230: Chapter 230

Chapter 230

There was a silence between them after that.  0

Mai watched Michael's right hand, who was on the gearshift. His hand looked very strong, with the veins popping out as if he could crush anything.

Mai shuddered.

She had a bad experience with a strong man. She knew that men were physically stronger than women, which scared her so much. 

The helpless feeling of being pinned down by a man traumatized her to the point that she hated all men with this military-style, strong body type. 

The red tints on her face vanished, and she became pale as she imagined that hand crushing her petite body. 

Her heartbeat began to race, but not in a good way. She swallowed her saliva a few times to calm herself down, but it only scared her even more, each time she tried it. 

Michael shifted the gear to drive faster since this Lombard cafe was actually not in downtown Los Angeles. It was quite far.

Mai could see those veins on his hand bulging as he held the gearshift and shifted it. She got so uncomfortable that she couldn't wait to throw herself out of the car.

She felt unsafe as the bad memories were flooding her mind. 

But then, she remembered that she had to be professional. Her parents had always taught her to discard any of her personal problems when she was working. 

'I—I can't keep being like this. Michael has promised me that he will not touch me inappropriately. I have to be professional!' Mai tried to encourage herself as she adhered to her ideal of discarding her fear in exchange for her professionalism at work. 

Mai clenched her fists, her heartbeat raced to the point that it might pop out of her chest, and she carefully put her hand on Michael's.

Michael's heartbeat skipped for a second. He glanced at Mai's hand laid on top of his, and he gulped as he got nervous instantly.

He was trying his best to stay professional because he had to finish what he was told to do. He adhered to his military code despite not being in the military anymore, and that was never to let his personal feeling distract his mission. 

But Mai's palm was very warm, smooth, and soft. 

It felt amazing when Mai touched him like this, and he was afraid that he might lose his focus. 

So he asked, "What are you doing, Miss Ishikawa?"

"I—um… you told me we should act like a couple. Is this wrong?" Mai asked nervously. "This is for the mission, Sir."

Michael was stunned. 

He clenched the steering wheel in one hand and replied, "We're still inside the car, so you don't need to act like a couple now. We should do it once we arrive in the cafe, though."

"Oh—S—Sorry!" Mai quickly lifted her hand, but before she could pull her hand away, Michael caught her wrist and gently wrapped her hand inside his big and strong hand, which emanated constant heat.

"I never said that you're wrong," Michael said. He glanced at Mai and smiled at her, "Let's hold hands for now, so you won't be nervous when we have to act later. Remember that we need to be convincing, so we wouldn't draw any suspicion."

Mai gasped when Michael wrapped her hand inside his big strong hand. She tried to pull her hand and expected Michael to clench her hand so tight that he would almost crush her hand.

It was what men usually do.

When Mai got uncomfortable, she would try to pull her hand out of those men's grip, but they would clench her hand or wrist so tight that she would wince and scream in pain. 

But contrary to her expectation, Michael didn't try to clench.

When Mai pulled her hand away, he let her go but still frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Did I hold you too tight? Or are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Mai stared at Michael with eyes full of confusion. She didn't know why Michael didn't clench her hand so tight. She thought it was just the male instinct to grip and grasp until it hurt.

But Michael was gentle despite his strong exterior. He showed concern and asked again, "Miss Ishikawa? Did I make a mistake?"

"N—No, not at all…" Mai replied. 

"Oh, good," Michael let out a relieved sigh. "I thought I held your hand too tightly. I don't want to hurt you accidentally."

Michael ignored Mai after that. He focused on the road, with one hand on the gearshift in case he wanted to accelerate or decelerate.

Mai stared at Michael's side profile.

She never liked a strong military type. She had plenty of bad experiences with strong men in general.

That's why her office crush was actually a very meek, thin, and somewhat feminine guy who worked in the accounting department. 

But at this moment, Mai felt that Michael Eckermann was less menacing.

He looked like a good and gentle man beneath that tough and stern face.

'He doesn't look cruel…' Mai thought. 'It doesn't look like he'd hurt me.'

She looked down at the strong hand with bulging veins holding the gearshift. Mai didn't know if it was just her imagination, but somehow that strong hand didn't look as intimidating anymore.

So she asked, "Mr. Eckermann, can you hold my hand again? T—This is for our mission. I am a professional and want to ensure we look convincing enough when we arrive at that cafe."

"Okay," Michael said with his eyes still on the road. 

He wrapped Mai's hand and intertwined their fingers together. It looked so natural, and he was so gentle that Mai had no reason to pull away.

Mai could feel the heat on his palm spread to her, making her feel warm and safe. 

Mai took a deep breath as she tried to let the feeling seep in. She closed her eyes and leaned back. 

'It feels nice that he doesn't try to crush my hand…' Mai thought. 'I feel safe.'

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