Chapter 371 371 Candor
She tiptoed, aiming not to disturb the tranquil atmosphere of the room.
Fortunately for her, someone had already noticed her movements before she could tiptoe away from the bed.
With swift movements, Zach caught a hold of her from behind and pulled her towards him with a jerk.
"Where are you going?"
Diana heard the teasing tone in his voice and couldn't help but be startled.
"What are you doing?" although she didn't at all want to stop whatever it was that he was trying to do, she still sounded like she found his advances annoying.
Obviously, she wasn't actually annoyed. She was only feeling wronged that Zach had taken this long to notice her attempt.
In that moment, the air seemed to crackle with electricity, a palpable tension enveloping the room. Diana's heart raced, caught off guard by Zach's sudden action. His arm wrapped securely around her waist, pulling her close, creating a magnetic proximity that sent shivers down her spine.
She could feel the warmth of his body against her back, the strength in his grip, the subtle rise and fall of his chest. It was as if their hearts beat in harmony, a synchronization that neither could deny.
Yet, despite the closeness, Diana was torn between her emotions. Confusion and uncertainty battled with the desire that pulsed through her veins. Was this the right moment, the right time to let her guard down and embrace what she truly felt?
Zach's closeness was both a comfort and a torment. She yearned to turn around, to see his expression, to understand the intentions behind this sudden move. Yet, she also hesitated, fearing the potential implications, the storm of emotions that might follow.
In that suspended moment, time seemed to freeze, the world narrowing down to the two of them.
Diana grappled with her thoughts, wondering whether to break free or surrender to the enigmatic pull that held her captive in Zach's arms.
Because her body felt like it was on fire. It was burning up like dry kindling.
As their bodies began to harmonize with each other, their body temperatures began to advance in tandem with each other. It was as if the fire of desire was consuming both of them at the same time with the same intensity.
Diana was surprised that Zach had finally decided to make his advances on her, but it was a bit disappointing for her at the same time.
Because even though she had tried so hard to earn his affection, all it had taken for him was to see her naked for the first time. She tried to act pure at first because she had heard that men liked dainty girls who needed their protection. But that didn't seem to work for Zach.
She then became his student and learnt his strategies and made them her life's goal. She eventually became the commander of his special forces team so she could spend more time with him and learn from him all she wanted. Unfortunately, Zach soon gave her all the control and took a hands-off approach regarding the team he had built from scratch.
In the end she had to resort to seduction in order to attract Zach's attention like a primitive animal. But Zach didn't even register her effort like an incapable man. She would have doubted his manly power had she not known about his carnal relationship with Zach and Luna. To her, Zach had seemed to be completely oblivious to her intentions.
Although, she didn't know if she had been bold enough by modern standards, it was already much more than most women were capable of being without feeling any shame in their hearts. But even then, Zach had ignored her, purposefully or not, she still couldn't be sure considering how she had woken up naked in Zach's bed.
Had she known it earlier, she would have just snuck into his bed at night. It wouldn't have been so hurtful for her that way. She wouldn't have had to listen to Clara's provocations and would probably have earned her place beside him before Christina.
Instead of feeling wronged now, she would have been the one mocking the latecomers for losing out to her.
Zach couldn't have known that his actions had somewhat disappointed Diana as she had failed to receive her perfect proposal. Instead, she felt like she had handed herself to Zach on a silver platter.
"Why do you want to leave so soon? You weren't so eager to leave last night, were you?"
Diana was dumbfounded that Zach was trying to use her meager attempt at seduction against her at this time.
"So, he did notice it but didn't show it outwardly." thought Diana as she cursed Zach inwardly for playing with her emotions.
She blushed for the sudden skin contact of their bodies and the heat coursing through her body made her feel sheepish.
Zach's words had made her remember the shameful act she had put on the night before and it further amplified the blush spreading across her milky white skin, tarnishing its purity like a virgin finally graduating from a life of loneliness.
Full of shame, Diana tried to pull herself free from Zach's grasp, but it was hard for her to tear open his claws that were encircling her entire being. She resisted for a while but felt that her resistance was only giving wind to the fire burning in his loins. Therefore, she calmed down and pulled the bed cover over her head to hide herself from sight. It was as if she didn't want Zach to see her in such a state.
Like any other woman, her feelings were extremely complicated for any man to understand. Any objective person would have easily deduced how irrational an act this was, especially when Diana had been willing to go all the way just the previous night. She had been trying to seduce Zach but when Zach was about to go through with her desires, she was trying to hide underneath the covers.
Of course, she didn't want to hide away from him. It was just that she was afraid to look him in the eye because she was unsure of what she might find there. Moreover, she wouldn't know what to say to him after the stunt she pulled.
Zach on the other hand was oblivious to her mental battle and was afraid that Diana didn't want to be intimate with him. Maybe it was just the wrong time to engage in such activities.
Still, he wanted to explain himself to her. He knew how she had been interested in him for a long time. His thoughts were confirmed when she had leapt into his arms instead of Bruce's when she was rescued from the Hunter family in the wilderness.
Although it had been a sensitive time, she could have only found solace in the arms of the person she trusted the most and had missed the most during the duration of time she had spent apart from her family.
Even after being sure of her feelings for him, Zach had acted as if he didn't know anything. His actions had hurt her feelings greatly but, in his defense, he needed to be sure that her feelings were unchanging and irreversible so as to not look like an absolute jerk.
Otherwise, he risked hurting not only her future but also risked losing her brother's trust in him if he made false promises to her or treated her feelings for him half-heartedly.
As for how he had hurt her by taking so long to respond to her sincere feelings, Zach couldn't apologize enough. He blamed himself in his heart and wanted to convey how sorry he felt towards her.
"I am sorry that I have been keeping my distance from you despite knowing how you felt about me. At that time, I thought that it was just a growth phase that you were going through and that you would forget all about me very soon, but the truth is that I did not have the guts to openly acknowledge your feelings. I was so busy with everything after we left Elizabeth city. At first, I had to be the leader of the family when I had no experience doing such a thing in the past. Then I had to fight against the Hunter family when they kidnapped you. I had no other choice but to madly find out any means of rescuing you. And when I successfully rescued you, it turned out that my success led to Christina being held hostage by the royal family. Since the moment I left Elizabeth family, I have been running continuously. I haven't even had the chance to catch my breath yet."
Diana's body in his embrace trembled as soon as Zach mentioned how apologetic he felt for not being able to return her feelings in the past.
"You had time to return Christina's feelings but no time for me huh? You even use her as an excuse to deny me." thought Diana in her heart but she didn't dare to say those words out loud for fear that Zach might truly not care about her anymore after he heard how jealous she was.
"I know that it is extremely selfish of me, but I cannot help it. I cannot sit still knowing that Christina is being held hostage against her will by the royal family. I needed to find a way for her to regain her freedom as soon as possible before even daring to think of my own happiness."
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