Eli Crane hadn't even finished his sentence before Ivy Shen silenced him with a kiss.
Outside, the lightning kept flashing and the rain kept pouring, but inside, the two of them were anything but cooled off—in fact, the temperature in the room was steadily climbing.
Ivy had always thought his scent was only on his skin, but she was wrong—his mouth had a sweet undertone of fritillaria, and the moment their teeth met, a fresh fragrance swept over her, making her dizzy with longing. Like a greedy child, she tangled her lips and tongue with his, refusing to let go.
Eli Crane had grown up at the bottom of the valley and knew next to nothing about romance. Even the books Aiden gave him were just stories about love and lifelong devotion, not actual experience—so when it came to this, he was a total rookie.
But thanks to sheer male instinct, his reactions weren't all that clumsy.
A wicked smile curled at Ivy's lips—she looked just like a big bad wolf about to gobble up a helpless little lamb. That thought made her tighten her arms around his neck, demanding even deeper kisses.
She liked this man. She'd liked him from the very first glance.
He was calm as a breeze, dressed in flowing white, endlessly gentle—basically every girl's dream guy come to life.
And he was unbelievably good to her.
Her kiss was serious, grateful, and—most of all—completely satisfied.
Under Ivy's sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce guidance, Eli's breathing grew quicker. From shy and awkward, he suddenly went rough—finally, he took control.
He wanted to kiss her, to pour every ounce of strength into that kiss.
And so, a wild, intense kiss broke out between them.
They kissed so hard, so desperately, they almost ran out of air.
After a while, Eli reluctantly let go of her lips, and the moment he did, Ivy gulped in air like crazy.
Turns out, kissing really does make you short of breath. But honestly? She loved it.
Thunder rumbled outside, louder than before, and the lightning kept flashing, making the room flicker between bright and shadowy—mysterious and magical.
Eli was panting too, and with the frequent flashes, he could see her perfectly every time he leaned over.
Right now, her beautiful long lashes trembled, her chest rose and fell gracefully with each breath, and her jet-black hair spilled over the bed like a waterfall. A few strands, damp with sweat, stuck to her forehead and neck—but even so, her beauty made his breath catch and his heart race.
Ivy blushed under his gaze, dropping her lashes shyly. "Why are you staring at me like that? Uh... I'm going to sleep now!" She tried to grab the blanket, but the moment her hand touched it, he caught her.
"Don't move!" Eli gulped hard, then blurted, "You're really beautiful!"
Yeah, she was beautiful—so beautiful he couldn't look away, so beautiful it left him stunned.
Hearing that, Ivy's face turned bright red. She suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. Wait, was she getting kind of thirsty? Was it because she'd had experience before, so now she wanted it more?!
But seeing him look at her so seriously, with that smoldering gaze, made her heart itch all over.
This feeling was so sweet—almost too sweet to handle.
"No daydreaming!" Eli leaned down and brushed her lips, letting her know he wasn't pleased.
Seeing this, Ivy looked up at him, bit her lip, and said, "Eli... I just... maybe it's the wine, so, uh, maybe we should just sleep!" She really liked this man—a lot—but she was scared his body couldn't handle it.
"You don't want to?" Eli's face fell, just a little. Was it really just the wine talking?
Seeing Eli's slightly furrowed brows, Ivy quickly said, "No, no, that's not it! I... I'm just worried your body can't take it."
As soon as she said it, her face got all shy again. Ugh, did she really have to spell it out?
"Is that so?" Eli smiled, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Then let's test it—see who taps out first!" Then he kissed her again.
He loved how shy she got, loved how she worried about him.
But he knew he was fine—if he couldn't handle this, could he even call himself a man?
Ivy shivered at his words. He was way too good at making her blush, but she couldn't help kissing him back, over and over. Honestly, how could she resist when he was so handsome, smelled so good, and had eyes that drew her in? She tried to hold back, but in the end, she totally failed.
Turns out, being too handsome isn't always a good thing for a guy.
Their affection kept building, Ivy's eyes growing hazy. Her soft skin bloomed with pink plum blossoms wherever he touched. As they pressed close, body heat rising, the air between them filled with a tempting sweetness.
Then Eli let go of her lips and started kissing her hair, her earlobes, her eyelids, her cheeks.
It felt like no matter how much he kissed her, it was never enough.
"Eli..." Ivy's body was always super sensitive, and now, with Eli's careful, curious touch, she was starting to squirm.
"Xin'er..." His voice changed, clearly short of breath.
Ivy's face was burning red, her cheeks hot, her nose flaring slightly. Her soft lips parted, making her look extra alluring.
She knew exactly what his reaction meant, but still couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
Gulp. Eli swallowed hard again, struggling to keep his cool.
"Don't..." She really couldn't handle him staring, so Ivy tried to cover herself with both hands.
"Why cover up when you look this good?" he grumbled, clearly displeased.
"Stop it, don't look at me like that!" Ivy fluttered her lashes, looking extra cute.
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"Xin'er looks so cute when she's shy," Eli said, breathing hard.
Ivy was so embarrassed she had no idea what to say. Sure, she'd made the first move, but she'd thought sweet, innocent Eli wouldn't know what to do—just a couple kisses, right? She never expected that, somewhere along the way, their clothes would magically vanish.
"Xin'er, is this okay?" Eli looked at her, waiting for her answer.
Seeing his longing gaze, Ivy's cheeks turned even redder. She nodded, quick and shy as a pecking chick. "Mm-hmm."
Hearing that, Eli pressed his lips to her skin once more...
Ivy's skin was baby-soft—smooth and pale as silk, making him want to linger forever.
"Eli..." Ivy couldn't help but moan softly again.
Eli paused and looked up at her. Ivy's cheeks were flushed, her breathing ragged, her eyes hazy—everything about her in that moment made his reason melt away. His burning gaze said he wouldn't be satisfied until he'd devoured her whole.
"Is your body really okay?" Ivy's voice trembled, making his Adam's apple bob uncontrollably.
"Silly girl!" he whispered, then kissed her lips again—hot as fire.
It was like tasting honey, like breathing in flowers—his kisses only grew wilder, and her breathing got heavier and heavier...
In that instant, Ivy felt like she was about to fall apart...
Finally, she couldn't help it—she clung to his back and gasped, "Eli..."
Eli looked up at Xin'er beneath him, eyes brimming with tenderness.
"Eli... I... I want..." She finally blurted it out, instantly so embarrassed she wanted to disappear.
Eli just smiled, gently pulling her hands away from her gorgeous face. "Even my Xin'er gets shy?"
"Stop it!" Ivy turned her head away, awkwardly staring at the blanket.
Seeing that, Eli stopped teasing and showed her with actions how much he wanted her.
In that moment, they gave themselves to each other, twining together like fish—caught up, swept away...