###Chapter 18

Chapter 18

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Anthonia's eyes widened with shock, amusement and embarrassment. Shock because she didn't expect him to do it. Amusement because she oddly liked it and embarrassment because of the kids were there.

He slowly pulled back and landed his gaze on hers and grinned like a child who his mother just gave them candy.

He was grinning at her but his gaze was intense on hers. His raven black eyes illuminated with something, something she couldn't place her hands on.

She took her lower lip in between her teeth again, trying to figure out what was glimmering so brightly in Henry's eyes.

His grip on her waist tighten when his eyes fell from her eyes to her lips seeing it being attackéd by her teeth. He groaned, unable to control himself.

He leaned in again to her ear. " If only you know what the action of you biting your lip does to me, you wouldn't do it anymore. " He whispered and blew air on the crook of her neck.

" What does it do?" She replied.

Pulling back, he stared at her again. " You want to know?" She nodded and he smirked. " Why? Why do you want to know?" He asked, caressing her still wet hair.

" I just want to. " She replied, her eyes closed; her whole body on fire because of Henry's touch on her cheek. It is igniting something ungôdly in her. It was like her whole body woke up from a coma.

Shivers of yielding anticipation ran through her veins and she shudders. Her heartbeat palpitations increased tremendously, her breathing uneven just because of one single touch from Henry.

" Seems like I have effect on you, vixen. " He said, bringing her back to Earth.

She blinked thrice then pushed him away from her body. " I'm not a vixen, you viking caveman. "

He bursted into laughter and the girls joined him. It was then both of them; Anthonia and Henry realize that the girls; Nia and Ria were with them still spraying them with water from the hose.

Anthonia bit her bottom lip in embarrassment. " I'll go change my clothes. " She said and left.

Henry smiled at her embarrassment, watching her run into the house.

" Daddy, do you like Anthonia?" Nia asked, dropping the hose.

" Yes, I do. She's my friend. " He replied.

Nia hissed irritatingly annoyed by her father's lack of understanding of what she meant. " No, daddy. I meant, do you like her more than a friend?"

He averted his gaze from Anthonia's direction to Nia who just asked him a question he wasn't sure of yet. He was also dumbfounded on how a five-year-old girl can ask such a question. He was mostly confused about his feelings for Anthonia which he wasn't sure what it is.

I mean, how can he be sure? His wife just passed like two weeks ago and now his heart is giving him this weird emotions he felt for Betty in hundred folds.

Ria cast him an equally curious look like her sister. " Yes, daddy. Do you like her?"

" Umm, girls. . . Umm, I. . . You. . . " He said incongruously. He exhaled, ruffling his wet hair. " Anthonia, your nanny just came here less than two weeks ago, it's impossible for me to like her more than a friend, my beautiful girls. "

Nia and Ria rolled their eyes simultaneously, causing Henry's eyes to widen in utter awe.

" Did you two just rolled your eyes at me?" He asked an obvious question which he immediately realized because of the blank look he got from his daughters. " Who thought you that?"

" No one in particular, we saw Anthonia roll her eyes at something. " Nia answered, tucking the loose strands of her black hair behind her ears.

" Something or someone?" Henry questioned, suspiciously.

The girls smiled and went inside, leaving Henry behind.

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Anthonia paced back and forth in the bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror and repeating the action like five times.

Her heartbeat refused to regulate, it is thumping heavily loud, she could hear it. She tried to do breathing exercises but it wouldn't budge.

She finally stop pacing and stopped in front of the mirror for the umpteenth times but didn't start pacing again.

Turning on the faucet, she collected a quantity of water and splashed it on her face.

She already changed her wet clothes to a dry clothes. Her hair is still a little damp.

She leans gently on the sink and doing the breathing exercises again. Her heartbeat eventually normalize.

Raking her hand in her wet damped hair, she bit on her lower lip again. " What's wrong with me? Why do my body react to his touch? Why do I feel oddly comfortable in his arms? Why do I like being dragged into his pitch black eyes? Why? Why do my heartbeat multiply whenever he is close by?" She scattered her hair, frustratingly with both of her hands.

After a nanosecond, she gently brushed her hair with her fingers, tucking behind her ears. She mistakenly made contact with her earlobe. The earlobe that Henry bit and she could still feel his teeth graze on it. She recollected the event that happened moments ago and cringe.

She rubbed her hand on her neck with vexatiously. The neck Henry blew air on. She scoffed, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

Taking in her lower lip in between her teeth, she bit on it a little bit too hard that it might bleed. When she tasted a metal-ish substance in her mouth, she knew it was her blood. She brought out her lip that has added a tint of blood making it a combination of pink and red; you can call it pinkish red or reddish pink. She trailed her finger on it, examining it for the spot that blood might be coming back but found nothing. The event of what happened earlier flashed through her brain and she groaned loudly. " So, I can't touch my body without remembering him. Gosh, this is frustrating. " She snapped at the mirror, waving her hands up in the air exasperatedly.

She put her hands on her waist, angrily and groaned again. Henry also held this waist and she liked it. It felt weird but oddly comfortable like his hands were made to be there forever.

" I can't take this, I need to put this feelings down. " She muttered and exited the bathroom to the bedroom.

She quickly blow dried her hair and packed it up in a messy bun before sitting on the bed, her legs folded beneath her.

A book and a pen in front of her. The book has been with her since she was exactly five. It was her birthday gift from her dad; Mr Cooper.

Anthonia discovered her love for singing since she was a three and the half years old. She had such a delicate angelic voice that sounds like a mermaid is singing a lullaby to you from such a young age. She managed her voice perfectly and knows how to change her tune meaning she has so many voices. She didn't want the singing only so she learnt guitar and piano unwillingly.

She flipped open the pages that had several songs written in them and stopped at the next blank space. She likes to write her songs while the emotions are still raw.

Deep breaths.

Deep breaths.

Deep breaths.

Picking up the pen, she placed the tip on the book, closing her eyes, the first line of the song came to her head.

🎶🎵 Which way should I go?. . .

If only I knew what my heart was telling me. . .

Don't know what I'm feeling. . .

Is this just a dream?. . .🎶🎵

She sang along as she penned down the lyrics coming to get at free flow until she heard footsteps coming closer.

She quickly hid the book behind her back as Henry entered with his hands tucked in his pocket.

He changed his wet clothes to a blue faded jeans with a bice blue t-shirt that hugged his abs, his six-pack that Nathasha always forced her to see and his biceps.

He looked like a model; a devilísh, hot, handsome and sexy model with his alluring jet-black eyes that was currently looking at her like she had changed to the most beautiful girl in the world in an appealing sexy dress but she was just dressed in a jean shorts and a singlet with her hair packed in a messy bun.

He tilted his head to the side, watching her like she was a lab rat under a microscope.

" You know I know you're hiding something right? I can literally see it sticking behind your back. Let's me see. " He said and she hid it farther behind her back.

He advanced to her and she stood on her feet with the book at her back. He ran to catch her while she ran the other way , thy played round-the-bed for like ten times, laughing until Anthonia climbed the bed and Henry followed suit.

They both stood on the bed with Anthonia jumping with the book above her head while Henry just stood on the bed, perfecting the perfect way to take the book from her.

He smirked at the thought that popped into his head. He attached his fingers to both side of her ticklish side above her waist, tickling her.

She bursted into hysterical laughter, unable to keep her stamina strong on the extremely comfy and fluffy large bed, she fell.

She didn't fall alone. No, no, she wrapped her hands around Henry's neck so he fell with her. He fell on her.

Her laughter seized, the book long forgotten as they have a stare down. They locked their eyes together like they were in a sort of competition.

Their face were merely two inches away from each other. She took her lip into her mouth, biting it unknowingly.

He growled, his eyes dancing between her beautiful eyes and her kissable pinkish red or reddish pink plumb lip that was calling him so badly.

She shifted herself unintentionally brushing herself against him. He let out a scowl of pleasure, closing his eyes.

He tried, he really tried to control himself but he couldn't. He couldn't not after Anthonia just brushed her you-know-what against his you-know-what through their clothes.

" Anthonia. " He called; his voice low, raspy and soft and mostly seductíve.

" Hmm?" She replied; her voice resembling his. Low, soft and seductively sweet.

" You do things to me and I don't understand them. "

" What do I do?"

He flashed her a quick smile before his gaze fell completely on her lips.

He slowly, oh, so slowly leaned in and her eyes fluttered shut, expecting his lips on hers any second from now but her phone rang.

He groaned, standing up from her and walking out of the room. Anthonia looked at her phone furiously.

A: What?

She snapped without looking at the caller id.

M: Chill babe, it's me. Nathasha.

She rolled her eyes but calmed down.

A: Hey, what's up?

M: I think I like Travis, my boss.

A: Wait, so you called me because of that? I was in the middle of something but you ruíned it, Mel. I'm happy for you but at least choose a right timing.