I Played Dumb, He Played Lover

I stood rooted to the spot.

Under these circumstances, should I be deaf or not?

Keane Shaw turned to me, not at all caring that I'd discovered him in his act. Smirking, he wondered aloud, "Is there something wrong? Have you regained your hearing?"

He was talking! Out loud! He was trying to trick me!

I had to fight against my instinctive reaction to nod in response to him. Pretending like I hadn't heard anything, I signed at him defiantly, "You perv! Who does that kind of thing in broad daylight!"

Keane pulled up his pants and adjusted his clothes before signing back at me, "You're the one who didn't knock first."

After I'd lost my hearing, Keane swiftly picked up sign language. I knew he must've done it so that he could continue mocking me.

However, the words that came out of his mouth were completely different from what he'd just signed.

"With you standing in front of me… I get more into it," he said.

What a lunatic he was!

I was screaming on the inside. There was no way I could admit that I'd heard him.

Keane must've lost his mind!

I just barely managed to keep a straight face as I feigned puzzlement and signed to ask, "What did you just say?"

This time, he didn't even bother using sign language. He leaned in close and caressed my ear, speaking in a soft voice yet saying the most outrageous things.

"If only I could have your hands wrapped around me instead. Look at those soft hands of yours. I bet they'll look so pretty, all red and raw. They must feel so good, too."

I couldn't stop screaming on the inside. How did I end up meeting a pervert like him? He'd better only be thinking about my hands—and nothing else!

No. I had to run. I had to get away from him.

Doing my best to look furious, I shoved Keane away and signed, "What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly touching my ear? If you're not going to tell me what you said earlier, I-I'll just leave."

Smirking in amusement, he signed at me, "I'll walk you to the door."

But his mouth was saying, "You're so good at sign language. I bet you can slide your hands very quickly, too."

My fingers faltered. It suddenly felt like I did have them wrapped around something.

Why was I plagued with an arch-rival who was trying to set me up!

I quickly lowered my hands and turned to flee.

Behind me, Keane remarked, "So, he really couldn't hear me."

I tripped over my foot. That punk was trying to test me!

After grabbing me to keep me steady, Keane continued to hold my hand as he led me out.

For some reason, I felt a tender feeling when I saw his tall and broad figure walking ahead of me.

If only he hadn't seized this chance, thinking that I couldn't hear him, to squeeze my hand and say, "You've got such tiny hands. Will you even be able to wrap your hand around it properly?"

He started squeezing my hand even harder, his voice turning husky as he added, "How I long to have my way with you… Your hands… Your feet… I'd claim every inch of you, filling you up again and again."

My body shivered. I was panicking hard. There was no way I could stay in the presence of this pervert even for a second longer.

I immediately yanked my aching hand away from him and started massaging my ears in feigned discomfort before signing at him, "My ears hurt a little. I'm going to lie down and get some rest."

Keane's smile widened. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into his arms. His breath was a little heavy as he slowly signed to me, "I learned an ear massage technique from an expert. Let me give you a massage."

No way. I knew there was no way I'd be making it out of that massage session unscathed. I might not even be able to walk straight after that.

In my agitation, I blurted out, "No! Don't!"