Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 176

176: HOPE

Hope’s POV

I came out of the bathroom, excited to go into the water. I slung the towel over my shoulder before calling for Levi’s

attention.

“Let’s go! I can’t wait to swim.”

Levi turned around, and a curse immediately left his lips. I raised a brow, placing one hand against my hip as he stared at/

“What?”

He gulped, his gaze not leaving my body. It started from my face, traveled slowly down to my feet, and then finally returned to meet my gaze again.

His gaze was so intense that I had to look away.

“Have I been shot dead?”

I frowned and went to him, nudging his chest. “Don’t joke about that, Levi! What are you even talking about?”

“There’s no other explanation for what I’m seeing-other than being in the presence of an angel.”

It took me a second before I realized what he was insinuating. I pursed my lips and nudged his chest again.

“You’re overreacting! You’ve seen me naked before. This should be nothing!”

“I know,” he said under his breath, taking a sharp breath. “But you always manage to take my breath away.”

I stepped back because he was honestly being way too much and went to the dresser so I could grab my sunscreen.

“Did you apply this already?” I asked, turning back to him.

“Hmm,” he hummed.

“Wait for me, then. I’ll just put some on.”

I squirted some of the white cream onto my palms and started with my legs, then my arms. The last part would be my back.

“Do you need help?” he asked.

“Please. I can’t reach it. I don’t want any splotchy sunburns.”

I stayed where I was, my back to him. I waited for him to lather the sunscreen onto my back, but he was taking an awfully long time. When he finally placed his hand on my skin, a soft moan escaped my lips because of how cold his hands were.

He momentarily stopped.

“Come on, Levi. Faster, please. I really want to swim right now.”

I heard him clear his throat before lathering the sunscreen onto my back. His hands moved carefully across my skin, making sure he didn’t miss a spot. Once everything was done, I turned around to thank him, but I was met with a stunned face and red ears.

When I looked down, I saw a noticeable dent on his swimming shorts.

Hands Oft The Ice King

“Seriously, Levi?” I muttered with a giggle.

“Keep that down for now. Let’s go and swim first!”

廣

With that, I held onto his wrist and began dragging him toward the water. There still weren’t any people around, so I didn’t need to feel wary. I guess him reserving this beach was still a good idea.

Again, he was being awfully slow, so I turned back to him. He had the same look he’d had back at breakfast

“Are you alright?” I asked again. “You’ve been like this since earlier.”

I was getting more worried for him by the minute. There was something about the way he had been acting that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He looked happy, but there was also this strange tension in him, like he was carrying a thought he didn’t know how to share with me.

He suddenly smiled and shook his head. This time, he was the one guiding me toward the water.

“I’m okay. Just a little bit jet-lagged.”

“Oh.” I muttered. I guess that could be the reason. “Let’s sleep again after swimming, hmm?”

“Okay,” he softly said.

With that, we began playing in the water. My worries slowly dissipated as we traversed through the blue waters.

It was so clear that I could see my feet in it. It was also warm, and the scent and humidity of the saltwater made it feel like we were really on vacation. There was something so peaceful about it that I couldn’t help but smile, especially with Levi beside

We splashed the water around like we were little kids, and time just went by as he chased me through it. I laughed every time he nearly caught me, only to let me slip away at the last second.

Before we knew it, the once-intense sun had become more serene on the skin. The once-blinding lights turned into soft yellows, pinks, and blues.

I gasped when I finally realized it.

“What the? Is it already the afternoon? We’ve been here for hours?”

I felt his arms wrap around me from behind. He placed a kiss on the top of my head before swaying the two of us while looking at the view ahead.

“Time just passes when I’m with you.”

My heart fluttered at his words, and despite hearing how much he liked and appreciated me throughout the time we had been together, I had a feeling that I was going to continue feeling these fluttery feelings even far into our relationship.

There was just something about Levi that made every little moment feel more special than it should have. Even standing in the water with nothing happening at all felt like something I wanted to remember forever.

We still stood in the water, a distant sound of music coming from the party place adjacent to the beach.

I let out a deep breath and just enjoyed everything. The warmth of the water. The fading sunlight. Levi’s arms around me. The happiness settling inside my chest.

However, I suddenly noticed something floating in the clear water-a blue velvet box of some sort.

“Levi, what’s that?” I asked, pointing to it. “Some kind of stone? But it wouldn’t make sense for a stone to be covered in velvet.”

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13

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Hands Off The Ice King

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