Chapter 152: Humpty Dumpty

ELIA

He thought he was clever. He got her blood boiling like that, then pulled away and, with a final wink, he headed up the ladder.

She'd planned to just wait until he got up there. But as he began to climb, she realized that this was something she'd never seen him do alone. She'd always either been in his arms as he carried her up, or only seen him below her, slowly following. But now, he put a hand up behind his head and pulled his shirt forward and off. Her mouth went dry as his thick, muscular stomach and chest were revealed, his biceps flexing as he wadded the shirt up and tossed it onto the dry rock where the two pools met.

"Not fair," she muttered.

He didn't catch her eye, but she knew he'd done it just to get her attention. He always teased her about the way her heart raced when his shirt came off—something the Anima bastard could hear, whether she wanted him to, or not.