Chapter 8 - Awkward

Jade held her foot and gave it a massage before she got up from the bed. 

She bit her lower lip because of the pain, and walked towards the door dragging her left foot. 

"Where are you going?" Tyler asked indifferently.

"My luggage is in your car and I have to get an ice pack for my sprained ankle," Jade meekly said, Tyler pursed his lips. 

'This woman doesn't want to ask for help. Stubborn!'

Tyler pressed a button on the intercom. "Bring my wife's luggage up here and bring an ice pack as well." 

Goosebumps covered Jade's entire body upon hearing the word 'wife'. She froze and her feet were stuck on the floor.  

"Are you going to stand there forever?" Tyler said when she wasn't moving from where she stood. "You better rest your feet so you won't walk limping when we go back to the old mansion." 

Jade began to walk towards the couch and suddenly she was lifted from the floor. 

The suddenness of being lifted from the floor caused her to hug his neck in panic. 

Tyler froze as her soft body was pressed against his hard chest. And her vanilla-like scent filled his nose. 

Suddenly, the woman in his arms lifted her head while he looked down on her and their lips brushed. Eyes agape in shock, she looked away while a vague emotion flickered in Tyler's cold eyes as his eyes set on her blushing face. 

Too embarrassed to look at him, Jade had her head hung low while Tyler deposited her on the couch. The loud thundering of her heart made her hear the sound, literally. 

She didn't expect this thing to happen as Max said that they will be married on paper only and there will be no intimacy between them. 

How could she be so naive to believe whatever he told her? 

Soft knocks sounded on the door took Jade's mind off the uneasiness she felt. 

Without a word, Tyler strode to the door and opened it. 

Two maids came into the room, one was carrying her luggage while the other was carrying the ice pack. 

Tyler took the ice pack from the maid and instructed the other. "Bring the luggage into the walk - in closet and put my wife's things in the vacant space next to mine." 

"Wait!" Jade said, stopping the maid. Tyler turned to look at Jade. 

Jade smiled stiffly and said, "I have to get something from my luggage." 

Tyler took her luggage from the maid and approached her carrying her luggage. 

Tyler thought about her sprained ankle and placed the luggage on top of the coffee table so she could easily open her suitcase and would have to bend down.

Remembering that she put her lingeries on top of her clothes, Jade's hands began to sweat and her blushing face a while ago turned ashen. She couldn't open her suitcase in front of Tyler. 

"What are you waiting for, dear wife?" Tyler said tenderly but his eyes were icy cold as his back was to the maids who were still waiting. 

"Er…" her throat was bone dry. How could she tell him not to look without giving a hint to the maids about their true relationship. 

"Wife, hurry up, they are waiting to take the luggage," Tyler said, keeping his voice as tender as he could as he was beginning to get impatient. 

Jade bit her lips and her hands were now shaking. 

Tyler got really impatient and sat beside her. He put down the ice pack. Swiftly he took the suitcase. 

Caught off guard, she wasn't able to stop him from opening her suitcase. 

Tyler swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down when bras and panties greeted him as he opened the suitcase. 

The maids giggled as they saw what was on top of the suitcase. 

Jade wished the ground would open up and swallow her up. This is really humiliating. 

After recovering from her shock, Jade pulled the suitcase and took the medicine pouch, then she immediately closed the suitcase. 

"You can now take my wife's luggage," Tyler said after a moment of silence. 

The maid took the suitcase and walked into the walk-in closet together with the other maid. 

Tyler looked at the woman beside him. She was looking everywhere but him. Gasp, left her mouth when the man seated beside her cupped the back of her knees.

 In a daze, she stared at the man who held her legs and placed them on his lap. 

In a swift yet gentle manner, Tyler removed her shoes and put the ice pack on her sprained ankle. The coldness of the ice pack snapped Jade out of her daze. 

"I - I can do it," Jade couldn't hide her twitchiness that her legs were on his lap. 

Jade pulled her feet from his lap however, Tyler pressed them down. "Stay still if you don't want to screw up our mission." 

Finding no words to refute him, Jade pursed her lips and said no more. After applying cold compress on her sprain. Jade took out an ointment from her medicine pouch. Just as she was pulling her legs away from him, Tyler pressed them down again. 

"They're still here," Tyler took the ointment from her hand and their hands brushed each other.