Bonds at War: The Untouched is Mine novel Chapter 416

**Attachment 416**

Was she really calling me a pervert?

420D

That single word landed with more force than her slap ever could. And trust me—this woman didn’t deliver slaps with any hint of gentleness. Despite her delicate skin, her hand felt like it was made of lead as it struck my chest, pushing me back with each hit.

“I… ow—okay! Okay!” I raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, my palms facing her as if to ward off any further assault. “It was a mistake on my part, but I swear I didn’t mean it! Please, stop hitting!”

Just then, another sharp smack landed on my skull.

The third strike prompted me to catch her wrist, my fingers closing around it gently, almost reverently. “Sorry, sorry,” I stammered, my grip cautious yet firm. “I’m really, truly sorry.”

In that moment, everything seemed to freeze.

For the first time since this chaotic series of events began, we found ourselves uncomfortably close. It was then that her scent washed over me again—a soft, sweet aroma that enveloped my senses without overwhelming them.

She smelled incredible.

Too incredible, if I were honest with myself.

My mind suddenly felt disoriented, as if it had hiccupped. I loosened my hold on her wrist, only to pull it back as if I had been burned.

What on earth was happening?

I swallowed hard, my heart thudding obnoxiously in my ears, loud enough that I almost wanted to yell at it to quiet down. But that intoxicating scent clung to me, wrapping around my collar as if it had a life of its own.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain some semblance of composure.

And yet, we were still so close.

Close? That was an understatement of epic proportions. We were practically sharing the same breath. I could feel her exhale brushing against my chin, a warm whisper that sent shivers down my spine.

“Get a hold of yourself, Elias,” I mentally chastised.

I blinked hard, attempting to sharpen my focus on her features. My vision was still clouded, but amidst the haze, something broke through—the vivid color of her eyes.

Green.

Not just any green, but a warm, vibrant green that pierced through the fog like a beacon, jarring me back to reality.

Pretty.

It was a ridiculous thought for someone like me to entertain, yet it was the only coherent word that surfaced amidst the chaos of my mind. Everything else felt like a jumbled mess of thoughts and images.

I still couldn’t make out the rest of her face. The blur made everything seem soft and dreamlike, as if she didn’t quite belong to this world.

“Damn this vision,” I muttered under my breath, squinting harder in a futile attempt to focus. All it did was intensify the throbbing in my temples.

At that moment, her scent intensified even further.

A wave of sweetness struck me squarely in the chest, sending a prickle down my spine. My throat constricted, and it felt as though the space between us shrank, even though neither of us moved an inch.

My breath caught in my throat, and I had to steady myself, desperate to avoid doing something reckless. But my body was betraying me. Every nerve ending seemed to lean toward her, drawn to that intoxicating scent, to the warmth radiating from her.

Why did it feel like I was being pulled in?

I tried to pull back, but then her face tilted slightly, and suddenly, her lips came into view.

Soft.

Plump.

Glistening from the droplets of water that had splashed when she had slapped my chest.

Time seemed to freeze.

I was already leaning in.

I didn’t think.

I didn’t breathe.

I just acted, compelled by an urge I couldn’t comprehend and didn’t want to resist.

Before I knew it, my lips were pressed against hers.

She froze beneath my touch, and for a fleeting moment, my brain kicked back into gear, and I thought, oh no, I messed up. I should pull away.

But she didn’t move.

She didn’t shove me away, scream, or slap me again. She simply… remained still. Her lips parted beneath mine, soft and unbelievably warm, creating a stillness that was not born of fear but rather shock—like she hadn’t expected it but wasn’t rejecting it either.

I felt her breath hitch.

She didn’t just smell sweet.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify