Chapter Forty-Two: Just a Maid

Pang Xi woke up with a groan.  His head was throbbing, and his mouth tasted terrible.  It had been more than a decade since the last time that he had over-indulged to the point of drunkenness, and he'd forgotten the particular horrors of being hung over. 

After the headache, he became aware of the fact that there was a warm body pressed against him.  A head was pillowed on his bicep, making the fingers of his left hand numb and tingly, while his right arm had wrapped around a slender waist, holding the soft body securely against his own.  He could feel her steady heartbeat and the slow, shallow rise and fall of her ribs against his chest.  It was a pleasant contrast to the pounding of his head.  Now that he examined her closely, she wasn't an unattractive woman.  Her features were quite nice if you ignored the scratches and bruises and the laceration over her left brow.