“You think I don’t respect you?” Lu Zihao scowled.
Long Jinjing sighed. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“That whatever happens between us after all this, you’ll respect me and my decision and not…and not….” She took a moment to get a hold of her emotions. “And not hurt me too much,” she said this last part in a soft, tiny voice.
He sat both of them up face to face. His big, rough, scarred hand touched her soft face. “Jinjing…I….”
Silence.
“It’s okay, Nikolai. Like I said, nobody can force love. I just hope that you can give me a chance to make you fall in love with me. If…my attempts disgust you, tell it to me straight. I may cry a lot but…I can handle it…probably.”
Another minute passed before Lu Zihao spoke again. “You won’t disgust me, Jinjing.”
“Hopefully.” She smiled and blinked her watery eyes at him. “So will you give me a chance to woo you?”
“This situation doesn’t sit right with me—”
Her face fell.
“—but if it’s you, yes. Woo me all you want, Jinjing.”
Her eyes lit up.
He held her chin and tilted her head upwards and lowered his head until their faces were only an inch apart. They could feel each other’s warm breaths. However, he didn’t cross over that final inch to claim her delectable lips. Not yet.
“I’ve never fallen in love before,” he said. “So I don’t know how to fall in love or if I’m even capable of falling in love.”
“You are,” she whispered. “I can see that you love my sister like your own sibling. You care very much about family. You’re also very protective of all the people that you care about and those you consider to be your responsibility even if they annoy you. You are capable of love so I know that you can also fall in love. I’m just…not sure if you can fall in love with…with m-me. But I’ll try. Oh, I’ll try so hard, Nikolai. I love you so much.”
The fingers holding her chin tightened. She felt a pinch but not painful enough to hurt her.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice a little hoarse.
His entire aura became more intense, making her shiver, not from fright but in a combination of awe and desire.
“Of course, I’m sure.”
“Will you really still love me once you know the real me? Will you, Jinjing?”
She frowned, confused at his words. “The real you?”
“I’m not a good man.”
Her frown turned into a pouting scowl. “You keep saying that.”
“It’s true. I did very bad things. I still do.”
She became even more confused. “What bad things?”
The intensity emanating from him turned into something colder, more vicious, more…demonic. The fingers pinching her chin loosened and his thumb began rubbing her jaw and then her lips. His eyes stared right through her, as if they could pierce straight to her very soul. He finally kissed her but only lightly.
“Can I trust you?”
“Of course, Nikolai.”
He became silent but his thumb continued rubbing her lips. He looked a little distracted while contemplating if he should really trust her.
“Nikolai?”
His eyes focused on her again. “Come, let’s take a nap.”
“Huh?” Long Jinjing had no idea what was going on with him. She couldn’t understand what he meant at all. “But—”
He pulled her down on the bed, locking her in his embrace, and covered them with the duvet. “Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“I’ll bring you somewhere after you finish work tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll pick you up at Orchidia Beauty.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She still had many questions but upon seeing the weary furrow between his brows, her heart ached for him. Right, he still needed time to recover. She sighed but then felt his hand slip inside her shirt and cup her breasts through her bra.
“Nikolai! You said we’re going to take a nap!”
“We are.”
“Take off your hand from my…my….”
“From your breasts? No, I like your breasts. I like fondling them, sucking them, and fucking them.”
Heat spread through her face, neck, and everywhere else in her body. The shyness turned to desire. Her brain was in danger of short-circuiting into amoeba level again from his expert seductions. She could feel her core becoming wet and hot.
It was difficult but she fought off her increasing desire from surrendering to the man’s temptation. The doctor’s words earlier in the hospital managed to play inside her head at this time.
“We can’t right now. You need to rest!”
“Just one round, hm?”
Oh, she was tempted. So very tempted. But no! His health and fast recovery were more important than scratching a momentary itch.
“Please, Nikolai. Just rest for today, okay?”
He looked like he was going to continue seducing her, but to her relief, he finally withdrew his hand from inside her shirt. Although she was glad that he listened to her, her now aching breasts felt empty without his touch.
“Fine. I’ll rest for today. Gotta have energy to face your wooing.”
She blushed harder but still nodded. This was her decision after all. She said that she was going to woo him so she would do it. There was no backing out now. Either she would go for it or not at all.
They kissed for a few moments but didn’t do anything more than that. In the end, she was the one who fell asleep first. Lu Zihao was staring at the ceiling while listening to the deep, rhythmic breaths of his woman lying beside him.
“Uncle Zihao,” he heard a familiar child’s voice.
He fished out his phone from his pants’ pocket. Two cat AIs, one black and one white, looked at him.
“Bacon greets Uncle Zihao.”
“Welcome back, Uncle Haohao! Ketchup is soooo happy that Uncle Haohao is awake now. The cute and mighty me missed you so much even if Uncle Haohao is a scumbag! Meow~”
Lu Zihao’s expression turned black. “Say again who’s a scumbag, you little—”
Ketchup giggled. “Bacon is the one who said that Uncle Haohao is a scumbag first! Hihihi. Bye, Uncle Haohao~ The cute and mighty Ketchup is busy training my new not-so-boring employee! Meowhoosh!”
The naughty white cat AI disappeared like a ninja, leaving her younger brother to deal with the mess she made in front of their uncle.
