After regaining my hearing, I happily march over to the room of my arch-rival, eager to flaunt in front of him—only to hear him moaning my name as he does what all guys do for pleasure.

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!"

I froze. Even my blood seemed to stop flowing.

Shoot. I forgot to keep up the act!

Eyeing me suspiciously, Keane tapped on my ear and asked, "You can hear now?"

I was sweating profusely. Forcing myself to smile, I signed stiffly, "I felt a bug trying to bite me, so I yelled for it not to. I seriously can't hear anything."

It wasn't clear whether or not Keane believed me. He eyed me with an unreadable expression before signing at me with a smile that alarmed me, "Looks like I need to give you that massage after all."

I closed my eyes in desperation. Was there any way for me to refuse him?

Keane ignored my protests. He hoisted me up princess-style and carried me to the couch before settling down with my head on his thighs.

Then, with his fingers gently rubbing my earlobes, he planted a brief kiss on my ear. He blew into it, saying, "Guess you really are a deaf little cutie."

My body went rigid. My blood was roaring the wrong way through my veins.

What the heck was this moron doing? We were supposed to be arch-rivals!

In any case, I was only deaf. It wasn't like I couldn't feel anything!

But no. I couldn't panic. As long as I kept my composure, things wouldn't be awkward at all.

I tried to hypnotize myself into thinking that I really couldn't hear anything.

Meanwhile, Keane's hands moved to the base of my ears. He cupped my ears with his long fingers and pulled them upward, each tug stronger than the last.

It felt so good that I couldn't resist groaning in pleasure.

Keane's breathing abruptly grew heavier. His eyes gleamed with excitement.

Chest tightening, I wanted to cry as I frantically signed to him, "You must be tired. The massage takes up too much energy. Just let me go back to my room."

However, he flashed a suggestive smile at me and signed back, "Are you doubting my stamina? Relax. I've got plenty of energy!"

Why was he telling me that when I didn't even ask about it in the first place!

My smile was more of a grimace as I signed, "Thanks, I guess."

Since I couldn't escape from him, I might as well enjoy myself.

I closed my eyes, figuring that I wouldn't be as vexed if I didn't have to see him.

Alas, that meant all of my focus went to the sensation of Keane's hands on me. His warm palms pressed against the back of my head as he massaged down my neck. It was just the right amount of pressure, but his fingertips kept brushing over my shirt.

I bit my lip to stop myself from making any more sounds.

Yet, he continued to take advantage of the fact that I "couldn't hear" to start saying the most flirtatious things.

"You've got such a slim neck, babe. I can wrap around it with a single hand."

I dug my hands into the couch as I continued to act like I was deaf.

Who was he calling his "babe"?

"Oh, my. You shudder each time I press down here, babe."

His touch was making me squirm. I squeezed my eyes even more tightly together, afraid that flames would start shooting out of them.

If he knew how it was making me feel, why did he keep pressing me there? What a pervert he was!

"I bet you'd cry if I bite down on you here while slamming into you, babe."

I was already on the verge of tears now!

No, seriously, the corners of my eyes were wet. I'd already made deep indents in the couch from how hard I was gripping it. I wanted to flee, but I couldn't.

Keane was keeping me firmly on his lap.

"And now, the final step of the massage."

I almost wept tears of joy. All I had to do was hold on a little longer, and I'd make it to the finish line!

But to my absolute shock, Keane abruptly pressed on my stomach and started making controlled, deliberate tugs and squeezes—like a general directing his troops.

At the same time, his warm breath washed over my ear, followed by his bewitching voice.

"The last step is to massage you here, babe."

Turning bright red, I shoved him away and scrambled onto my feet in an attempt to run away.

"What the heck! What are you trying to do, Keane!"

Alas, the two of us were built very differently. He caught me and hauled me back as if I were a runaway puppy. Kissing my earlobe, he said with a wicked grin, "Can't keep the act up anymore? Make sure you listen carefully to the wet sounds later."