Chapter 10: Under the blanket

While her foggy mind was still trying to figure out exactly what this "hand warmer" was supposed to be, the object in her hand suddenly began to undergo an astonishing change.

It seemed to be transforming at an unbelievable speed...

And then... May’s eyes flew wide open.

She stiffly lowered her head, inch by inch. Her gaze landed on Ray’s sharply defined abs, his lean waist, and then...

Her own hand. Holding his enormous... penis.

Her brain went completely blank.

Oh, hell no!

This wasn’t a hand warmer at all. This was freaking—

Her face instantly became hot enough to fry an egg. At the same time, her blood seemed to rush backward, leaving her hands and feet icy cold.

She wanted to yank her hand away at lightning speed, but the moment her mind fully returned, her entire body seemed to lock up.

Just as she was about to faint from sheer panic, a large hand clamped around her wrist like an iron vice.

The grip was firm enough to make her bones ache. Then Ray’s voice exploded beside her ear––low, hoarse, and tightly restrained, each word sounding as though it had been dragged across sandpaper:

"Keep touching me like that..." His breath was scorching against her ear, his tone carrying a dangerous edge. "And I will stop pretending to be nice."

May’s heart seemed to stop.

I’m done. This time, I’m really done.

Her mind went completely blank.

The only thought left was whether she was about to become the first person in the apocalypse to be executed on the spot for continuously molesting the male leads and shoving her hands down their pants!

What was she supposed to do now? Admit she’d been awake and apologize?

I’m sorry, I was so cold and that... was so warm!

Yeah, right.

May steeled herself.

She closed her eyes and decided to take her acting skills to the absolute limit.

Instead of pulling her hand away, she shifted as though she were simply adjusting herself into a more comfortable sleeping position and snuggled even closer to Ray.

At the same time, she mumbled incoherently in her sleep:

"Mmm... a freshly baked baguette... My favorite..."

Ray’s grip on her wrist stiffened. May smacked her lips softly and rubbed her cheek against his solid chest.

Her voice was thick with sleep, carrying a faint note of contentment.

"Such a big, hot baguette... baked so nicely... smells so good... and it’s warm..."

And then the hand that had already caused enough trouble... Not only did it fail to retreat, it actually...

Ray stopped breathing. He felt all the blood in his body rush toward his head.

The last thread of his self-control gave a faint, desperate warning that it was close to snapping.

This little troublemaker... I specifically warned her, and she still hasn’t woken up.

May was screaming internally while maintaining the most peaceful sleeping expression imaginable. She even managed a frown.

"Mmm? Why does it... feel..."

Ray suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. The muscles across his abdomen tightened into stones. His grip around her wrist became firmer.

But when he lowered his eyes, all he saw was the woman’s completely defenseless sleeping face in the darkness.

Her long lashes rested peacefully against her cheeks. Her lips were slightly pursed, still carrying a faint sheen of moisture.

She looked utterly innocent. She really seemed to be dreaming.

A nameless frustration mixed with an even more dangerous kind of tension surged through Ray’s body, but there was nowhere for either feeling to go.

And yet he couldn’t simply push her away.

He felt as though he might explode.

Then the breathing of the others, which had remained quiet until now, began to change.

Theo, lying closest to them, slowly opened his eyes in the darkness. His gaze immediately settled on the intertwined figures on the bed. His fingers curled slightly against his side before relaxing again.

Across the room, Alex rolled over to face the bed, a knowing smile appearing on his lips as though he had just discovered an especially entertaining show.

Time crawled forward. For Ray, every passing second was torture.

He lay rigidly in place, every muscle held at maximum alertness, pouring every ounce of willpower into keeping his instincts under control.

The little woman in his arms, meanwhile, slept peacefully.

She remained nestled against him as though she were afraid someone might steal away her source of warmth.

Her soft, warm breaths brushed steadily against his chest, each one adding another spark to the fire already raging through him.

Ray closed his eyes.

His mind was filled with the memory of that small, soft hand.

That night was destined to be sleepless.

***

The following morning.

The first rays of sunlight slipped through the broken windows.

Alex was the first to "wake up." He stretched lazily, yawned with exaggerated enthusiasm, then slowly sat upright.

His gaze casually drifted toward the bed. The next second, his expression turned icy.

Oh, I’m going to die laughing.

"Pfft."

Yep. He couldn’t hold it in. The suppressed laugh broke the quiet of the morning.

One after another, Mitch, Jack, Ace, and Theo woke up, too.

The moment they saw what was happening on the bed, it felt as though every molecule of air had been sucked out of the room.

Ray was still lying exactly as he had the night before.

His usually stern face looked unusually exhausted, with dark shadows beneath his eyes and a barely concealed irritation written across his features.

Beside him, May was wrapped around him like a little octopus.

But what really captured everyone’s attention was the thin blanket.

More specifically... A very obvious raised shape beneath it.

"Holy crap."

Mitch was the first to break. The words slipped through his clenched teeth.

Jack’s honest face immediately turned crimson.

His gaze bounced repeatedly between the raised blanket and Ray’s expression, which had become darker than a storm cloud.

His mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened again.

He clearly had absolutely no idea what to say.

Ace was still smiling.

Theo, meanwhile, calmly delivered his professional assessment.

"Sleep deprivation, prolonged nervous tension, combined with continuous physical stimulation. The result is fairly predictable."

"Oh my!"

Alex covered his mouth, although his eyes had already curved into delighted crescents.

He leaned closer and deliberately raised his voice.

"Bro, what’s going on? Is there something interesting hiding underneath that blanket? Did you happen to find some treasure last night?"

His grin widened.

"Something... unusually large?"

The vein at Ray’s temple began to throb. His eyes snapped open.

They were bloodshot from a sleepless night, and the dangerous fury burning behind them looked capable of tearing someone apart.

He was just about to explode—

When May, still nestled against him, finally moved too.