Chapter 7 I Will Sleep Here Tonight

• Elly screamed furiously.
• Clara glanced at her and began to unbutton her shirt without hesitation.
• She twisted her hip lithely, dancing gracefully before everyone.
• Sometimes, she seemed alluring like a temptress. Other times, she was graceful like a ballerina. She moved without hesitation along with the music.
• Everyone was mesmerized by her. Even James kept staring at her and could not bear to look away.
• He did not know she could dance so well.
• Men stared at her like ravenous wolves.
• James noticed this and furrowed his brow. He took off his jacket and covered her with it, shielding her from others' lustful gazes.
• Her sweet and warm scent filled his nostrils.
• Clara laughed bitterly. She looked sad, and her eyes were filled with tears. "I probably look like an idiot now."
• James' eyes darkened as he said, "Are you trying to make me fall for you?"
• "Huh?" Clara looked at him and could not believe what she heard.
• She felt she had misheard him.
• "You are drunk," James said solemnly and pulled her to leave.
• Clara looked down dejectedly.
• I must have been drunk…
• Soon, James brought her to the second floor and handed her a room access card. "This is your room for tonight."
• Clara said worriedly, "Are we not going back tonight? I have work tomorrow morning."
• "The cruise will return to the jetty tomorrow morning. Then, I will send you to the hospital. Don't worry. I'll make sure you arrive there on time." James promised.
• Thus, Clara decided not to insist on returning that night. After all, she could not force the cruise to turn back just for her.
• "Thank you." Clara turned around, opened the door, and walked in.
• He noticed her injured heels and frowned. Worry flashed through his eyes as he turned around and left.
• Clara sat on a couch to take off her shoes.
• Aari gave her this pair of shoes. The leather was too hard, and it scraped the skin on her heels.
• I should have refused this pair of shoes.
• Clara sniffed her body and realized that she was carrying a strong alcohol smell.
• She could not go to work like this.
• Thus, she put on a pair of disposable bathroom slippers and entered the bathroom.
• She took a bath and washed all her clothes, drying them in the bathroom.
• Then, she wrapped a towel around her and walked out.
• James was sitting on a couch in her room.
• He was searching through the medical kit before him, looking for something.
• He noticed Clara from the corner of an eye and glanced toward her.
• She was only wrapped in a towel, revealing her beautiful collarbone.
• The towel reached just below her butt, showing her long and slender legs.
• Clara was shocked to see him. After all, she was not wearing any clothes.
• "Why… Why are you here?" Clara asked nervously.
• "Come here," James ordered.
• Clara explained awkwardly, "I can't. I washed all my clothes."
• "There is nothing to worry about" He sounded a little impatient. "Come here."
• His tone brooked no argument.
• Thus, Clara could only try to protest gently and whispered, "I would like to rest now."
• James ignored her protest and found a bottle of iodine and a few strips of plasters. "Sit down."
• He did not look up but tore the packaging of the plasters before placing them on the table for later use.
• Clara understood he meant well and felt warm. She replied gently, "I can do it myself. Thank you."
• He stopped ordering her.
• This woman is more stubborn than I imagined.
• Thus, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit beside him.
• Clara sat on the couch uncomfortably.
• James raised her leg and rested it on his thigh. He worked quickly to tend her wound. It was like how he had acted fast to save her from the abductors.
• Clara was shocked by the sudden movement. She did not wear anything under the towel and risked exposing herself.
• Thus, she quickly closed the gap between her legs.
• James did not seem to notice anything. He poured some iodine on some cotton and applied it to her wound gently.
• This gentleness was a huge contrast to his usual demeanor.
• Clara did not feel any pain as he applied the iodine.
• Instead, the warmth of his hand felt soothing on her ankle.
• "The leather on your shoes is too tough. Don't wear it anymore." James reminded.
• "Okay," Clara responded.
• "Give me your other leg," James said.
• Clara leaned to the other side and raised her leg towards him.
• James could not understand why she was moving strangely and grabbed her ankle.
• Clara gasped softly.
• He glanced at her instinctively and saw her…
• It was only a fraction of a second, but he saw it.
• Clara blushed and was unsure whether he had seen her private parts. She turned her face away and did not dare to meet his gaze.
• James cleared his throat and looked down to tend to her wound.
• Neither of them spoke for a long time.
• The air hung awkwardly between them. One could not help but feel flustered and nervous in their place.
• "Are you done?" Clara urged him.
• "Don't move," James warned.
• His voice was a little hoarse. He sounded masculine and intimidating.
• "Will I never see you again after we leave this cruise?" Clara asked.
• James narrowed his gaze. "If you don't wish for us to meet again, I think we won't have a chance to see each other anymore."
• His words are ambiguous. What does he mean when he said if I don't wish to meet him? Does he mean that if I wished, we could meet again? What identity shall we meet as?
• We are from different worlds. Thus, our meeting is only an unexpected but comforting deviation from our usual lives.
• Tomorrow, I shall return to my normal life.
• "I understand." That was all she said, and it meant she did not wish to meet him anymore.
• James' expression darkened.
• He put the plaster on her wound and did not wait for Clara to remove her leg from him.
• Instead, he stood up straight away and looked down at her. A hint of sullenness appeared in his usually unreadable gaze. "I will sleep here tonight."