Jake blinked, still half-processing what had just happened.
Below him, Grace wore a thoroughly smug smile.
"Looks like I win this round, Captain~" she said sweetly, her golden eyes sparkling with mischief.
Jake looked down at the smug woman pinned beneath him.
His mouth twitched.
Without a word, he released her wrists…
…and immediately dug his fingers into her waist, tickling her without mercy.
"Gyaaah! J-Jake! Wait! Not there! Hahaha—! Stop—!"
Only after he was thoroughly satisfied did Jake finally stop.
Grace lay beneath him with teary golden eyes, her face flushed and her breathing uneven from all the laughing.
Soft whimpers still escaped her lips as she tried to recover.
Jake stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes as he looked down at her with a faintly amused expression.
He let out a quiet sigh and offered her a hand.
"Indeed… you have won."
He pulled her up to her feet, still looking a little exasperated.
