Chapter 174: Keep Hands Busy
Raven’s heart began to beat faster as he moved quickly to the door to check for her. But then he heard a soft sound coming from the wardrobe. He turned—and there she was. She stood there, and Raven’s heart calmed a bit. It seemed she was giggling.
"Surprise!" She raised both hands as she jumped up. A smile finally landed on Raven’s lips as earlier worry that had weighed on her was now replaced with relief.
He locked the door gently as his heart settled. She had scared him, and he did not know why, but it was as if his world had momentarily gone to a halt. She was wearing his black shirt—totally different from the night gown she normally wore. Usually, she either wore his shirt because he gave it to her or told her to, but now it seemed she had just chosen it herself.
He walked toward her and pulled her into a hug, his hands wrapping around her waist as she hugged him back, laughing softly. Only if she knew how scared he had been—he would have searched the whole castle just to find her.
She pulled away as his gaze met hers. She smiled, then pouted softly.
"This is the surprise, but you didn’t look surprised earlier," she said, smiling again. If only she knew he had been scared, not just surprised. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. As he guessed, she was very unpredictable—who would have thought the surprise would be her hiding inside the wardrobe, not him, and wearing his clothes?
"I was indeed very surprised," he spoke, and she clapped her hands. She had successfully surprised him.
"Is wearing my shirt also a surprise too?" he asked mischievously, a sinful smirk stretching across his lips. Pandora shook her head and smiled.
"No."
Raven’s eyes widened. That simple word shattered the thoughts running through his head. He really needed to stop thinking dirty, knowing that this beautiful lady of his mind was nothing like him in the slightest.
"I wanted to surprise you. And knowing you already knew my scent, if I had hidden in the wardrobe, you would have caught me before even entering the room fully. So I wore your clothes and stayed by your cloth side to be covered by your scent instead, to make it hard for you. That was why you didn’t even know I was there."
Raven’s eyes widened. He had not expected such a smart thought. The way she had strategically planned this surprised him again. In fact, this was the surprise—the way she thought made so much sense, and she did it effortlessly.
His eyes locked on her bright blue eyes that reminded him of the ocean when the moon hits the water at night—beautiful, soothing, and calming.
"You are such a smart woman, my love." Pandora smiled to herself, proud that she had outsmarted him a little.
The thing about Pandora was that she was smart—she thought carefully, and the way she reasoned wasn’t broad or obvious. She noticed the tiny details that could easily be overlooked, and those small things often turned out to be huge.
Her gaze shifted as she smelled something amazing. Her eyes lit up as she noticed the food, then turned to Raven, as if to confirm her mind was not playing tricks on her.
"I brought you roasted meat and chicken with stew, and they added rice with your favorite apple fruit juice," he spoke, and Pandora’s face lit up even more. She moved and held his both cheeks.
"You are so awesome! You know what? I would be selfish... hmm, very selfish," she spoke. Raven laughed, wondering what she meant. She turned to the food as he asked calmly:
"What do you want to be selfish about?" He asked curiously as she was not the kind to really say such.
"About your mate," she said, turning to him. Raven turned speechless, trying to determine the seriousness in her expression.
"You are mine, and if she wants to come to you, she would have to go through me," she said, smiling before pulling away gently. Raven almost laughed at her words. Why was this lady so cute? She always said things he didn’t expect.
This alone he had not anticipated. In fact, he was happy—so he was hers. Fine. As long as he was hers, he did not mind her being selfish.
And so what if she was his mate? He couldn’t help but hold back from teasing her more—it seemed she was truly determined.
She walked to the bench and sat, tapping beside her to motion for Raven to join. He nodded and walked over, sitting down.
Pandora’s smile widened as she took the fork from the tray. She opened the plate , and the scent of roasted meat filled the air. A wide smile spread across her lips.
To Raven’s surprise, she moved the fork to his lips. He opened his mouth and ate it, a wide smile on his face. She smiled softly, wanting him to take the first bite because he deserved it—and even more. She began eating, then turned to him with a wide smile.
"May I feed you?" she asked, batting her lashes. Raven’s cheeks flushed lightly at her adorableness, and he nodded.
He was momentarily taken aback, and as if she knew, he realized he wouldn’t be able to resist. He had been planning not to eat, wanting her to enjoy it, but it seemed fate had other plans.
"Of course," he said. She smiled and began feeding him. He moved as she poured juice from the jug into her cup. Just as they were about to finish eating, Pandora took a sip, and when she was done, Raven poured some for himself and gulped it down.
Pandora stared at him widely in admiration.
"Wow! You are awesome! Did you know how many gulps you took? Your throat was going up and down so fast!" she giggled, raising her hands to show her surprise at how quickly he drank it, compared to the time it took her to finish.
"That’s not hard," he said proudly. Then, as if realizing something, he added, "Don’t try it. I am used to this. I do a lot of training, and of course, being second in command is a lot of work." He raised his chin, smirking as the admiration in her eyes deepened.
"Really?" she asked. He nodded and stood to take the water jug and cup atop the table, returning to pour it for her.
He had never felt so proud over just drinking a cup of juice, and if she wanted, he would drink as much as she wished, as long as it made her happy.
"There are many things you don’t know about me, my Dora, and I will tell you every single thing. The man of yours has gone through wars and fights, and yet I am still standing tall and strong," he bragged. She clapped for him, and his smile widened.
He poured the water for her, and Ava took it with a smile before drinking. She set it down on the table as Raven decided it was his time to shine. He poured water into his cup, and as he gulped it down, she clapped. He decided to go faster but missed a gulp. He quickly set the cup down.
Pandora looked at him worriedly as he tried to hold back a cough. He cleared his throat calmly, trying to act nonchalant even though his eyes were red from missing her and his head spun slightly, he was still trying to hold back.
"Raven, are you okay?" she asked, moving closer to check on him.
He nodded.
"Of course," he said, clearing his throat again and holding back the cough.
Pandora knew he wasn’t really okay she just decided to let him be if that would help.
"I’ll be back," he said as he moved to the bathroom.
Pandora nodded, though worry still lingered on her face. She cleared the table before he returned. When she was done, she set the items aside. The door opened, and Raven returned, his expression calm as if he hadn’t just cursed himself for his rashness. Everything was going well—until that stupid choke.
Pandora walked to him with a smile.
"Let’s go to the bed. This is the perfect time for you to tell me everything about you," she said. Raven nodded.
"So, what do you want to ask?" he asked, curious.
"I have lots of questions, so let’s go..." Before she could finish, he scooped her up, causing the shirt she wore to ride up. Her black panties were the only thing left on her lower half. Her face burned.
"R... Rav, what are you doing?" she asked. He walked to the bed, lips stretching into a devilish smirk.
"I need to keep my hands busy while I tell you about me," he said. Pandora’s eyes widened as she realized what he meant.