∴ ∵ ∴
THOSE were the words that had ignited their frantic game of cat and mouse, which resulted in Rose’s loss in the form of Harij pinning her to the floor.
“Wai— Hand! Hand! Hand! Your hand… Your hand is…!”
“My hand is right here.”
“Your hand is inside my clothes! It’s going under my clothes!”
The more she struggled to escape, the worse it backfired on her.
The nefarious hand touching her leg radiated warmth; she could feel it on her bare skin. She angled her neck to see what in the world was happening—and was appalled to find her legs exposed to the open air.
Her usually dependable skirt, which always covered her legs down to the ankle, had suffered a complete and utter defeat. After gaining the upper hand against the dress, Harij’s coarse palm caressed her unprotected leg.
Sometimes their thighs bumped into each other when they sat down together, but she had never felt the warmth directly before.
Harij’s rough, calloused fingers tickled Rose’s soft skin, bringing her pleasure. The flush of excitement and the tingling sensation coursing through her made her dizzy, nearly drawing out a moan.
“You’re the one who asked to touch.”
Harij’s hand worked its way up her leg. When he began stroking a sensitive, risqué area, Rose let out a cry more pitiful than a lamb sent to the slaughter.
“Aaaaaaaah! Th-This isn’t what I— Wai—”
She ached from his touch and began sweating from everywhere on her body.
Seemingly titillated by her sweat, Harij buried his face in her neck and inhaled deeply of her scent.
“Eep!” she cried, petrified as his tongue explored her nape.
Things were set on an incredibly dangerous course.
The atmosphere was unlike anything that had come before. The tight reins he had been keeping on his self-control seemed to snap all at once. In the wake of Harij’s onslaught, Rose waved the white flag of surrender with all her might.
“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Rose could only cry and shout over this unexpected turn of events.
“Rose.”
He spoke in a deep, rumbling baritone that pleasured even her ears in her confusion. Delicious shivers raced from the sensitive skin on her ears down to her back.
“I won’t do anything scary.”
“N-N-N…b-b-bu…mm…ngh…w-wh-wha—”
She couldn’t even pronounce words anymore. Harij cupped her cheeks in his hands, locking gazes with her.
“Do you really want me to stop?” he asked in a breathy voice. Heat surged through her when she noticed how moist his perfectly shaped lips were.
“You’re too cute… I love you so much. Please.”
His lips pressed against her cheek because of the position he held while talking to her. They lingered there, teasing her. Pleasure coursed through her for the hundredth time. Her whole body shivered.
“Rose.”
Her skin absorbed her arousal, gaining a tingling numbness.
Hearing him call her name in that heady, pleading voice put an end to her thinking. She didn’t even understand why she was so against going forward with this in the first place.
She stared at Harij through misty eyes. His own burned with the same passion they’d had right after he drank the love potion.
Rose opened her trembling lips. “…Um, ah, oka—”
Harij suddenly moved off her just as she was about to give permission. He approached the window with agile strides and looked down.
“…Does he have clairvoyance or something?”
The romantic mood completely dissipated. Reluctance to accept reality and a hint of disappointment entered his suddenly tired voice.
Rose utterly failed to follow the sudden shift in his behavior. Propping herself up on her elbows, she stared at Harij, her lips slightly parted.
Harij turned around and noticed the way she was lying. He slowly approached her with a wry smile. She took his hand and stood. Then he kneeled before her and fixed her disheveled skirt.
Rose’s cheeks turned pinker than a peach as she recalled what they had been about to do. She sure stayed in that dumb position for longer than necessary. Harij must have guessed she was disappointed it ended there and that she was entirely clueless about how to act in these situations. Ashamed she didn’t even have half a mind to fix her clothes, Rose hung her head. His hand stroked her hair, and he planted a longing kiss on the back of her ear.
“…Let’s head downstairs. We have a guest.”