Yannis said, “If you couldn’t get it undone, why didn’t you ask me for help?” Zinnia sat at her dressing table, pouting a little, while Yannis stood befand her, carefully untangling the strands of hair wrapped around her head.
“I didn’t think it’d be so hard to take out,” Zinnia pouted. “It’s my first time trying this hairstyle.”
“Next time you need anything, just come find me right away. We can’t have you feeling unhappy, Yannis said, his voice playful but gentle. He looked at Zinnia nibbling a strawberry.
She mumbled through a mouthful of strawberry, her cheeks puffed out. “Want some?” she asked, holding up a white strawberry and offering it to Yannis without turning around.
Yannis chuckled, “Hold it up a little higher, Zinnia. I can’t reach it from here.”
Zinnia looked into the mirror. Yannis was so tall that his head didn’t even show in the reflection. All she saw was his slim waist in a tailored black suit, cinched by a dark belt that showed off his nice shape.
Zinnia moistened her lips, thinking, ‘I want to touch his waist. Turning her head, she held out the strawberry for him.
Yannis murmured, bending down to take the strawberry with his teeth as his eyes looked at hers.
With her makeup gone, her delicate face was clear, soft, and full of youthfulness. Her lips were rosy pink, shiny with strawberry juice.
Lately, whenever Zinnia wanted something from him, she would butter him up first. He wondered what she wanted this time. Sure enough, the next second, she asked, “Can I touch your waist?”
Zinnia bit her lips, looking at him with bold, honest eyes. She thought, ‘His waist looks so perfect. I wonder how it feels to touch. Probably amazing.
Last time she hugged him, she didn’t even get to feel his waist. With this sudden question, Yannis was left speechless. She really had a way of catching him off guard with her blunt words.
His eyes looked at Zinnia. Her clear eyes were full of hope, her gaze eager but innocent. She was really asking if she could touch his waist, with no hidden motives.
“Why?” Yannis asked lazily, not saying no outright. He really wanted to know.
Zinnia said, “Because your waist looks so touchable and beautiful/
“What if I say no?” Yannis asked, with a funny glint in his eyes.
“Then I won’t,” Zinnia said with a shrug. “It was just a quick idea anyway.”
His waist looked so good that she couldn’t help but ask if she could touch it. If he didn’t want her to, she wouldn’t push it.
“Go ahead,” Yannis said, raising an amused eyebrow at her quick give–up.
He thought, ‘Honestly, she gives up so easily. She doesn’t even try to act cute or to wheedle a little, no persistence at all. Lucky for her she met me; with anyone else, she’d never get anything done.‘
“You agreed!” Zinnia beamed, her eyes lighting up for a moment.
“When have I ever refused you, Zinnia?” Yannis said with a gentle smile.
Zinnia paused, realizing that. ‘He’s never said no to my request before,‘ she thought.
Yannis hardly ever refused her anything. She was very curious about everything. The more one told her she couldn’t do something, the more she wanted to try. One mistake, and she could easily go down the wrong path.
08:30 Fri 13 Jun 0
Chapter 178
Within safe limits, Yannis would let her do whatever she wanted to keep her happy. Once she experienced something, the excitement would fade and that way, he could keep her safe.
Yannis thought, ‘Real protection isn’t about hiding someone from danger. It’s about helping them see the risks themselves.
He wanted her to figure out what was right or wrong, learn about things, and decide whether she should do something. By guiding her to make her own choices, he hoped she would grow on her own.
“I’m going to touch you now, okay?” Zinnia put down the strawberry and looked up at him, wanting his okay.
Yannis muttered, “Okay.”
“Can you take off your jacket?” Zinnia asked, looking up at him. “It’s hard to feel anything through the fabric.”
“Should I take off my shirt too?” Yannis chuckled at Zinnia who kept pushing her luck. Even as he teased her, his fingers unbuttoned his jacket, then shrugged it off.
Zinnia shook her head. “No way! Then you’d be naked.”
Zinnia thought to herself, ‘Master said it’s not right to look at a naked man.‘ As clever as always, she chose to do the right thing.
Yannis’s smile grew wider. ‘She does have some sense of decency after all,‘ he thought.
Zinnia’s hand rested on Yannis’s waist, her fingers moving over his silky black dress shirt. “There’s something hard here,” she whispered, curious.
Zinnia looked at Yannis with wide eyes. His stomach had firm, springy muscles. She couldn’t resist and poked them twice.
“That’s called abs,” Yannis said, amused by her. She was clueless about simple things.
He thought, ‘How did Nathan raise her? She has almost no boundaries with guys. Luckily she met me. If it was anyone else, she’d be taken advantage of.” “Abs? How many do you have?” Zinnia asked curiously. “I’ve heard Maisie talk about them before. Maisie says a guy needs eight–pack abs.”
“Want to count them yourself?” Yannis asked, smiling amused at her.
“Okay!” Zinnia said eagerly and reached out to count his abs with her fingers, one by one.
Yannis immediately regretted it. He looked at her hand on his waist/Her face was so delicate, and her long lashes lowered in focus. He could feel her gaze burning into his waist.
When her eyes traced over him, a warm feeling spread under his skin, making his eyelashes flutter slightly.
He watched her fingers carefully measuring his waist. In the quiet room, he felt her fingers slowly move across his skin.
Finally, after tracing his abs, her hand moved to his lower back. He felt her soft fingertips press on his spine, and a tingling feeling shot up inside him, spreading through his whole body.
The faint smile on Yannis’s lips faded, and his fingers clenched involuntarily.
“Wow, eight–pack!” Zinnia’s eyes lit up, still tracing the ridges she’d just counted.
When she pulled back her hand, Yannis took a quiet breath. He knew that by letting her do this, she was happy–but he was also Yannis had no hidden plans. He just knew how sensitive his waist was. Every touch felt like tiny ants crawling under his clothes. *Zinnia, you must never do this with other guys, okay? They’re not me. They might try to take advantage of you,” Yannis warned softly.
ing himself.
Yannis suddenly felt worried. After spending time with her, he saw she probably grew up in a simple, sheltered world, with little defense against others, and no real sense of boundaries with men and women.
08:31 Fri, 13 Jun
Chapter 178
“I’ve only ever touched yours, Yannis,” Zinnia said sweetly, with innocent happiness.
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Hearing that, Yannis felt a small happy feeling. She really knew how to sweet talk him. Watching her bright smile, he thought, ‘She’s so easy to please!
But Yannis’s happiness only lasted a few seconds before his smile froze.
“Yannis, when you die Someday, can I have your ribs?” Zinnia looked up at him, her eyes shining with real excitement.
She couldn’t help but think how perfect his ribs were. They would make a beautiful display. Looking at him with shining eyes, she said, “Your ribs are so lovely. They’d be perfect for my collection.”
