29. Can You Feel It?

In the bathroom, the sound of water pitter-pattered.

Delicate fingers pressed against the transparent glass partition, tightening restlessly.

Suddenly, a long, powerful palm covered hers, clasping the soft, boneless hand within his grip.

His breathing was erratic and scorching. Tara struggled to escape, but she was pinned firmly by the lean, strong body behind her.

The rhythm and force were almost fierce.

The sound of splashing water lasted for a long time.

When everything finally settled, a well-defined hand caught her chin, forcing her to turn her head for a kiss.

However, the moment his kiss fell, Tara finally saw his face clearly.

"Ah!"

She let out a loud cry and suddenly snapped her eyes open.

Those ambiguous and unspeakable images vanished in an instant.

It was just a dream.

Tara breathed a heavy sigh of relief, her cheeks beginning to heat up.

She actually had

that

kind of dream?

Why would she dream of that?

Most importantly, why did it have to be Killian of all people?

Could it be that, subconsciously, she was lusting after his body?

Memories of last night surfaced clearly in her mind.

Thinking back on those outrageous actions and words, she had behaved like a total rogue!

The fact that Killian didn't hit her showed he truly had great character.

"Liquid courage" was no joke; it had emboldened her straight into her dreams.

Killian looked so indifferent; at most, he would handle things himself in private. How could he possibly be like the man in her dream...

It was too absurd.

It seemed she really should drink less in the future.

Her head felt heavy and painful.

With a dry throat, she looked up to survey her surroundings.

The minimalist bedroom was exceptionally quiet.

There was no sign of Killian; he had likely already gone to work.

Not daring to linger, she quickly got up and left.

After leaving the dorm, Tara didn't dare go to the company. Instead, she took her drawing laptop and went straight back to the university.

Killian: [Are you awake?]

As soon as she returned to school, Killian's WeChat message popped up.

Looking at the message, she was instantly reminded of her behavior last night.

The heat in her face was uncontrollable, and she felt like curling her toes in embarrassment.

Tara: [Killian, I'm sorry. I was drunk last night. If I did or said anything bad, it wasn't intentional. I hope you're not angry.]

[Little Pig Bowing.gif]

Her message hadn't been out for five seconds before Killian replied.

Killian: [Not angry.]

Three short words. No blame as she had expected.

But was he really not angry?

Putting herself in his shoes, Tara felt any normal person would be furious after such excessive behavior.

Therefore, "Not angry" = "I am very angry."

The more Tara thought about it, the more cowardly she felt.

Fine, she decided to pause the "pursuit progress" for one day.

It was better to let Killian cool down first; otherwise, if she continued her mission now, she might end up walking straight into the line of fire.

With that in mind, she took her computer to the art studio, muted her phone, and immersed herself in the character illustrations for

Bonds of Love

to distract herself and forget those embarrassing events.

Consequently, it was already 7:00 PM when she next saw Killian's messages.

12:00

Killian: [Want to grab dinner?]

12:30

Killian: [Do you have classes today?]

18:00

Killian: [Are you painting?]

Tara looked at these messages with surprise.

Usually, if she didn't look for Killian, he wouldn't look for her. Today, he was surprisingly proactive, sending so many messages.

And he even took the initiative to ask her to dinner?

This must be a "last meal" before execution,

Tara thought.

After all, she was so out of line last night.

So, how should she reply?

Her eyes scanned the chat box, finally landing on "Are you painting?" and she had a sudden brainwave.

Tara: [Yes, Killian. I'm working on the original character art for the game, so I didn't check my phone. Sorry.]

[All the main character art is finished. The background art is about two-thirds done.]

By intentionally mentioning the progress of the art, she was signaling her value first, hoping he would overlook her offense from last night. Tara felt she was a genius!

Besides, her progress was indeed the fastest among the production teams.

This was just a small-budget otome game with a lenient production cycle; the writing team hadn't even finished the script yet.

What boss wouldn't like an employee who worked so proactively?

As she was thinking, his reply came: [Where are you painting? Which studio?]

Why was he asking that?

Tara: [Art Building, Studio A606. Why?]

Killian: [Got it.]

Tara felt Killian's behavior today was far too strange.

Could he be afraid she was slacking off and lying to him?

Unable to figure it out, she stopped thinking about it. She put away the laptop with the game art and took the unfinished painting from the cabinet to continue her work.

Tonight, she was once again the last person left in the studio.

She was painting so intently that she didn't notice the studio door being opened from the outside.

"Not bad."

A magnetic voice suddenly rang out from behind her.

Tara jumped in fright. Fortunately, she had just raised her hand and hadn't touched the brush to the canvas yet, so the painting wasn't ruined.

She turned around, looking at the tall, handsome young man in surprise. "Killian, why are you here?"

"I was craving the barbecue on Cloud Water Road, so I came to find my dinner partner," Killian said casually.

"Ah, I see..."

Tara breathed a small sigh of relief.

As long as he wasn't here to settle scores.

"The person in this painting..."

Killian looked at the work on her easel, his lips curling slightly. "Is it me?"

It was obvious.

What she was painting was exactly how he looked while playing basketball.

It was completely different from his restrained and oppressive demeanor at work.

When playing ball, he was sunny, handsome, and full of youthful vigor—less of that cold, distant feeling that made him hard to approach, and more vivid and real.

Tara nodded. "Yes, it's you. I planned to give it to you once I finished."

"Really?"

Killian took a closer look at the painting. "It's well done. I like it."

"Truly?"

Tara was very happy with his praise.

It seemed he really wasn't angry about last night.

She had been judging a gentleman's heart with her own petty thoughts.

"Mhm."

"However, this hand needs a slight adjustment."

Tara was confused. "Huh?"

Killian hooked a small stool with his long leg and sat down beside her. "It’s too short," he said flatly.

"Is it?" Tara immediately scrutinized the hand in the painting.

"But I feel like it's just right?"

"Then your feeling is wrong."

After saying that, Killian suddenly raised his left hand. "Give me your hand."

Tara was puzzled, but she put down her brush and, imitating him, bent her right arm and turned her palm toward him.

Killian's gaze deepened. In that position, he suddenly opened his palm, his long fingers sliding between hers to fill the gaps completely, locking their fingers together.

"Can you feel it?"

He looked at her, his long, beautiful phoenix eyes tilted up slightly with an inexplicable hint of roguishness.

Tara's breath hitched.