The Devil's Temptation!

“Hmm?” Roshan paused at her obvious question, he tilted his head at her while carrying the expression of a saint. It made him look irresistibly fragile which was nothing but a death trap to Anna.

“I don’t understand.”

“Why are you taking it off?”

“Cause I’m not supposed to bathe with clothes on?” His response sounded more like he was asking a question and stating a blatant truth at the same time.

With her face still flushed, she didn’t let it ruin the firm demeanor she carried, folding her arms as though she was in for drama and giving him a look that meant he had to be joking.

“Weren’t you ever told not to undress before a woman.”

“Unless that woman is my personal maid? I guess.” Came his neutral response and Anna’s eyes suddenly glistened with untold anger.

His personal maids? She didn’t know why but that only added fuel to the fire.

.....

“I see.... so the height of your shamelessness has really exuded the path where you undress for ‘all’ your personal maid?“ As Anna tried to twist her words in order to get the answer, a knowing smile formed on Roshan’s lips and he felt tempted to ask.

“Are you jealous?”

“No.” Even Anna didn’t believe the response that came out of her mouth and a bashful feeling followed next. She looked away from Roshan to avoid his teasing gaze and silently cursed him in her head.

“Incase it makes you feel any better, you’re the first maid I’ve had to work for me.” He cleared her doubts and reached to take off his breeches for real this time when Anna immediately shook her head in horror.

She didn’t want her eyes to see what she might never unsee again and hurried towards him to stop him.

“No wait! Ah!!”

*SPLASH!!*

She accidentally missed her footing, leading her to fall forward and she would have been fine with it, if only Roshan was standing right in front of her. She collided with him as she stumbled forward, leading the both of them to fall straight into the tub and Anna’s yelp followed it next.

Water splashes could be heard the moment they fell right in. The petals moved with the water as it gushed out of the tub and onto the tiled floor. Roshan, who didn’t expect the fall at all, stared in wonder, this woman!!!

Has she always had clumsy feet?!

He looked at her with the aim of scolding but then realized she was actually resting on top of him, her hands clinging around his neck as though she was hanging on for dear life and that made him blink in half bafflement.

Her eyes were tightly sealed shut in fear as her pursed lips trembled, like she was expecting something terrible to happen and it made him wonder what, did she think she was going to drown? Or did she sense his scolding coming?

Either one it was, her expression at the moment somehow managed to drive away the annoyance she had caused inside of him. He planned on punishing her for it but right now, he didn’t really feel like punishing her at all.

At least for now.

“Hey!”

He tried to wriggle free from her hands which were wrapped around his neck but the crazy woman barely moved, as though she was frozen in place.

That wasn’t even what got Roshan worried, that fact she wasn’t breathing caught his attention even more.

Was she holding her breath??

“Anna.”

Like someone who just woke up from a nightmare, her eyes immediately snapped open as though a heavy tide had passed her by. Her heart drummed frantically against her ribs and she looked sideways as though she was expecting to see someone, equally catching her breath as well.

For a moment, she felt she was back as a little girl who nearly died due to the wave of the water that awful night and her heart sped up.

This incident reminded her of it and Anna finally looked at Roshan with a teary gaze.

Her expression left him speechless as he hadn’t expected this reaction from her, his eyes slightly widened after sensing she was about to....cry??

What seriously happened??

“Are you alright?” He found himself asking as he searched her tear-filled eyes, did she hit her head on the tub or something?? No that couldn’t possibly be it since he was closer to the edge of the tub. She was clinging unto him as if her whole life depended on it and that left him even more shocked.

Why does she suddenly look sad?

“Anna, is every_”

He hadn’t even completed his statement when the lady in his arms bursted into uncontrollable tears and instead of pushing herself away from him, she was hugging him instead in an attempt to find comfort.

Roshan’s body froze the moment she cried in his arms. Time seemed to slow down for him and he barely moved. The unforeseen reaction from her really left him frozen to the spot.

“It was so scary.” She admitted as her hold around him tightened. Anna was so caught up with her emotions she didn’t care about the fact she was hugging a man she despised.

“It was scary.” Images of that night played in her head, the violent waters, her mother’s scream, the wailings of people who drowned. She tried to swim and get to her mother who was also trying to reach her, only to be separated by a heavy wave and that was it.

The heart aching memories were still there, she was hoping she’d forget but maybe that wish wasn’t something that could be fulfilled.

Roshan on the other hand found his fist clenching after sensing the fear in her tone. His eyes darkened with a tiny glint. It made him angry, yet he was so unsure about why?

What was she talking about? What was scary??

It took him a lot of control not to yell those questions at her. He wasn’t the type of person who offered comfort. That wasn’t something he did but here he was, trapped against the tub with a crying maid.

He wanted her to stop, he didn’t like it at all but then again, found it difficult to even say it. His chest felt heavy, why was he feeling this way??

Instead of yelling at her to stop like he planned on doing, he raised a hand and gave her back a gentle pat. To be honest, he had no idea what he was doing but decided to follow his instincts.

Anna, who didn’t expect the comforting pat from Roshan, chose to succumb to it instead of running away, she needed it and Roshan felt her body relax against his.

He didn’t say a word and they remained that way for a while longer, not until the door to the bathing chamber suddenly opened and since Roshan was facing the door, he was able to see who had opened it.

His gaze shifted to Levi who stood there, frozen like someone who had seen a ghost, his eyes widened in full surprise and his mouth hung agape.

What was he seeing?? The human in Roshan’s arms?? From the way they positioned themselves, it made them look intimate, like a couple who wanted nothing more than to just hold each other.

Levi wanted to speak but had suddenly forgotten what he wanted to say, or what had even brought him here.

Roshan’s death glare made him swallow whatever word he planned on saying. A glimpse of anger could be seen dancing around his green irises as he cocked his head to the side.

The sight of him nearly freezed Levi into becoming an ice sculpture.

Gulp!

‘Maybe barging in turned out to be a wrong idea.’ Levi frighteningly thought before passing a nervous smile towards Roshan’s direction and silently closed the door back.

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Special thanks to Ariana_Sawyer for the gift and GoHamSam for the GT <333