Inside the bath.
The bath was quite spacious, fed by flowing hot spring water. At this moment, steam filled the air, and fresh petals floated on the water's surface.
The faint smell of sulfur mixed with floral fragrance in the air, dispelling the thick, lingering ambience from the earlier bedroom.
Liu Erlong lay weakly against Dai Chengfeng's chest, her cheek pressed against his firm, scorching torso, clearly hearing his steady, powerful heartbeat.
The warm pool water enveloped her body, perfectly alleviating the fatigue and soreness from their earlier exertions, prompting an almost imperceptible sigh of satisfaction from deep within her throat.
This sigh was extremely faint, yet it was still caught by Dai Chengfeng.
He lowered his head, looking at the person in his arms.
The mist had dampened her raven-black hair, sticking to her smooth temples and flushed cheeks. Her usually defiant eyes now softened, exuding post-coital languor and a hint of lingering haze.
The rippling water faintly outlined her sinuous curves beneath the surface.
The faint finger marks he left on her skin, amidst the steam and her lustrous flesh, added an element of breathtaking allure.
Dai Chengfeng's eyes brimmed with hidden emotion, but his face remained calm.
He carefully placed her into the pool, letting her lean back against the smooth edge of the pool, facing away from him.
The warm water enveloped her body, and Liu Erlong closed her eyes comfortably, her tense nerves and muscles finally relaxing at this moment.
However, this relaxation did not last long.
A pair of hands, rough with calluses and warmer than the water, touched her neck and shoulders.
Liu Erlong's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"Relax."
Dai Chengfeng's voice sounded in her ear, low and magnetic, carrying an undeniable command.
His fingers began to knead her stiff shoulder and neck muscles with just the right amount of pressure.
Surprisingly, his technique was quite skillful, the pressure perfectly alleviating her soreness.
But Liu Erlong couldn't truly relax.
This was too intimate, too... humiliating.
It felt as if she were an object that needed his personal cleaning and care.
The memory of being completely dominated on the bed and forced to utter those shameful words resurfaced, stirring up her recently calmed emotions again.
When had she, Liu Erlong, ever needed someone to "attend" to her bathing so intimately?
His fingertips slid slowly down her spine, accompanied by the water, caressing her smooth back.
Wherever they passed, a fine shiver was triggered.
Liu Erlong bit her lower lip tightly, suppressing any sound.
She felt his hand move to her waist, lingering and rubbing over the skin where he had left finger marks, as if examining it closely.
"Still hurting?"
He asked, his tone devoid of any discernible emotion, but Liu Erlong felt it was filled with mockery.
She abruptly opened her eyes, wanting to turn and glare at him, but due to her position, she could only see the rippling reflections on the water and his blurred outline.
"No need to bother!"
She retorted sharply, attempting to shift her body further away from him.
However, Dai Chengfeng's arm encircled her waist like an iron clamp from behind, effortlessly pulling her back against his bare, well-defined chest.
The scorching heat of his body transmitted through the water, making Liu Erlong's heart tremble.
"Stubborn mouth."
He chuckled softly, his moist breath hitting her ear and neck, quickly turning that area red.
"Just a moment ago, it wasn't like this... I remember someone being very sensitive here, trembling violently at the slightest touch..."
His finger deliberately traced lightly over the most tender part of her waist.
"You!"
Liu Erlong was both angry and embarrassed, her entire body tensing up.
Her hand under the water clenched tightly into a fist, nails nearly digging into her palm.
"Dai Chengfeng! Don't go too far!"
"Too far?"
Dai Chengfeng seemed amused by her flustered and powerless resistance. His other hand joined in the "cleaning," scooping warm water and pouring it over her smooth shoulder, the water trickling down her graceful back.
"Helping you bathe, how can that be too far? Or do you prefer..."
He paused, lowering his voice, filled with a seductive ambiguity, "Erlong prefers... another way of cleaning?"
His implication was clear, and Liu Erlong instantly understood his suggestive meaning. Her cheeks burned, turning pink all the way down to her neck.
This shameless rogue!
She trembled with anger, all her embarrassment, frustration...
And a strange flutter she didn't want to admit, stirred by his intimate demeanor, all turned into rage at this moment.
"Let go!"
She suddenly struggled, ignoring her soreness, using her elbow to strike backward. Simultaneously, her long leg submerged in the water instinctively kicked out forcefully towards the person behind her!
This kick used up almost all the strength she could muster at the moment, breaking through the water with a splash, making quite a show.
However, she overestimated her current condition and underestimated Dai Chengfeng's reaction speed.
Her ankle was precisely seized in mid-air by a warm, strong hand.
Liu Erlong was startled, trying to pull her leg back, but found his grip astonishingly strong; her struggles were like ants shaking a tree.
That hand didn't budge, instead, taking advantage of the water's buoyancy, slowly lifting her leg out of the water.
"Swish—"
A long, straight, jade-white leg emerged from the steamy mist.
Water droplets rolled continuously down the smooth skin, her ankle firmly held in his palm, the delicate bones seemingly crushable with just a little more force.
From the effort, her rounded toes curled slightly, her foot arching beautifully, outlining an elegant curve. Under the light and mist, it emitted a breathtaking allure.
Dai Chengfeng's gaze was deep, like a turbulent, cold pond.
He carefully "admired" the "trophy" in his hand, from the elegantly curved calf, to the delicately arched knee, to the thigh skin now trembling slightly with anger and shame.
His thumb, with deliberate slowness and almost a sense of playful intimacy, began to gently rub the sensitive inner side of her slender ankle.
That spot was extremely sensitive.
"Ah..."
A sharp tingling sensation shot up from where he rubbed, rapidly spreading throughout her body. Liu Erlong couldn't suppress a short cry, her body involuntarily trembling lightly.
"Le... let go!"
Her voice carried a quiver and a hint of pleading she herself hadn't noticed.
"Kicking me?"
Dai Chengfeng raised his eyes, looking at her reddened profile, flushed with shame and the sudden sensitive stimulation, a playful smirk curving his lips.
"So, there's still some strength left?"
"I don't have any!"
Liu Erlong was both anxious and angry, her unfamiliar, intense itchiness and tingling sensation almost driving her to collapse as he continued to hold her ankle and rub.
She struggled futilely, her other foot kicking wildly underwater, splashing large amounts of water, but unable to shake his control.
"Let go! Dai Chengfeng! You bastard!"
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