4

Flashback

“Which do you prefer?” I asked Niu. He was usually the one who picked his ties, but today I made an effort to appear just a little interested in him—even if I was annoyed with him last night. Our relationship was a bit complicated. Being his wife had its pros and cons. As the CEO and successor of the empire, he was expected to sire an heir. He asked for it, his parents did too—but I really couldn’t bring myself to do it. And ever since I refused him, he changed.

He looked at the ties I was holding and raised an eyebrow at me. Maybe he was confused why I was suddenly attending to his needs like a devoted wife. I cringed at the thought.

“The blue one,” he answered. He went back to his work and I let him be. He said he was going out of town again for a project presentation in Hong Kong and would be gone for a week.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” I said to him before walking off. I glanced at the clock mounted on the wall—it was already past eight in the morning. I remembered Sebastian—maybe he was already awake.

I always felt uncomfortable whenever that man was around. I didn’t know why, but whenever he was there, I always tried to avoid him. It’s like his presence exudes so much danger—he’s the predator and I’m his prey. That’s why every time there’s a reunion or a gathering with the Altamirano family, I always kept my distance. And it seemed like he noticed, because he’d subtly follow me around as if teasing me.

“Manang, please check—” I froze at what I saw. Broad, tattooed shoulders welcomed my vision. He was reaching for something in the cupboard, and the way the muscles in his back flexed as he moved shocked me. When he turned to face me, I gasped. His back was just the intro—what I saw in front was worse.

“Well, good morning my dear sister,” he greeted. The way he said "sister" sounded so sexy and inviting. I just stared at him, speechless from the shock. He never really talked to me much—especially not like that.

“You know, it’s free.” He grabbed a glass and poured orange juice. He sat on one of the counter stools, facing me.

“Huh?”

I couldn’t understand him. What did he mean it’s free? The orange juice?

He smirked and drank all the juice while his eyes stayed on me. From where I stood, I could clearly see the way his Adam’s apple moved. I wanted to punish myself for staring. After he emptied the glass, he put it on the counter and then spread his arms, like he was offering himself to me.

“It’s free to ogle. Drool even,” he said in a sexy tone.

My mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. I was pretty sure I looked like an overripe tomato. So embarrassing! He noticed I was staring at his body—that’s why he said that. I quickly turned my back to him and walked to the far end of the kitchen. I wanted to put as much distance between us as I could.

“Put some clothes on. You shouldn’t be walking around here naked.” I took the milk out of the fridge.

I hesitated to get a glass because the cabinet was close to him. I was about to go get one when he stood up and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. I froze. I thought it was for him, but then he walked over, grabbed the milk from my hand, and poured it into the glass. I was stunned when he offered it to me.

I looked at his veiny arms—every part of him screamed masculinity and dominance. Like he was born to rule and be worshipped. From his arms, my eyes traveled up to his face, and I forgot to breathe when his eyes met mine. They were hypnotic, pulling me into the deepest part of his mind.

He raised an eyebrow when I didn’t take the glass. His arm was still extended, holding the milk. I swallowed hard and forced myself to take the glass from him. I quickly drank the milk and placed the empty glass on the counter.

“T-thanks,” I muttered. I was about to leave when he suddenly grabbed my right arm. I immediately looked at him—and at the hand holding me. A surge of tingling sensation enveloped my entire body. What shocked me more was I had never felt that kind of spark when Niu touched me. This was the first time I’d ever felt something like it.

I tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. On my second try, he held me even more firmly. My chest hurt from my racing heartbeat—it felt like it was going to burst.

“Sebastian, please,” I begged.

He pushed me lightly, and I found myself cornered against the sink. His massive body towered in front of me, and we were so close I could feel the heat radiating from him.

“Niu is upstairs,” I told him. I planned to use it as a warning—that his brother was just upstairs and if someone saw us in this position, it would cause trouble.

But instead, he closed the distance between us even more, leaned over to my ear, and whispered breathily, “It’s fine. This won’t take a minute.”

My heart pounded harder when he pressed his body against mine and held my waist to keep me still. His hands were big and warm.

I wanted to scold myself for actually anticipating what he was about to do. He looked into my eyes, then his gaze dropped to my lips. I unconsciously licked them—and that made his expression darken, like he was hungry for something. He stayed focused on my lips before raising his hand to trace them with his thumb.

His touch was so warm against my trembling lips. I didn’t know if he noticed. He showed me his thumb—and my eyes widened when I saw the trace of milk. That meant he had wiped it off my lips.

I let out a relieved sigh when he finally stepped back and walked away from the kitchen. I held onto the edge of the sink for support—my knees had gone weak. I turned away and fanned myself.

“Claire,” he called.

He was standing by the door. He raised his hand and sucked his thumb—the same one he used to brush my lips.

I felt my core clench at the sight of him sucking his thumb. Images of licking and sucking stormed into my mind, making me even more sensitive down there. I pressed my thighs together to stop the heat I was feeling.

“It won’t be my thumb next time.” That’s all he said before walking out of the kitchen.