NOVEL NEXT Chapter 89: Cuddle Hormone
Cuddle Hormone – otherwise known as Oxytocin
It has been more or less an hour since Damien had decided to be all cutesy and sleep on Katherine's belly.
And she liked cuddling with him a lot, except that… she had begun to develop a possible muscle spasm or at least she was sure that her leg had already fallen asleep, making her afraid to move it as she would probably shriek.
How could she deny him this closeness? Damien rarely shows his vulnerable side to her — The King deserves to be cuddled.
But what was she supposed to do? This particular King's leg had blocked the blood flow in her right leg and she was too much of a chicken to move because apart from the painful stab, she was also afraid that she was going to wake him up as Damien was such a light sleeper.
Katherine just had to try… even just a little to the left—'Aaah!' she screamed in her head and flinched when she felt pins and needles stabbing her right foot.
She bit her bottom lip and prayed that it will go away on its own when all of a sudden, Damien just happened to turn to the other side, releasing her from his grasp.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, she tried so hard to swing her legs off the bed, and after wincing a few times, she managed to find her way to the bathroom for a shower.
Unbeknownst to this Kitten, there was a small smile on Damien's lips when he heard the bathroom door close. Actually, he had already woken up the moment he noticed her discomfort when she shifted in her position, which was why he rolled to the other side.
With his eyes closed, Damien could hear the sound of water running inside the bathroom and his dirty thoughts brought him there.
He was not proud of it but he wasn't going to chase his thoughts away either, especially not after an image of Katherine lathering up in foamy body wash and throwing a wink at him appeared in his mind — she was such a tease too, all her sensitive body parts were strategically covered with bubbles.
'Great. Idiot. Didn't you just sign up to be celibate for her sake two nights ago? Now you've just signed your own death warrant when your perverted mind decided to fantasize about your girlfriend taking a shower,' he scolded himself.
Though it's not like he's entirely at fault right? He was just sleeping anyway but Katherine just happened to take a hot, steamy shower while he was just a door away. "Damn it, Damien — Calm your sh*t."
A few agonizing minutes later, he heard the door to the bathroom open.
Katherine had to steel herself to walk out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her moist body and another one on her hair. She had forgotten to bring a change of clothes, so at the present, she was tiptoeing towards her closet to grab a set of clothes before hurrying back to the bathroom.
And as hard as Damien tried to keep himself from taking a peek, his right eyelid seemed to have a mind of its own when it snuck a glance, just in time to see her glistening legs before she closed the damn door.
He could only curse at himself. The curling of his lips upward was that of a satisfied grin — he was only half apologetic about having snuck a peek.
Feeling more comfortable, his consciousness drifted him back to sleep. Damien woke up an hour later to a grumbling stomach. It was almost three in the afternoon and he hadn't eaten yet.
He slid out of the bed, washed his face and headed out to look for Katherine only to find her in the kitchen, busying herself with a dish that smelled incredible – it made his stomach complain once again.
Damien patted his abdomen and stopped in his tracks just to fully appreciate the sight in front of him. Katherine wore a loose white shirt and mini shorts with an apron tied to her waist, and her luscious hair tied up into a high ponytail while she had her back to him as she was working her magic in the pot. This sight for him was such a turn on — probably even more than the one he had seen earlier after her shower.
He stood several meters away with both of his hands in his pockets just watching her. He saw her turn around and noticed the way her eyes lit up when she met his stare.
'How beautiful,' he thought when he saw her form a sweet smile on her lips and called his name.
"Damien, you're awake."
"Mm." He returned her smile and started walking forward until he stood in front of her.
Then a sudden realization hit Damien. There was this tug in his heart that was too apparent to ignore.
"I bet you're hungry. You're just in time. The food is—"
Katherine sucked in air when Damien shut her up by capturing her lips with his own, her face cupped in his hands. She must have done something right with her cooking this time — Damien had not even tasted it yet but he was already giving her a reward and she wasn't going to refuse so she returned his kisses.
Pulling back, Damien turned his lips upward and saw her surprised reaction as if questioning why he stopped. But he just had to take in everything, as if wanting to reassure himself —'Yes, you're not wrong, brain, she's definitely the reason.'
"What?" she asked.
Shaking his head, he said, "Nothing. I'm famished."
…
Several days later and it was already the 1st of June.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Katherine knocked on the door to Damien's office. After hearing his signal, she pushed it open and sauntered towards his desk.
"There's an invitation for a Charity Gala on June 23rd," she said as she held out a black envelope to Damien who got up from his chair and walked around his desk to meet her halfway. Instead of receiving the invitation from her, he reached his hand out, pulled her by the hand and placed an arm around her waist.
"Mr. Park, I'm still on the clock," she whispered when he pressed his nose and lips against her hair just beside her ear.
He had been busy and was on his computer the whole day. He just had to take a quick break — and Katherine was just the right fix.
"I know. And the last time I checked, you're working for me. We are still technically working." He placed a kiss on her jaw. "Only… Right now, I'm trying to work on you."
"Oh, shush. You know what I mean." She felt his chest shake when he chuckled, his laughter was the sexiest thing she heard the entire day, making her giggle.
"Can't I just work and have pleasure at the same time? You're my secretary… you're supposed to support me with this stuff."
"Yes, and as your secretary, I need to do my job, President Park."
"Have you ever thought of office romances, Ms. Miller? I can't be the only one thinking about—"
Katherine gently placed her hands on his chest and pushed him, waving the invitation to his face. "You need to check this, so I can RSVP."
Damien groaned, snatched the black envelope from her hand but still kept a protective arm wrapped around her waist.
"What is it this time?" he sighed as he tried to open the envelope.
Taking out a few cards inside, he read the bold print on the first card that read: "Luxury For A Cause"
He quickly scanned the card until he saw the beneficiary of the said Charity Gala and he frowned. "Did my uncle send this?"
Nodding, Katherine replied, "I received it just now. How should I respond?"
Putting the invitation away, Damien said, "We're going."
Even though he didn't like his uncle, the charity was for the cancer foundation that the Park family had been supporting all throughout the years ever since his grandfather was diagnosed of having one many years ago and especially when the latter died because of it. It was something that he could not refuse.
"Okay," Katherine responded and received the invitation back. She was just about to turn away when Damien pulled her back, staring at her with such an intense gaze. She raised a brow as though she was questioning him silently.
"When I said we're going, I meant I was going and you're coming with me as my date." Damien just had to make it clear for her as he didn't want her to think that she was attending the event with him as his secretary.
There was just something in the way Damien looked at her that she found herself unable to produce anything more than just a syllable, especially when she could hear her own heart beating in her ear.
"Oh." She gulped.