Chapter 852: In the Ward

Susan entered the bathroom and immediately saw a naked man before the mirror—Manuel. She quickly turned away, her mind flooded with images of his body: firm muscles, a strong waist, and a captivating physique. She even felt a desire to touch him. Overwhelmed with embarrassment and a racing heart, she felt increasingly nervous as he approached. Finally, she blurted, "I just want to bathe. I wasn't peeking!" The lie felt flimsy, and she couldn't explain herself further.

"Are you sure?" Manuel's deep voice came from behind.

"Oh, I got so dirty in the car crash. I need a shower."

"Carry on."

"You go out," Susan said, eyes squeezed shut.

"How can I when you're blocking the way?" he replied.

Susan moved, keeping her eyes closed to control her reactions. Then, she felt his chest and opened her eyes, finding her hands on his pectoral muscles. She hastily pulled away, stammering, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I wasn't trying to take advantage of you."

Manuel looked down. Susan couldn't help but glance lower; he'd wrapped a towel around his waist, preventing what she imagined would be a far more embarrassing situation.

"When did you get so timid?" he asked.

Susan stared, speechless. His wet hair made him look incredibly attractive.

"You let me down," he said, then left.

Susan stared at the doorway, lost in thought. Did he criticize me? Did he want something from me? she wondered. Shaking her head, she turned on the shower, hoping to clear her head. The icy blast startled her. "Shit! It's freezing! Why is it cold?" She adjusted the temperature, then mused, "Why did Manuel take a cold shower?" Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "I've thrown caution to the wind for you, Hannah."

After a hot bath, she donned a hospital gown and emerged. Manuel, also in a gown, sat on the sofa checking his phone, appearing calmer. Susan slowly walked to the bed and lay down, steadily watching him.

"Why don't you go to bed?" he asked, eyes still on his phone.

"You said we'd sleep together," she said carefully.

His brow furrowed. "I'm not sleepy."

"Me neither," she replied quickly. "Just keep playing on your phone; don't mind me."

He suddenly put down his phone, stood, and walked to her. Susan's heart pounded; she imagined him embracing and kissing her, and realized she wouldn't refuse.

He walked to the bed and dimmed the lights. She thought he should turn them off completely. He climbed into bed. Nervous, she scooted over to make room, but nearly fell off. She grabbed onto him to steady herself. He flinched, swallowing hard.

Suddenly, she felt her hand firmly gripping his crotch. Startled, she let go, tumbling to the floor with a thud.

"Ouch!"

He’d had a physical reaction. He thought she was deliberately tormenting him. He took a deep breath and lifted her back onto the bed. "The bed's big enough; you don't need to move."

"Okay."

"Sleep," he commanded.

"Okay."

He lay on his side, his back to her. Susan watched his broad back, thinking she could spend the whole night doing so. She shifted slightly, causing him to grind his teeth in anger.

"Susan, stop moving!"

She bit her lip, wondering why he was always so overbearing. She turned onto her side, away from him, unaware of the effort it took him to control himself.

After a long time, they finally fell asleep.