Chapter 20.1
Chapter 20.1
“Jasmine, how much have you had to drink?”
“Answer me.”
Jasmine swayed, prompting him to support her quickly. Coincidentally, it was a slightly exposed area that revealed her smooth skin, so each fingerprint seemed to cling as if it could melt.
He couldn’t stop his nerves from transmitting to his fingertips for a moment. Unintentionally, he found himself examining her slightly parted red lips, her delicate neck, and even her collarbone. Richard abruptly turned his head, feeling taken aback.
There were only two of them in the room. Despite her disheveled and vulnerable state, she never left his mind, but this time, she was irresistibly enticing.
This is madness.
With his ears burning, he silently muttered to himself. Ludicrous. To be swayed by the words of a woman who had become senseless from alcohol. He needed to restrain her, soothe her, and get himself out of this room before he did something he would regret.
It shouldn’t be the sweet touch of her skin within reach, the pleasant feeling of her breath, or the soft strands of her hair that captivated his mind.
“Jasmine, I…”
Somewhere along the line, he had discarded formal titles, clutching his forehead now. This was dangerous. Richard felt the first stirrings of a crisis of reason. He swallowed hard. It must be because it had been so long since he’d been in the presence of a woman. That must be it.
She was intoxicated. He shook her head, but that was not enough.
“Drunk. I should leave now…”
“Again, saying the right thing…”
Jasmine, with a frustrating sway, glared at him, and something about her teary, sharp eyes made his chest tighten. The sensation of tears welling up somewhere in his chest was dizzying, and he hadn’t even realized the tumultuous emotions of embarrassment and confusion.
“Just be honest for once. Do you want to die sticking to what’s right and wrong your whole life?”
The room seemed to expand around them. Like during their previous argument, this petite woman who had watched over him for seven years easily infiltrated his defenses, plunging into his heart.
And in the next instant, she grabbed him by the collar, her mouth capturing his.
His rationality snapped.
Her plump, crimson lips parted, her small tongue brushing against his dry lips. Involuntary, there was no way to avoid it. He thought he really couldn’t help it.
And then, following that, their tongues clumsily entwined.
He couldn’t help but be inexperienced in his response. He truly believed he couldn’t help it.
“Hm!”
At first, it seemed like she was taking the lead. He simply stood there, seemingly allowing her advances.
But when their tongues intertwined and a slick sound grazed their ears, his previously passive hands suddenly wrapped around her waist and gripped the back of her neck. Huh? As Jasmine’s hazy eyes opened, they met with his vivid, living blue ones.
He tilted his head and skillfully mixed their tongues. It began gently but gradually turned intense, even somewhat predatory, like a rough kiss.
Startled by the sudden change in intensity, Jasmine instinctively grabbed his arm. The man, who had firmly supported the back of her neck, changed his angle of attack. He teased her lower and upper lips alternately before devouring them at once.
Their breaths heavy, he held her tightly as their bodies were pressed together.
“Oh!”
Her mind was in a daze. They had kissed so passionately that she was partly lying down, looking up at him. Richard had cast a shadow over her.
His blue eyes flickered like a hungry predator. Their clasped hands grew tighter. Her heart raced. It felt like it might burst.
Richard peppered her cheeks, nose, chin, and lips with kisses. The sensation was exhilarating.
Richard Aion was kissing her.
As if entranced, Richard continued to shower her with gentle kisses, while Jasmine, who had been dazed, smiled slightly and embraced him, her forehead wrinkling.
She was a tricky lady. Her sparkling eyes, looking only at him, and her innocent smile as they lay beneath the male in the bedroom ignited a fire in his lower abdomen. His jaw tightened.
Oh, this is really tempting.
He kissed her lips again, running his fingers gently through her hair.
“Jasmine, if we go further, you might regret it.”
As he spoke, his skillful fingers brushed against her waist, causing her to tremble slightly. His mouth watered at her weak response.
Damn. He was used to yielding like a piece of stone, but he was still a man. The fantasies in his burning mind were accelerating. If he pulled the string now, her enticing body, her fair skin and tempting curves, and her pure face distorted in pleasure would be revealed.
He stared at her intently, chewing on the words.
“We can stop here.”
Although his lower abdomen was already throbbing and his legs felt weak, his voice remained steady.
“If you tell me to leave, I’ll go right away.”
He sang a military song in his head while exercising patience. The one second it took for her crimson lips to open felt excruciatingly long.
“I like you.”