Adnan made it to the pool in record time with Aisha trailing behind him grinning like an idiot. When he made it to the edge, he leaned down closely where Jannah is but she is right in the middle so there is no way his hands could've reached her. He murmured inaudibly beneath his breath before he jumped inside, he is a great swimmer. His form of exercise apart from polo and well, running.

He swam to where she is and caught her waist in his strong arms, pulled her closer to his chest. He perused over her for any sign of injury or something but zilch so he narrowed his eyes at her. She did the same because all she wanted to do at that moment was drown him inside that pool but he is stronger than her, holding her like she was a doll.

And another reason she cannot do that, her stomach is filled with dragons, the Draco released his minions inside of her making it hard for her to think straight. The water is extremely cold against her skin, biting on it while promising to make her sick for the rest of the night and probably the next day and if she is unfortunate like most of her luck, to next tomorrow.

She cannot see clearly without her glasses on. God knows where they landed when she fell from the balcony! It's a wonder she survived seriously, many wouldn't have been that fortunate.

She chattered through her cold teeth. "You manipulative, arrogant, ugly..." She tried to think of the nastiest word possible, while her hand rose to slap him.

"Go on..." Adnan said gruffly then added arrogantly. "If it will make you feel better."

Jannah stared at him, so handsome in his grey sweatshirt, arms huge and chest robust, so strong and invulnerable that one slap would only amuse him. She curled her shaking hand into a fist and clenched it against her middle, using all her will to control her tumult of emotions. She won't embarrass herself.

He gave a wry grin that made her blood boil scathingly but what is more worse and stupid? The way she stared at his lips instead of glaring at him right in the eye. His lips looks tender, vicious and just too sinful for her not to have tasted it in their four years of marriage. He robbed her off her own right, the bastard here.

"I don't like that this version of yours curse like a sailor, it's disheartening but another punishment might come for that too. Be careful."

She gnashed her teeth and dug her growing nails deep into his arms, he didn't move nor flinch making her feel debilitated in front of him. "If you punish me about anything again, I'll make your life hell and that is a promise."

He only shrugged haughtily. "I've lived through hell you've never imagined, when you say words like that, think thoroughly."

He made a move to leave the pool with her but she held him back defiantly, he let her obviously. She's got no strength to stop the man. "My own hell is going to make you wish you never married me. It's a different kind from all the others you've tried. Trust me."

Adnan made no reply, his gaze riveted on her flushed face. He was still holding her, cropped and proximate, in what had acutely become an embrace. Even with the clouds of silk and cotton between them, she felt the hard strength of him all along her, the steely support of his arm. This was something she had never known but had always craved ... to be enfolded, anchored, wanted ... exactly like this.

The sense of lightness left her, her limbs feeling loose and pleasantly weighted.

As though Adnan had felt the resigning elasticity of her body, he took an unsettled breath. His intent gaze slid to her mouth like hers did earlier. A new tension invaded the muscles of his arms and chest, as if he were struggling with an impulse too dominant to repel.

Jannah saw the moment he broke -with eerie satisfaction of course, when he wanted to kiss her too much for anything else to matter. Not the punishment or another threat of hers, not even Mallam Sani or Aisha. She glanced up to find the place empty, they left her here with him? What if he drown her for real this time?

His head lowered, his mouth finding hers, and she closed her eyes at the careful, enticing pressure. Gently his hand came up to cradle the back of her head, his mouth moving over hers with erotic lightness...moment after moment...breath after breath...frisson after frisson.

Embered warmth spread inside her, as if her bloodstream had been filled with sparks.

A faint moan escaped her as his lips broke from hers, straying down to her throat. The shaven bristle of his cheek was an electrifying abrasion as he nuzzled into the soft skin. She shivered both from the cold water and the kisses.

He worked his way down her neck, seeking the frantic throb of her pulse. His broad, hard palms slid up and down her soaking wet arms, soothing gooseflesh through the fabric, while his teeth closed gently against the tender muscle of her shoulder near her clavicle. The tip of his tongue touched her lightly, as if he were tasting something sweet. Jannah was restless, not knowing where to place her hands or where her senses are presently. Kissing him after he's pushed her into a pool from two storey building?

Disoriented, robbed of equilibrium, she sank against him, her head tipping back against his supportive arm. His mouth returned to hers with full, warm pressure, coaxing her to open for him. She gasped at the stroke of his tongue, silky and intimate as he searched slowly, until a knot of pleasure formed at the pit of her belly. This time not only his minions are inside her, the whole pack of dragons.

Mistakenly, she bit his lip hard enough to taste the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. Adnan pulled away taking his leisure time to lick the wound while looking sexy as hell. Her eyes widened slightly but because she seeing a bit bleary, the darkness not helping, she couldn't detect the look in his eyes at that particular moment.

One thing was certain though, the kiss left both of them breathless and warm all over. Her head is swaying around her shoulders, like it's suddenly too heavy there.

She wanted to say something, just anything. "That was...amazing, huh? You're such a great kisser, one good thing about you."

"Did I ask you?" He blurted out still looking at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. A frisson shoot through her like an avalanche.

She gave him a shrug. "I don't care. I don't usually listen to you. Well, I don't now." Oops, she'll get them caught with that smart mouth of hers.

She felt his stomach rumble with an empty shallow chortle. "You should have or we wouldn't be here."

"And where is the fun in that? At least I now know how you kiss incredibly, it's stored in my new memory." She wrapped her arms around his midriff and lie her head on his wet chest.

Adnan frowned at the gesture but didn't say anything. Few minutes later, he managed to get them both to sit on the edge of the pool with their feet inside. Sitting on the tiled steps, he held her, his dark face only inches from her own. The moonlight shimmered over the long plane of his nose and threw shadows from his thick lashes down his cheeks. Jannah clutched at him in shivering relief, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck

Jannah wouldn't stop smiling like a fool, tilting her head from side to side before she felt him slipping into the pool from her peripheral vision, disengaging her limbs from his.

He came out holding her glasses to her, she beamed and took it from him. "Thank you. Well, not. You were the one that pushed me into the water in the first place."

He only shook his head at that before standing up to leave the pool area. He's got so much to do now that he is in Nigeria and he wants that to be completed before he leaves. But after that surf inside water, something is definitely going to get him to stay back. It's a feeling.

Dismayed, Jannah stood up too and left the pool area soaking wet. Thank God the housemaids are coming tomorrow morning, she wouldn't want Aisha working her ass off cleaning behind her. She entered the mansion following Adnan's long watered footprint while having fun at the same time. She's settled her glasses on her nose albeit wet, still better than not.

She arrived at her room to find both Aisha and Imara waiting patiently for her. She scooped her daughter in her arms excitedly. Why is she this excited? She had only slight idea, the kiss they shared with Adnan, their very first kiss was inside the pool. She is going to write down the date and the entire scenario, it's a memory she would want to keep recalling.

She is going to add how she amateurishly bit his lip and ended the kiss before it's time. He was so gentle unlike his attitude and personality, so unlike him. For a few seconds there she thought it was someone else and not Draco.

Imara giggled in her arms. "Mama is wet."

"Yes, baby. Mama went swimming in the pool." She kissed all over her face not caring about the looks Aisha was sending her way.

"Pool? I want to swim too. I want to swimmm!" Imara tried wiggling away but Jannah tightened her hold around her daughter.

"Imy, why don't you two swim in the tub in warm water? Jay, I've already set the bath for you so go in there and wash up then come let's catch up over dinner. We have so much to talk about it seems." Aisha wiggled her brows earning a bashful grin from Jannah.

"We do. Thank you so much. I need this bath before I get sick..." Her words trailed behind her into the bathroom.

The theme of her bathroom is frost, everything snowy white and spotless because if there is anything she enjoyed doing in her free time, is scrubbing her bathroom and her daughter's while swaying to unknown sounds or her daughter's cartoon songs. Sometimes they bond together through that. Having fun on the soapy floor, giggling and throwing foam all over one another.

The huge circular bathtub in the middle of the bathroom with two steps before you finally get to the main decorative panel, perched beautifully. There's water inside the tub reaching the overflowing tap so it won't pour down on the floor when they enter. One of the two steps is embellished with small silver urns filled with dandelion flowers to make the place smell like it. There are some inside the tub too.

She removed her clothes then Imara's and together they inundated themselves inside the warm water. Imara was quick to start playing around her mother while the older woman could only smile watching her. Her stomach is still filled with dragons at the thought of the kiss they'd shared minutes ago with her husband. It was such an experience.

After their several minutes bath, they transferred back to her room wearing matching robes. Aisha smiled at the duo and gave Jannah her clothes while dressing Imara back in her pajamas. Jannah wore another set of mahogany brown silk short shorts and notch collar pajamas shirt. Together they all ambled down the stairs to the dining room for dinner.

The mere dinner that almost caused her her life but at the same time brought pleasant butterflies in her belly.

In the middle of their dinner, Adnan ferried down the stairs with his phone stuck to his ear. He didn't acknowledge them in the dining room but Imara followed him anyway. He has showered too looking fresh in another matching onyx sweats instead of grey. Jannah salivated, her eyes on him till he disappeared from her view.

Aisha cleared her throat. "What was that in the pool? I had to drag Mallam Sani away when I saw that look in your eyes."

"Oh, it was nothing. We just kissed." By the way she said the kissed, Aisha knew it was more than that.

She's been watching Jannah these past few days and all she could say is, Jannah deserves a better man than Adnan. Her rawness and untainted innocence is meant for a man that is going to cherish it, that man is not Adnan. His name shouldn't start with A if possible but here she is, trying to get closer to him.

Her excuse is because of her daughter but the truth she is hiding here is, she wants Adnan for herself too. What woman wouldn't? You've got a handsome rich husband but the only time you two were close was on your nuptial night. Does that make any sense? Aisha knew she won't be able to do that to herself, she won't marry a heartless workaholic.

Jannah didn't have any other option and she once mentioned that he did her a mammoth favor. Though she wants to know the story behind their marriage since they are from two different worlds, Aisha didn't push things. If she is ready, she will tell her about it and she can be very patient with stuff like these. People are sensitive when it comes to their unpleasant pasts. She is one to tell.

"That wasn't just a kiss. You came in here literally glowing and you are bouncing even now." Aisha leaned closer, dropping her fork on her plate.

"I was glowing?" Jannah asked innocently earning a glare from Aisha. "Well, that was our first kiss and it was memorable."

"First kiss? You guys have been intimate before so how is this a first kiss?" Aisha's brows are now raised at the absurdity of their situation. They are more hopeless than she'd initially thought.

Jannah gave a shrug of her dainty shoulders, pushed her glasses back to her face while arranging the Chantilly lace cap on her head. "We didn't kiss then. It was only consummation I cannot recall most part of so yeah, our first kiss."

Aisha's brows cleared instantly. "Wow! You two are...something else. I don't know what to say. Yeah, I'm thoroughly speechless. I mean...okay, just wow."

Jannah chuckled at her confused friend. She shouldn't be that confused. After the mistake she's made in the past, she knew very little about those intimate stuff so when it happened with her husband, it was just there. He left her room immediately after their innuendoes leaving her all cold and alone and in pain.

What was worse? She didn't see him in the morning, not the one after it or the next fifty mornings. He left the country at that time without her knowledge. Her mother-in-law called later on to tell her about his sudden departure. That was the first and last time she allowed herself to be heartbroken by him or his absence in her life. She sheathed her heart too like he did.

She went through her pregnancy all alone only told her mother-in-law when she was three months along. Well, it's safe to say Hajiya Maimuna wasn't happy that she hid it for long. She saw Adnan only twice during her pregnancy which made her wonder why their daughter looks like him and little like her.

"It's not that bad. We were both trying to not have our hearts broken."

"You have the heart but I don't think he does. Who would throw their own wife from a two storey building into a pool? That was brutal and there is no excuse for that." Aisha stabbed a small meatball from her plate.

"I know right. I'm going to get back at him, don't worry. I'm going to show him that this Jannah has nothing to do with that other one. He won't see it coming too, I promise you that."

Aisha's eyes widened with excitement. "I trust you, Mon Cherie. Make him pay for it."