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Chapter 180: Chapter 180: You Are the Field, I Am the Ox

Ian Sterling let out a yowl, so loud it made Lynn Winslow’s heart jump.

She hadn’t been gentle, but it wasn’t enough to make him scream like that. When Lynn came to her senses, she saw Ian Sterling’s triumphant smirk.

”You asshole, you scared me.”

”Well, you’re always bullying me.” Ian Sterling bent down, scooped Lynn up in his arms, and headed for the bathroom.

Lynn didn’t want to go. ”I’ve already showered. You go by yourself.”

”You can shower with me.” With that, Ian Sterling carried her into the bathroom and shut the door, the room quickly filling with steam.

Lynn tried to struggle before the water hit her, but Ian Sterling was ready for it. The moment she so much as twitched her wrist, his arms were already around her.

By the time they got out of the bathroom, Lynn’s lower back was aching.

She lay face down on the pillow while Ian Sterling sat beside her, massaging her lower back. Lynn whimpered and whined for a long time before finally mustering a single sentence.

”You should buy me some vitality pills tomorrow. I think I need a recharge.”

Ian Sterling chuckled softly and finally let her off the hook.

’Thanks to Ian Sterling’s relentless torment,’ Lynn thought, ’both my stamina and my body have gotten a lot stronger.’

The next morning, Lynn woke up full of energy. She roused a still-sleeping Ian Sterling, insisting they go for a morning run together in the botanical garden out back.

”What time is it?”

”Six o’clock!”

Ian Sterling glanced to the side. Lynn, already changed into her workout clothes, had thrown open the curtains. It was still dark outside.

He propped himself up, yawning sleepily. ”What’s gotten into you?” he mumbled.

”Nonsense.” Lynn poked him. ”I feel super fit right now,” she huffed, ”so I want to try going for a morning run. But I don’t want to go alone.”

As Ian Sterling listened, he could barely keep his eyes open. He slowly started to lie back down, but Lynn grabbed him.

”What’s gotten into you? If I can be wide awake, why are you so tired?” She wasn’t strong enough to stop him, and frowned as Ian Sterling burrowed under the covers like a fugitive.

Ian Sterling rolled over and wrapped himself in the blanket. ”Don’t you know the saying?” he mumbled. ”There’s no such thing as an over-plowed field, only an overworked ox. You’re the field, and I’m the ox. So I’m probably about to be worked to death.”

”Hey, don’t say that!” Lynn didn’t want to hear him talk like that. Ian Sterling sighed, resigned, and sat up. ”Do you have any idea how restless you are in your sleep?” he explained. ”Do you know how many cold showers I have to take a night?”

Lynn’s expression grew awkward. As he started to lie back down again, Ian Sterling continued, ”Do you know how many times I have to catch you when you’re about to fall out of bed?”

”...” Lynn, flush with shame and anger, retorted, ”If you don’t want to go, just say so! Why do you have to expose all my embarrassing habits!”

Ian Sterling mumbled a couple of half-hearted ”uh-huhs” and held out his hand to Lynn. Just when she thought he had changed his mind about the morning run, the instant she took his hand, he yanked her back into bed.

”Hey! I’m not going back to sleep! I want to go for a run!”

Ian Sterling ignored her, holding her tight. He remained completely unmoved, no matter what Lynn said.

”Just a little more sleep. If you get up this early, you’ll be tired all day.”

”Let me get changed, and I’ll come right back to sleep, okay?” Lynn tried to reason with him.

Ian Sterling shook his head, his eyes still closed. It was non-negotiable. ”You can just take them off, or you can sleep in them.”

”I don’t want to.” Lynn squirmed, refusing to stay still. Ian Sterling’s eyes snapped open. ”Keep moving,” he threatened.

He didn’t finish the sentence, but Lynn got the message loud and clear. With a whimper, she finally lay still in his arms, sighing dramatically. ”You don’t cherish me now that you have me. Last night, you were calling me ’baby’ while you coaxed me, and now look at you. Not only do you air my dirty laundry, but you threaten me, too.”

Her words made him laugh in exasperation. He raised a hand and gave Lynn a smack on her bottom. It didn’t hurt, but the spot he hit made her eyes go wide. She couldn’t take it anymore. She shoved Ian Sterling flat onto his back and fumed, ”You dare hit me!”

”Yep, I did. What are you going to do about it?” Ian Sterling watched her through narrowed eyes.

Lynn gritted her teeth, leaned down, and bit his lip. Ian Sterling grunted in pain. A second later, her sharp teeth broke the skin, and a bead of blood welled up.

”So vicious,” Ian Sterling murmured, ”using so much force.” He didn’t bother wiping it away, letting the drop of blood trickle to the corner of his mouth. With a grin, he reached out and gave Lynn’s waist a pinch. It was a light touch, but it sent a shiver through her.

Her body went limp, and she collapsed on top of Ian Sterling. Her once-furious voice had now gone soft.

”Don’t pinch my waist. It tickles.”

”Are you going to bother me again?” Ian Sterling asked softly, gently tickling her sensitive spot.

Lynn immediately shook her head in surrender. ”I won’t! I won’t!”

”And will you bite me so hard next time?”

”I won’t, I won’t! Is that good enough for you?”

Lynn was laughing so hard that tears started to well up in her eyes. She couldn’t escape his grasp and could only keep begging for mercy.

Only then did Ian Sterling relent, letting her lie on top of him. ”Go to sleep,” he said in a low voice. ”If you don’t, I’ll go right back to tickling you.”

Lynn poutingly agreed. Within minutes, the once-energetic Lynn was fast asleep on top of him. But now Ian Sterling, after all her antics, was wide awake.

He gently stroked the hair splayed across her back and murmured in resignation, ”Good grief. What did I do to deserve you?”

When Lynn woke up, Ian Sterling was no longer beside her. She got up, walked to the window, and stretched. ’Tomorrow,’ she thought, ’I’m definitely going for that run.’

She took a shower, changed into some loungewear, and went downstairs. Hearing voices in the living room, Lynn peeked her head around the corner of the staircase.

To her surprise, Nina Norton was here! Lynn happily hurried down the rest of the stairs and called out loudly when she saw her.

”Nina!”

Nina Norton stood up happily, taking a few steps forward just in time to catch Lynn as she threw herself into her arms.

”Did you miss me, Lynn?”

Lynn nodded. ”I did!”

Ian Sterling gaped from the side, then got up and peeled Lynn off his mother. ”You’re never this clingy with me,” he grumbled under his breath.

Lynn blinked, and Nina Norton burst out laughing.

”Well, aren’t you something, Finn? Getting jealous of your own mother.”

Ian Sterling lifted his chin. ”I’m not jealous,” he explained. ”I just think she’s being unfair.”

Nina Norton grinned and rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Lynn. ”Your uncle and I just got back from our trip yesterday. I heard Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow were here, so I thought I’d stop by for a visit, but I didn’t expect both of the old gentlemen to be out.”

”My grandpa and my maternal grandfather go for a walk every morning now. They go to other parks to watch people play chess. Yesterday, they were even talking about learning tai chi.”

Nina Norton’s eyes widened in surprise, but before she could say anything, Ian Sterling cut in. ”Is my sister gone?”

”Which sister?”