing it behind her.

“Alright,” Barnaby said. Once he finished texting, he switched off his phone and settled in on the bed.

Hannah rolled up her sleeves to her wrists, showing off her slender, fair arms.

She glanced at Barnaby’s loose bathrobe, then went to the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and tossed it to him. “Lose the robe.”

Barnaby propped himself up on one elbow, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “You gonna help me with that?”

13:11 Mon, Dec 22 MJ

Chapter 171

Hannah picked up a slender needle and gave it a quick wipe with an alcohol pad. Under the light, the tip glinted with at sharp, cold shine.

She shot him a sideways look. “Want to find out what it feels like to be half-paralyzed?”

Barnaby didn’t know what to say.

‘Note to self: Don’t mess with her when she’s in work mode,’ he thought.

Barnaby shrugged off his bathrobe, draped the towel over his essentials, and stretched out on the waterbed, lying there like a willing sacrifice, ready for whatever she had in mind.

Hannah set the waterbed to a comfortable temperature, then started the acupuncture treatment.

She knew every spot on Barnaby’s body by heart, and her needlework was smooth and effortless.

In no time, Barnaby was practically covered in needles from head to toe.

The sixteen gold needles were custom-made by Barnaby himself; the rest were just regular silver ones.

Hannah watched Barnaby’s face, his brow had smoothed out, and his breathing was slow and steady. She could tell the medicine had kicked in; he’d already drifted off to sleep.

Half an hour later.

She removed all the needles and put them away, then found herself propping her chin on the edge of the bed, just staring at his face, completely mesmerized by how handsome he was.

‘Seriously, after all that time out in the field, with the sun and wind beating down on him, how is his skin still this soft and perfect?’ she wondered.

Her eyes drifted down to the gnarly scar across his chest. That perfect face was all he had left; everywhere else, it was just scars layered over scars.

She got up, dug through her bag, and pulled out two little black bottles. From one, she poured out some apricot-colored powder; from the other, a clear liquid.

She mixed them together, stirred it up, and then carefully spread the blend over the jagged scars on his body.

She covered the scars on his chest and side, and finally, her eyes lingered on the towel at his waist.

Her fingers, soft as petals, pinched the edge of the towel and slid it aside, exposing the scar running down his left thigh.

Hannah’s cheeks grew warm, and she snuck a guilty glance at Barnaby, checking to make sure he was still out cold. Dropping to one knee beside the bed, she bent over and gently dabbed the medicine onto the scar on his thigh.

She didn’t even know why she was so jittery. It wasn’t like she was doing anything but putting medicine on him.

The doorbell suddenly went off, totally out of the blue.

Startled, Hannah’s knee slipped on the soft waterbed. With one hand still clutching the medicine and the other scrambling for support, she lost her balance, and her face crashed right into Barnaby’s lap.

13:11 Mon, Dec 22 MJ