Chapter 9: Closeness

He woke up with the girl sitting down and looking at him. He felt a little flustered and dazed, yet a genuine smile crept up his face.

"Good morning…" he said, and she uttered something—another melody, he thought—and he felt she reciprocated.

His breath hitched when she smiled at him and lied down again, on him, burying her pretty little head against his neck and shoulder.

Thaddeus couldn't believe he'd say this but, while he didn't know why she was so touchy, he didn't complain.

It was just that the thing between his legs was getting very painful…

The door opened around this time, revealing old Thessy, who gaped at them in surprise.

"Sir…?! Uhm… I see… she's awake." The middle-aged woman paused, face turning stoic as soon as she caught herself. "Shall I excuse myself?"

"A-Ah! No, it's fine." Thaddeus said. His handsome face turned red in embarrassment, as if he was caught in inappropriate thoughts.

He sat up and held her shoulders—soft, good to touch—and gently scooted to the side of the bed.

She looked at him, puzzled as to why he's leaving, and he held back a smile.

So cute.

Then he remembered someone else was there and he cleared his throat.

As he stood, he smiled and extended his arms to her to take. "Shall we eat breakfast downstairs?" He asked, but she only stared at it, confused.

Thaddeus simply leaned over to grab her hand, gently pulling her up, and she followed his lead and finally went out of the bed.

However, as soon as she stood up, she almost fell down and he instinctively went to catch her.

He breathed in her scent again, feeling her softness against his lean body, and his hand stayed on her waist for what felt like an eternity until Thessy beside them cleared her throat.

His hand on her waist did not leave, however, and just caressed a bit unconsciously. He looked at her in concern when he felt her whole weight was on him.

"Do you have trouble standing?" He asked, thinking her legs must've felt numb. But as he guided her up, he saw how shaky her legs were.

Very quickly, he realized that she had a very real trouble walking.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he looked at Thessy. "Call the doctor again," he ordered and the woman left after a pause.

His hand slipped under her supple legs and lifted her up to get her back to the bed. She naturally wrapped around her arms on his shoulders for support, and his heart was hit (again).

He looked at her pretty face so close to him and he stared. She saw his daze and blinked before saying something again. When she did, as always, he felt like she was singing.

And she was singing beautifully.

He cleared his throat (he's been doing this a lot today) and was about to say something when he heard a gentle rumbling.

It was from her stomach. And when he saw her confused look on her stomach, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He realized that the doctor wouldn't arrive so quickly and made a decision to eat breakfast while they waited.

"Hold on to me," he said, placing his hands under her back and supple thighs—something he was doing with increasing expertise—and walked out, all the way to the dining room.

The servants greeted him good morning, though their eyes obviously landed on the woman.

He frowned at the fact that most of his servants were men.

This was because women always tried to seduce him. Thessy was old and was his nanny so she was fine, but other than her there really were no other females in the house.

But now it was a problem because all of them were gaping at the beautiful woman.

He felt annoyed. "Aren't you going to work?"

The workers flinched at his question and quickly scurried back to their jobs. This really couldn't be blamed on them. Anyone would be startled by the beauty of the woman and the uncharacteristic irksomeness of their master.

But even if he was annoyed with the servants, Thaddeus' face immediately turned gentle when he looked at the soft woman. "You don't need to put any attention on them," he said, and soon they arrived at his dining area.

The villa's dining area was large, at least a hundred square meters for the eating area alone. In the center was a three-meter-long table with pendant lights hanging above it. The dining room was already set. The fine china, elegant table set, had already been placed and filled with food.

Thaddeus placed her on the seat next to his. He was very gentle in putting her there, with his hand landing on her soft bum as he settled her, but he didn't show anything on his face.

The girl had no idea what was going on in the man's head and she just looked at everything in curiosity. She looked out the large window and the vast scenery outside, the warm light streaming through them, and seeing some colors she wasn't familiar with.

Then she sniffed at the delicious food in front of her—instinctively knowing they were for consumption—and gulped.

He gestured for her to eat, gently placing a napkin on her waist, which made her confused.

Today's breakfast was fragrant soup, a velvety blend of roasted vegetables and herbs as well as baked artisan bread and butter.

He nodded at the choice of light breakfast. After all, they didn't know what she had been eating before. It wouldn't be good to give her anything too oily.

He lifted the ladle to scoop her some soup. His posture was filled with sophistication, though his peripheral vision focused on the person beside him.

After a few bites, he realized she looked lost, and she reluctantly held the spoon… and stared at her own reflection.

He saw that she wasn't holding it properly—she was gripping the handle—and he realized she may have never used a spoon before.

She did look at his hand and tried to mimic, but she obviously needed a lot more adjustments.

"Who… are you?" He asked but he knew she couldn't answer. Instead, he turned to the waiter next to him to try a theory. "Is there a pair of chopsticks?"

"Yes, master," he said, and he excused himself to get the utensil.

He gently handed her the sticks and she…used it to steer the soup. She was looking quite happy, too, as if it was a toy.

His lips twitched. It seemed that the girl couldn't use it either.

"How do you eat?" He asked, but his hand was already scooping the soup for her, blowing it, and gently feeding her.

The servants were shocked. They were already shocked by how their master was carrying a woman, now he was taking care of her so meticulously!

The girl stared at it for a moment but she had seen how he was eating before, so she opened her mouth and ate.

He could see how her expression changed when the soup landed on her tastebuds.

Her eyes widened so much, her bright eyes looking even brighter than before.

Thaddeus held back a smile at the sight, his heart tingling with amusement.

"Delicious?" He asked and he knew her answer as she was already opening her pretty mouth.

As he caught a glimpse of her tongue though, he had the inexplicable urge to taste it…

He did not do such a thing, of course, and continued to patiently feed her.

She ate a lot. Abnormally so—as if there was a black hole—but he didn't think too much.

Her stomach didn't even bloat, and he couldn't bear to tell her she shouldn't be eating too much when she was obviously so hungry.

When the chefs placed the next two servings on the table, he only smiled and continued feeding.

To think that he, Thaddeus Marlow, one of the capital city's most eligible bachelors, a graduate of Marine Biology, and the eldest son of Billionaire Gregory Marlow, would condescend to feed a woman.

And he was doing it very seriously.

And he could do it again and again, without complaints.