JAY JAY POV
We somehow ended up in his room, the door clicking shut behind us as the muffled sounds of the party downstairs faded into a dull hum. The tension from the patio hadn't disappeared; it had just transformed into something much more dangerous.
We were still kissing, stumbling toward the edge of his bed in the dimly lit room. My head was spinning, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"Wear the nightdress Ci-N gave you," Keifer murmured against my lips, his voice dropping into that dark, command-heavy register that always made my resolve crumble.
"Gago, no," I breathed, despite the way my body was betraying me. The thought of that sheer red silk was enough to make my face flare up all over again.
Keifer didn't skip a beat. He leaning in, his kisses becoming deeper, more urgent, trailing from my lips to the hollow of my throat. "You're using way too much profanity today, Mutya. I think we need to skip the basic kisses and add something a little more substantial to the punishment."
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes dark with an intensity that made the air in the room feel paper-thin.
"Yeah? Like what?" I challenged, my voice trembling as I reached up to pull him closer, my fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck.
He didn't answer with words at first. He just let out a low, rough smirk that sent a shiver straight down my spine—the kind of look that promised I was completely in over my head.
"Wear the nightdress," he whispered, his lips brushing against my ear as his grip on my waist tightened, pulling me flush against him. "And baby, I'll show you exactly why you wouldn't want to leave this room tomorrow morning."
I swallowed hard, my lungs suddenly forgetting how to function. He was the most arrogant, territorial, and frustrating guy I had ever met, but in the shadows of his room—with his secrets still hovering between us—I found myself wanting to see exactly what he meant.
I felt the heat rising, the magnetic pull of him almost too much to resist, but I planted my hands firmly against his chest and gave him a sharp push. I leaned in one last time, capturing his lips in a lingering kiss that was more of a "not today" than a "not ever."
"I don't think we're going that far," I whispered against his mouth, my voice breathy but firm.
I could feel his heart thudding against my palms, vibrating with that restless, territorial energy he always directed at me. The smirk didn't leave his face, but it softened into something slightly more restrained—though the hunger in his eyes stayed exactly where it was.
"No?" Keifer murmured, his hands still resting heavily on my waist, refusing to let go completely.
"No," I countered, trying to regain my composure even as my skin still prickled from his touch. "You still haven't told me the secrets, remember? You don't get the nightdress and the secrets, Keifer. Pick one."
He let out a low, frustrated huff, his forehead dropping to rest against mine. The arrogance was still there, but under the dim lights of his room, I could see the conflict in his expression. He wanted me—that much was painfully obvious—but he was still guarding whatever was happening behind the scenes of Section E.
"Fine," he growled, steal stealing a quick, biting kiss from my shoulder that made me jump. "But don't think this means your 'punishment' is cancelled, Jay-Jay. I'm just adding interest to the debt."
I rolled my eyes, though my heart was still doing a frantic victory lap. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Now, move. I'm going back to my room before you actually manage to convince me."
I turned to make my escape, but I didn't even make it two steps. Before I could even reach for the door handle, Keifer's hand shot out, grabbing my waist and pulling me back with a force that left me breathless. In one swift, blur-like motion, he spun me around and pinned me back against the mattress, his heavy frame hovering over mine.
The air in the room suddenly felt ten times hotter.
"Yeah? And what exactly will convince you, Jay-Jay?" Keifer murmured, his voice dropping into that dark, dangerously low vibration.
He didn't wait for an answer. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his lips pressing against the sensitive skin there in a way that made my toes curl. His hands were braced on either side of my head, locking me in, leaving me nowhere to run.
"Stop," I gasped, though my hands were instinctively bunching up the fabric of his shirt, pulling him even closer instead of pushing him away.
"You say stop, but your heart is screaming something else," he whispered against my skin, his breath hitching as he trailed a path of biting kisses up toward my ear.
I felt my resolve melting like wax.
"Keifer, I'm serious," I managed to say, though it came out more like a whimper.
He pulled back just enough to look me in the eye, his smirk returning—lethal and completely self-assured. "I'm serious too. You're not leaving this room until I'm satisfied that I'm the only thing on your mind. Not Yuri, not the guys... just me."
He leaned down and kissed me, and like the total idiot I am, I kissed him back.
But this wasn't the usual "letting-him-win" kind of kiss. It was aggressive. It was angry. Maybe it was the frustration of Yuri's confession, or the weight of the secrets he was hiding, or just the sheer arrogance of him thinking he could distract me with a few touches—but something in me snapped.
Normally, he's the one leaving marks and giving me hickeys to mark his territory. Today? Today, it was my turn.
Even I was surprised by the sudden surge of adrenaline. I shifted under him, pulling him down by his collar and burying my face in the crook of his neck. I didn't hold back. I bit his neck, sharp and demanding, before moving down to the hard line of his collarbone. I wanted to leave a mark he couldn't hide—a reminder that he wasn't the only one who could play this game.
Keifer let out a low, rough groan that vibrated through my entire body. His grip on the bedsheets tightened, his knuckles turning white as he arched his back slightly, caught off guard by the sudden change in my energy.
"I didn't know I had a vampire under me," Keifer rasped, his voice thick and strained as I pressed a lingering, stinging kiss against his collarbone.
I pulled back just enough to see the reddening mark I'd left on his tan skin. I looked him dead in the eye, my breathing heavy, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at the dazed look on his face. He looked wrecked, and for once, I was the one holding the cards.
"That's for the secrets," I whispered, my voice sounding more confident than I felt. "And for thinking you're the only one who gets to be territorial."
Keifer didn't move for a second, just stared at me like I was a puzzle he was finally starting to solve. Then, a slow, dark chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Careful, Mutya. You keep acting like that and I might never let you out of this bed."
I saw the dazed, wrecked look on his face and took my chance. Before he could even process what had just happened—or try to reclaim his "territory"—I shoved him back with all my strength. I scrambled off the bed, ignored his low groan of protest, and bolted for the connecting door.
I didn't just close it; I slammed it and threw the lock with a satisfying click. Then, just to be safe, I marched over to my main bedroom door and locked that one too.
Peace. Finally.
I collapsed onto my bed, my heart finally slowing down from that high-speed chase of emotions. I was exhausted—physically and mentally. The red silk nightdress was still sitting in its box on the floor, a silent reminder of the chaos downstairs, but I didn't even have the energy to glare at it.
As I pulled the covers up to my chin, I couldn't help but grumble about my brother. Jare didn't even let me have a single drink tonight. He's such a buzzkill. He kept lecturing me about how alcohol might trigger my asthma or mess with my meds, hovering over me like a hawk every time someone passed me a cup.
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