Arabella Vanderbilt pursed her lips and smiled, provocatively saying:
"Sure, then you better skin Aaron Perkins alive and see how many bear hearts and leopard guts he actually has."
As soon as Aaron was mentioned, Joel Russo's face darkened instantly.
His low, deep voice carried a frost, freezing the surrounding air into ice shards.
"Sooner or later, I'll skin him."
"Enough! It's probably just some bored shenanigans! As a terminal germaphobe, it'd be a miracle if he ever has a woman in his life."
Joel's eyes, however, did not lighten but instead sunk deeper.
At this moment, Arabella's eyes flickered; she pushed away from his shoulders, tip-toed, and stood up from Joel's embrace.
"It's late, I'm going to wash up and then go to sleep, so tired today..."
The soft, fragrant warmth in his arms disappeared, and Joel, quick as lightning, wrapped his arm around Arabella's waist and pulled her back, flipping her over and pressing her down onto the soft mattress.
"Ah—"
