CHAPTER 5 Igniting Fire

Evelyn

Currently, I found myself seated in my dad and Clara's room, surrounded by a mountain of clothes on his bed. They were gifts he had purchased for his friends and relatives attending the event, and now, after sorting and packing everyone's presents, there were two identical shirts in different sizes remaining, intended for my dad's best friend.

The very same person whose words from the previous day continued to echo in my mind.

"Why is there an extra shirt?" I inquired, placing the magazine I had been flipping through onto the nearby table.

"Oh, I bought two different sizes for Jacob since I wasn't sure how muscular he might have become," Dad chuckled, drawing closer and settling himself on the bed. "He certainly has built himself like a giant."

I couldn't help but disagree with the notion that Jacob's physique resembled that of a giant. In reality, his physicality was far more subtle and captivating. There was a remarkable balance to his muscular frame.

Even though his muscles remained concealed beneath his clothing, it wasn't hard to discern the perfect male form beneath.

"Both sizes don't seem to have much difference. I suppose either one of these will fit him," Clara commented, examining the shirts.

"I need him to try these shirts and see if they fit," Dad groaned, stretching his arms in an attempt to alleviate the strain from walking to multiple stores. "My spine is killing me."

"Hey, Evelyn, why don't you go and ask Jacob to try them on? You haven't lifted a finger all day," Dad suggested, his gaze turning to me. I furrowed my brow at the end of his sentence.

He always had this perception of me being lazy, and while I wasn't sure if it was entirely true, I wasn't about to decline this task now. No way in hell!

"Perhaps you could have asked me properly instead of calling me lazy, don't you think, Dad?"

"But you are lazy, it's a well-known fact," Dad chuckled, causing a scowl to settle on my face.

"Well, I didn't realise you had a personal vendetta against me enjoying a little relaxation," I grumbled, my annoyance growing as his amusement persisted.

"Leave her be, Samuel," Clara interjected, attempting to control her own laughter. "If she decides to ignore you in revenge for a day, you'll be the one wandering around like a lost soul."

Dad's expression shifted at the reminder, and I noticed him clearing his throat as if the thought itself troubled him.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this again after so long, and Dad is just making sure I have another go at it," I remarked, crossing my arms over my chest. The tug appeared on my lip on its own knowing that this plan of mine was going to work.

For a moment, Dad fell silent, seemingly contemplating whether he should continue to push my buttons or relent.

Apparently, he made up his mind quicker than I expected.

"Fine, I apologise," Dad sighed, conceding defeat. "Now, please...would you go and give these shirts to Jacob?"

I wanted to refuse, to say no, but...

How could I say no to the beautiful view of Jacob's face?

Perhaps others could, but Evelyn Fernandez certainly couldn't, not even in her wildest dreams.

"Fine, hand them over," I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance on my face. The underlying excitement remained hidden.

I took the bag from Dad's hand and made my way out of the room, passing through the long corridor until I reached Jacob Adriano's designated room.

The thought of going to his room triggered so many dirty imaginations to stir awake. Well, the ideas they were conjuring up weren't half bad, they were kinda...

Evelyn get your virgin ass together!

I shunned my thoughts away and yanked myself out of the daydreams before I finally knocked on the door, but there was no response.

I knocked again, growing slightly impatient, but still, there was no answer from the other side. The door wasn't locked either.

What was he doing?

The door was not locked either.

Impatience mingled with scepticism, and I found myself contemplating whether I should take a peek inside the room or not. It wasn't as if my intentions were entirely impure. Or maybe they could be...Damn it, I didn't know!

"Jacob?" I called out, knocking on his door once more, but still, there was no response from him.

Was he not in the room?

As low as my patience level was, my curiosity was the complete opposite. And in a moment of impulse, I decided to do the most logical thing that came to mind��yes, anyone could have guessed it. I cautiously cracked the door open and peered inside the room.

Well, this was odd��there was no sign of anyone in the room.

Should I go inside?

That'd be totally wrong, but hey, it's my dad's mansion anyway. I couldn't care less about what's appropriate or not. Besides, I had a plethora of excuses ready if anyone, especially Jacob, caught me in his room right now.

Without giving it a second thought, I pushed the door open wider and cautiously stepped inside, my eyes scanning the room for any signs of him.

To my surprise, there was no sign of Jacob, but there on the bed lay a pair of trousers and a plain black T-shirt.

'Was he in the...'

Before I could even complete my thoughts, the bathroom door creaked open, shattering the silence, and Jacob's voice pierced through the air.

"Evelyn?"

I gasped, caught off guard, and spun around to face him, but damn...

The sight that met my eyes made me wish I hadn't.

Water droplets cascaded down his sculpted body, highlighting his rock-hard abs. Damp strands of hair fell gracefully across his face, adding an air of mystery. And the most intriguing part of this whole image of Jacob standing before me was that he stood exactly like my dreams, with just a towel hanging dangerously low on his waist. Fuck!

And that tattoo... God! I didn't know if I was going to faint or lose myself at that very moment.

Never in my entire existence had I imagined that the face of a freshly showered Jacob could be this delicious.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, a sheer confusion etching his face, though I couldn't help but detect a subtle hint of something more as his tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip.

My thoughts spiralled into chaos, and naturally, my brain decided to take a vacation right at the most crucial moment.

"Uh, I-I..." It was nearly impossible to focus on anything else with him standing there, half-naked, in all his glory.

"I came to give you these shirts." I finally blurted out.

"Shirts?" His eyes drifted to the bags in my hand, and recognition sparked within his gaze.

"Actually, my dad bought matching shirts for all his friends and family for tomorrow's party," I explained. "He wasn't sure about your size, so he got two different ones."

He chuckled. "Your dad and his quirky habits. Even on my birthdays, he always brought two sizes, just in case one didn't fit."

"I know," I replied, a small laugh escaping my lips this time. "He never quite managed to choose the right gifts for you. It was always me who had to struggle to help him pick something suitable."

"So, all those gifts...you were the one behind them?" he asked.

"Yeah, otherwise your best friend would have never been able to give you a fitting present on your birthdays. I always wondered if you actually liked any of those gifts I chose for you, and if so, which one was your favourite..." I chuckled. But as our eyes locked and silence filled the room, tension began to build, and I found myself blurting out, unable to resist the moment.

"Um...would you mind checking if any of these shirts fit you?"

Something in his gaze once again stirred feelings I knew I shouldn't entertain.

"Sure," he replied, grabbing a spare towel from the top of the wardrobe and wiping away the water trailing down his physique.

His eyes remained fixed on me, as if transfixed.

"Here, hand them over," he said, taking the bags from my hand and placing them on the bed before he pulled out one of the shirts.

Well... I certainly hadn't expected him to try them on right in front of me.

But could I complain? Not at all.

He attempted to slide his hands into the sleeves, but the fabric constricted around his biceps. Despite all the exaggerations, my dad made about his size, his muscles were never truly gigantic. On a scale of one to ten, anyone could easily give him an eleven in terms of perfection.

He was flawless, and so was his body, but this shirt size? Hell no!

I felt the urge to go back and ask my dad if he had been drunk when he picked out this size for a fully grown man.

"Samuel will never change," His manly chuckle caused goosebumps to cover my skin.

"This won't fit, but maybe the other one will," he murmured, struggling to extract his hands from the sleeves. The slight dampness on his skin made it even more challenging for the fabric to separate.

"Damn!" he muttered under his breath, attempting to remove the shirt.

"Let me help you," I blurted out before I even realised it. I moved closer and took hold of the shirt's placket, pulling gently on the edges. But as I did so, I couldn't help but realise what a foolish decision it was.

I had unintentionally moved too close... so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath and the heat radiating from his skin.

I tried to maintain a composed facade as I began removing the shirt from his body, but my fingers inadvertently grazed his skin, causing my breath to hitch.

Calm down, Evelyn!

I worked quickly, delicately peeling the fabric away, avoiding any further contact with his skin.

"Here, try this one," I said, picking up the other shirt and handing it to him. I purposely avoided meeting his gaze to preserve what was left of my dignity.

"Okay," he replied, taking the shirt from me. As he put it on, even without buttoning it up, it was impossible not to notice how perfectly it fit him.

"So, this is the one," I stated, mustering the courage to finally look at him. "You can wear it to tomorrow's party."

"I guess, yeah."

"I should get going. See you later, Jacob," I said, a sigh of relief almost escaping my lips as I made my way towards the exit. However, his voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Evelyn..."

My feet froze, and I held my breath for a moment. I turned around to find him walking closer to me.

"The custom watch with my initials," he leaned in, his voice a soft whisper in my ear. His cheek brushed against mine, sending a jolt through me. "That one was perfect."

It took me a few seconds to register that he was referring to the gifts.

As he pulled away slightly to meet my gaze, all the air in my lungs seemed to vanish the instant our eyes connected.

"Thanks for putting in the effort to choose those gifts for me," he said, a faint smile playing on his lips. Then, he gently tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

OH. MY. GOD

The single touch set my body on fire.

"Y-You are welcome," I managed to stammer, my face flushed with embarrassment. Without wasting another moment, I turned on my heels and hurriedly made my way out of the room.

Well, I could have sworn that I heard his chuckle when I had taken off, blushing like a mess.