Chapter 205

She didn't flirt with him at all! Charles was obviously just making things up. Stella held the iodine-soaked cotton swab in her hand, gently pressing it against the wound on the back of his hand. The skin around it had already turned pale. "Does it hurt?" she asked softly, not even realizing how gentle her tone was. She remembered him asking her the same thing before. Now it was her turn. Of course it hurt. Charles didn't say a word. He just shook his head and stared at her, his breath brushing against her neck. Pain didn't matter to him. What mattered was that Stella was right here, with him. For her, he'd endure anything. "Dr. Johnson," he said, voice low and rough, laced with amusement, "your hands are shaking like crazy. How do you even work like this?" Biting her lower lip, Stella tried to pull her hand back, but he tightened his grip. His palm felt hot—way hotter than normal—so much so that her fingertips went numb. Why was he suddenly calling her Dr. Johnson? It made her feel...