CHAPTER 406: CHAPTER 406; HONEYMOON PHASE 2 E (R+18)

"Good," he said, the single word carrying a wealth of meaning, of approval and possessiveness and something that felt almost like affection.

The last morsel of fish disappeared from Tang Fei’s plate.

A comfortable, sated silence had settled between them, a stark contrast to the frantic energy that had consumed the kitchen earlier.

Huo Ting Cheng watched her, his dark eyes reflecting the soft lamplight from across the room.

"The night feels too quiet now," Tang Fei murmured, leaning back against the couch and stretching her arms over her head with a soft, cat-like grace that made his eyes darken further.

Huo Ting Cheng’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.

He rose and walked back to the bar, returning not with the wine they had before, but with a new bottle—something darker, older, the label written in characters that spoke of decades of aging.

The cork came out with a soft, satisfying pop.

"A different vintage," he said, pouring the deep amber liquid into two fresh glasses.

"For a different mood."

She took the glass, her fingers brushing his deliberately this time. She didn’t care what the different mood was...

But the contact sent a familiar jolt through her system, reigniting embers she’d thought temporarily satisfied. It ignited fires that ran through the nerves.

She took a sip; it was rich, smoky, complex, and burned a path of warmth straight to her core.

"Strong," she commented, her voice already dropping a register, becoming huskier.

"I find myself in the mood for something... potent," he replied, his gaze locked on her as he drank, never looking away, making the simple act feel intimate.

They didn’t speak much after that.

The conversation was in the looks, in the way he refilled her glass the moment it was half-empty, in the way her posture loosened incrementally, her body sinking deeper into the plush cushions, her guard dropping with each sip.

The third glass was her undoing.

The careful walls she maintained, the vigilant control that had kept her alive through two lifetimes, began to crumble under the onslaught of the expensive liquor and his unwavering, heated attention.

A reckless, giddy courage bubbled up inside her, making her feel invincible and desirable.

She set her empty glass down with a definitive click and stood up, her movements slightly less steady than before but no less determined.

"Dance with me," she demanded, her words slightly slurred but her intent crystal clear.

Huo Ting Cheng raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"There’s no music."

"There’s always music," she countered, swaying slightly on her feet, the motion making her look both vulnerable and alluring.

She held out her hand, palm up, waiting.

"The waves. Can’t you hear it? The rhythm?"

He could deny her nothing in this state, bold and uninhibited, showing him a side of herself he’d never seen.

He stood, far more steady than she, and took her hand.

He didn’t pull her into a formal dance hold.

Instead, he simply drew her into his arms, letting her rest her head against his chest as she began to move to a rhythm only she could hear, her body swaying against his.

It was less a dance and more a slow, sensual swaying.

Her body melted against his, fitting perfectly into the spaces of him, her hands sliding up his back, her face buried in the crook of his neck where she could smell his cologne and the clean scent of his skin.

She was warm, pliant, and utterly intoxicating.

"You taste like wine," he murmured into her hair, his arms tightening around her, one hand splaying wide across her lower back.

She tilted her head back, her eyes heavy-lidded and dark with renewed desire.

"So do you."

This time, when their lips met, it was not a battle for control or a hesitant exploration.

It was a conflagration.

The last vestiges of restraint burned away by the alcohol and the raw need that had been simmering between them all night, never truly satisfied, only temporarily sated.

Her kiss was hungry, desperate, all tongue and teeth and muffled whimpers against his mouth.

His hands slid down her back, cupping her rear through the clothes she’d put back on and pulling her flush against the hard evidence of his renewed arousal.

She gasped into his mouth, her hips grinding instinctively against his in a primal, unmistakable rhythm that needed no translation.

"Upstairs," she panted, breaking the kiss, her breath coming in ragged bursts, eyes wild with want.

"Now. I need... now."

A dark, possessive gleam flashed in his eyes, something primal and satisfied at her desperate need for him.

He didn’t answer with words.

In one fluid, powerful motion, he bent and scooped her up into his arms, cradling her against his chest as if she weighed nothing at all.

Tang Fei let out a startled squeal that quickly turned into a throaty laugh, her arms looping around his neck, holding on.

"I could have walked," she protested weakly, though she made no move to get down, instead nuzzling closer.

"I know," he said, his voice a low rumble as he carried her out of the living room and toward the sweeping staircase that led to the upper floor.

"But this is faster. And I don’t want to wait."

He took the stairs two at a time, his hold on her unbreakable, muscles flexing with the effort but showing no strain.

She nuzzled his neck, her lips and teeth leaving a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses along his skin, tasting salt and man.

"Hurry," she whispered, her voice thick with want, her teeth grazing his earlobe.

He shouldered open the door to the master bedroom, a vast, shadowy space illuminated only by the moonlight streaming through the wall of windows that overlooked the ocean.

The sea roared below, a wild soundtrack to their wild night, waves crashing against rocks in a rhythm that matched their racing hearts.

He didn’t take her to bed immediately.