Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 158: Touch

Liam didn’t know what he was doing, what that meant, or why, but nothing escaped his perception. He finally experienced what hugging Melissa felt like, and he couldn’t find words to describe it. Actually, his brain drew a complete blank.

Everything else still existed, but somehow also disappeared. The world shrank to Liam and the graceful, smaller figure between his arms, as if they were the only things worth considering.

Melissa was a foundation expert, a being beyond mortals, but she felt surprisingly frail now.

At the same time, the urge to bring Melissa even closer invaded Liam, only for that to fail to add strength to his arms. He held her, but something instinctive kept his firm touch light, as if showing care for the most precious item in the world.

The feeling was conflicting but also perfectly natural. It was a ravaging urge capable of burning entire worlds, yet impossibly soft, going deeper than mere flesh and bones, striving for a connection beyond the physical realm.

Most importantly, the feeling wasn’t for Liam. It was selfish, but also meant to be shared in the most comfortable way, slowly and, possibly, eternally. It fulfilled Liam, while also leaving him wanting more.

Naturally, Liam was the most shocked there, but he was too immersed in the experience to consider that. He just knew that he wanted to keep Melissa in his arms, shielding her from the world, treasuring her in ways beyond the meaning of his name.

As for how all-devouring and treasuring traits could exist in the same emotion, Liam didn’t know and didn’t ask.

Nevertheless, that already inexplicable emotion somehow deepened.

Melissa hadn’t been in the right state of mind, and that hug took her completely by surprise.

Embarrassment, shock, and fear alternated in Melissa’s mind, overloading it. Liam was also half-naked, and the hug had put her lowered face right onto his exposed chest.

The situation wasn’t only improper. It was dangerous due to what Simon could do. Moreover, Melissa knew that she couldn’t let the hug fuel her hopes since Liam often didn’t mean what most would misunderstand.

Yet, despite all that, Melissa never tried to escape. Her hands even stopped shaking at some point, and, before she knew it, they went on Liam’s back.

And once Melissa hugged Liam far more tightly than he did, he understood something Lucy had mentioned in the past.

The long mission, the complicated ploys it had featured, the many dangers, the butcher, the conflict about the now-closer revenge, Simon, and more had created a tense environment where Liam had to watch his back all the time.

Liam hadn’t noticed that tension until Melissa’s hug dispersed it. The world hadn’t changed. Liam still had to be wary constantly, now more than ever. However, in that small moment, he could relax.

In a way, it felt as if Liam had only breathed stale air, while Melissa was a fresh breeze that made his lungs cheer.

It was unclear how many seconds, or ages, passed, but Liam’s gaze eventually fell, inspecting the woman clinging to him. He spotted his messed-up fingers, wishing he had more intact ones to savor that damp back better, but his eyes slowly moved elsewhere.

Melissa had her hair down, but Liam still focused on her neck. He didn’t know why his eyes always ended up there, but that spot was unbelievably close now, seemingly calling for him.

And Liam lowered his head, searching for what else he desired, the relaxing moment lowering his inhibitions. He didn’t nestle in Melissa’s neck, but his nose got close enough for her to feel his breath.

A new tremor ran through Melissa’s back. Liam’s breath in such a place was too intimate for her to remain still, and there was another issue she had to mention.

"I’m sweaty," Melissa complained, lowering her face even further, but still not leaving Liam’s chest. "I-I must smell bad."

"I never once thought that," Liam replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "You just smell like you."

Melissa didn’t know whether that was a compliment. It probably wasn’t, but there was something else that caught her attention.

"D-do you ...," Melissa whispered, hesitating to voice that embarrassing question, "Recognize my s-scent?"

"Yes," Liam immediately confirmed. "It’s how I sniffed you out in the ruins."

Melissa had just learned about that part. She had never asked, but she could believe it. After all, she had witnessed how superhuman Liam’s senses were.

Still, Melissa didn’t know how to take the news. On the one hand, she didn’t like being a smelly spot in Liam’s perception, but a childish part of her liked that he could recognize her by nose alone.

In some twisted sense, it made Melissa feel special.

Maybe, just maybe, Liam could accept a trait Melissa found disgusting, and, in turn, the entirety of herself.

And, in response to that feeling, Melissa tilted her head, laying it on Liam’s, wanting to make the interaction more intimate.

Liam enjoyed that additional vicinity until something became impossible to ignore. He had been caught in the moment, enjoying everything it brought, but he felt more and more of Melissa as the seconds passed, making the cravings of his flesh more relevant.

Everything culminated when a specific picture popped into Liam’s mind, snapping him up and gently pushing Melissa away from her shoulders, his gaze diverted in guilt and unexpected shyness.

"Senior Sister, I must tell you something," Liam admitted, the confusing embarrassment he felt unable to stop him from telling the truth. "I imagined you without clothes."

Melissa had lifted her face at Liam’s push, but the revelation made her eyes go wide and lower her head again, panic and embarrassment flooding her brain.

It wasn’t that Melissa hadn’t experienced similar thoughts, the opposite actually. She had imagined far worse, multiple times, and in many positions. The issue was that those ideas weren’t supposed to be spoken.

"And it’s not just that," Liam continued, still unable to look at Melissa. "I want to do things. I have strange desires about you."

Melissa’s embarrassment reached its peak, almost making smoke leak from her head. She might be an impure, shameless woman, but she was also just a girl, too innocent and inexperienced to handle that direct talk.

Yet, after a few seconds, Liam said his last piece, and the gears in Melissa’s brain switched.

"I warned you," Liam reminded. "I don’t think you should stay close to me anymore."

Melissa found the strength to look up at that point. Liam even let go of her shoulders, laying his arms at his sides. He still didn’t meet her gaze, but his stance couldn’t be clearer.

There Liam was, a man who had yet to realize his attraction, affection, and desire, ready to push Melissa away, worried he might get caught in them and wrong her.

Even now that Liam had begun to experience what all the men in Melissa’s life felt, he remained the exception. He might harbor the thoughts that had created her wariness of his kind, but he wasn’t like them.

Chances were, Liam wasn’t just the only man like that. Melissa was ready to believe he was the right one.

And Liam experiencing those desires definitely was progress. Melissa felt she was finally getting through his unique traits. Yet, she also realized that rejecting him now would reinforce the guilt written on his face.

So, Melissa pushed through her embarrassment, ignoring Liam’s partial nakedness in her private quarters, the previous hug, and everything else, wanting to reward that progress.

"W-what do you w-want to do with m-me?" Melissa asked, glad that she was shameless enough to fight that battle properly.

Liam was honest to a fault, especially with people he cared about. He recognized his own shyness, but his lack of understanding about it put no filters on his tongue.

Besides, Liam was feeling guilty about his imagination, so he believed he owed Melissa the truth.

"I want to touch you," Liam admitted, "And more."

An explosion unfolded behind Melissa’s emotionless face. Her brain’s functions stopped for a whole second before pristine boldness took charge, making her reach for Liam’s hand, carefully bringing it to her cheek.

"I wanted you to touch me, too," Melissa managed not to stammer as her gesture drew Liam’s gaze to her.

Melissa had noticed the bandages and splints, so she only lay her cheek in Liam’s palm, closing her eyes while carefully rubbing herself into it.

"I like it when you touch me," Melissa admitted, forgetting about her intentions, reopening her green eyes as she lost herself in the moment. "But only because it’s you. I’m only yours to touch."