CHAPTER 285: CHAPTER 285; COME BACK INSIDE

He gave her no reply, his gaze dropped to their entwined hands, the shadow in his eyes deepening.

The silence stretched, heavy yet intimate, until Tang Fei gently tugged his hand, coaxing him like she would a stubborn child.

"Come back inside with me," she said, her smile carrying warmth he couldn’t turn away from. "The children are waiting, Uncle and Aunt are waiting... dinner is ready."

Huo Ting Cheng’s lashes lowered. He didn’t move at first, his tall frame taut as though resisting, but Tang Fei leaned closer, her voice lowering into a playful murmur, "If you keep sulking, I’ll really get angry, you know. And then you’ll have to coax me instead."

The corner of his lips suddenly twitched, not with a quiet smile, but a subtle crack in his icy composure. His eyes flickered toward her, brief and fleeting, but enough for Tang Fei’s heart to skip a beat.

The night wrapped around them, hushed and heavy, the faint glow of lanterns barely touching his sharp features. Tang Fei’s fingers rested in his, warm and unwavering, her gaze fixed on him as though willing him to break free of the storm he kept locked inside.

Huo Ting Cheng’s eyes darkened, the restraint in them twisting into something more dangerous, and more consuming. Without a word, he released her hand, only to slide his arm swiftly around her waist.

Tang Fei gasped softly as he lifted her effortlessly off the ground. His strength was steady, commanding, as though he had made a decision he would not be swayed from.

"Ting Cheng!" she spoke up startled, but her protest melted into silence as he carried her toward the car parked at the edge of the courtyard.

His long strides were deliberate, while his grip was unyielding, and she could feel the thundering of his heartbeat against her side.

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. The lantern light caught the sharp planes of Huo Ting Cheng’s face, his expression unreadable, but his eyes burned with something deeper, something he refused to voice.

Without warning, his arms tightened around Tang Fei and in one swift motion, he lifted her completely, ignoring her startled gasp.

His stride was long, purposeful, his steps echoing across the stone path until he reached the sleek black car waiting by the courtyard.

Instead of opening the door, he turned, pressing her back gently against the cool surface of the hood. The contrast made her shiver, the chill of metal beneath her and the searing heat of him before her.

"Huo Ting Cheng...." Tang Fei’s voice trembled, half protest, half plea.

But he didn’t give her time to finish. His hand came up, fingers sliding along her jaw, tilting her face toward him.

His eyes locked with hers, dark, consuming, dangerous and then his mouth was on hers.

The kiss was fierce, unrelenting, a storm breaking after too long contained. His lips moved against hers with a hunger that left no space for hesitation, no room for escape.

One hand gripped the edge of the hood beside her, anchoring them both, while the other slid around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Tang Fei’s hands instinctively clutched at his coat, her breath stolen, her heart pounding in a frantic rhythm. This kiss was the truth of his obsession, his desperation, his unspoken vow that she was his and only his.

When he finally broke away, his breath was ragged, and his forehead pressed against hers, his hand still cupping her face as though he couldn’t bear to let go.

His voice was low, rough, a whisper of possession against her lips, "Fei’er... you can run, you can resist, but you will always end up here, with me. Beside me. Nowhere else."

Then the kiss deepened, relentless, his tongue parting her lips with a hunger that stole the breath from her lungs.

Tang Fei gasped at the sudden attack, her back arching against the cold metal of the car hood as his body pressed into hers, all heat and hard strength.

But beneath the force, she felt it, his trembling restraint, the desperate way his fingers dug into her waist as though holding her was the only thing keeping him from breaking apart.

He wasn’t just kissing her. He was consuming, claiming, and begging without words. Every person has the right to feel insecure.

And now, she understood: this wasn’t only desire. It was a need. A man who never asked, never showed, was laying himself bare in the only language he knew, possession.

She tried to protest, but all her protest melted into a shuddering sigh, fingers twisting in his collar as though torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer.

Huo Ting Cheng didn’t stop and couldn’t stop. His hand slid from her waist, down the curve of her hip, anchoring her firmly against him.

The other hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head just enough for him to claim her mouth deeper, harder, until her knees trembled and she could do nothing but yield.

The sharp contrast of cold steel beneath her and his searing body above her sent shivers racing through her veins.

He lifted her easily, settling her fully onto the hood, his tall frame towering, shadowing, caging her in as though the entire world had narrowed to this one moment, his breath, his heat, and his unyielding hold.

His lips trailed down, dragging fire across her jaw, along the line of her throat. He bit down softly, a warning, a claim, and her breath hitched. Her hands fisted in his shirt, desperate, helpless, and craving for him.

"Huo Ting Cheng..." she whispered, half plea, half surrender.

But he only answered with silence, with the press of his lips against the hollow of her throat, with the sharp exhale against her skin that betrayed how close he was to losing control.

His hands gripped her thighs, spreading her knees around him with a possessive certainty that left no doubt, he wasn’t asking.