Chapter 30. Do You Want to Sleep with Me?
2023.09.30.
He led Blair out onto the balcony. Following him with quick steps, Blair murmured as if talking to herself.
"What if that man from earlier is hurt badly..."
That voice brought Herdin to a halt. Anger flared up at the fact that even in this situation, she was worrying about Wesley's condition.
"Are you worrying about that bastard right now? What the hell did that son of a bitch say to you?"
"But, today is Mother's birthday banquet."
Now she was worried about Katrina. She didn't care about her own safety at all.
Herdin was about to say something, but a tactless hiccup escaped Blair's lips once again.
Hic. Hic. Hic...
The hiccups showed no signs of stopping. Even when Blair clamped her mouth shut, the sound still leaked out.
Now that he thought about it, the scent of alcohol wafted from her every time she breathed. Herdin's brows drew together.
"...Are you drunk?"
"I'm not drunk."
The answer came instantly. But now that he looked closer, her pronunciation was slightly slurred.
Herdin held up two fingers and asked,
"How many does this look like to you?"
Blair pouted.
"...You said you wouldn't doubt me."
Her uncharacteristic behavior was endearing, but Herdin didn't back down. Rather, it only made him more persistent.
"So how many does it look like?"
"Just hold still for a moment."
Swaying slightly, Blair suddenly grabbed his still hand with both of hers. Herdin froze for a moment, but Blair, seemingly oblivious, began to fiddle with his fingers.
Her small hands fidgeting with his fingers felt ticklish, but he didn't dislike the sensation.
Blair, who had been scrunching her pretty brows in concentration just to count two fingers, finally gave her answer.
"It's two."
Her tone implied, *Did you really think I wouldn't know this?*
Herdin burst into laughter, his two fingers still held by her. The filthy mood that had consumed him when he slammed Wesley to the floor earlier was long forgotten.
His drunken wife tilted her head with a remarkably serious expression, as if she couldn't fathom why he was laughing. All the while, her hiccups persisted.
As another bout of hiccups began, Blair furrowed her brows in frustration and patted her chest.
Watching her with eyes brimming with amusement, Herdin asked,
"Shall I stop them for you?"
Blair blinked up at him in bewilderment. In a flash, his face drew close.
*Peck.*
Something warm and soft touched her lips and pulled away. Blair's eyes blinked slowly, unable to process what had just happened.
Herdin smirked at the sight of her wide, rabbit-like eyes.
"Your hiccups stopped."
His languid baritone struck Blair's heart a beat late.
Hearing her own heartbeat ringing loudly in her ears, Blair looked up at Herdin with bewildered eyes. She couldn't understand why this man was acting like this toward her.
*You don't like me. You're not supposed to.*
She hated how he kept slipping through her defenses and shaking her resolve like this. She didn't want to be swayed. It was agonizing to have her heart pounding against her own will.
Blair came to her own conclusion regarding the meaning of his actions.
"Do you want to sleep with me?"
This man—whatever else he might dislike about me, he certainly enjoyed my body.
Yes, that had to be it. It had to be nothing more than that.
Of course, had she been sober, she would have never let such words leave her mouth.
At her words, all traces of amusement vanished from Herdin's face. His gaze turned icy cold, much like it had been once before.
Herdin let out a hollow laugh.
His wife had been treating him like a beast consumed by lust. But it wasn't entirely incorrect. After all, his head was filled with nothing but filthy fantasies about her.
"...And if I do?"
"You said we would consummate our marriage twice a month. We still have one time left, so if you want it, whenever..."
In other words, she was offering to graciously give him her body if he so desired. There was not a single ounce of her own feelings or desires in those words.
Such an attitude grated on Herdin's nerves. Yet ironically, the moment Blair's permission fell from her lips, his desire surged with anticipation—entirely distinct from the wretched mood that had momentarily dragged him down.
Was there any reason to refuse a woman who was offering herself to him?
He desired her, she was his wife on paper at the very least, and she was saying she wouldn't reject him.
There was no issue with him satisfying his desires. None at all.
Herdin led Blair into a nearby room. Blair stumbled weakly as she was pulled along.
Herdin closed the door, trapping Blair between it and his own body. He pressed his lips to the slender wrist he had been holding and asked,
"Is it alright to do it here?"
As his lips moved against her skin, Blair's body flinched. The rise and fall of her soft chest, breathing heavily, was visible. Even that sight was beautiful.
Blair blinked blankly for a moment before slowly nodding. The moment her permission was granted, his large hand stroked its way up her waist.
At the same time, his lips peppered kisses along Blair's wrist and palm. He kissed the slender fingers that had so fearlessly traced and stimulated him earlier as well.
All the while, his eyes never left her. As if he intended to etch every single one of her tiny reactions into his gaze.
"Ah..."
Blair involuntarily twisted her body at the sensation of his hot, wet tongue grazing her wrist and palm.
It was merely kisses on her palm and wrist, yet a jolt of electricity ran through her lower belly. Perhaps it was because of his unwavering stare. Even though he wasn't stealing her breath, her breathing grew ragged.
As Blair clutched his arm with her free hand, at a loss for what to do, Herdin finally released her hand and pulled her in by the waist. Then, he buried his lips against the nape of her pale neck.
Pressed closely against him, she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Instantly, Blair's nerves stood on edge.
Blair tried to twist her body to escape, but he only tightened his embrace, pulling her flush against him. The more she squirmed, the more vividly she could feel him.
"Herdin..."
It was a call devoid of clear meaning—whether she was telling him to stop or begging for more.
Herdin interpreted her call to his own liking. Since she had called out to him with such a desperate voice, she must be goading him on.
Having tormented the tender flesh between her neck and collarbone with firm nips, Herdin consumed the very lips that had called his name.
As his hands roamed down her waist, Blair writhed and let out a moan. Her grip on his arm tightened.
Every time her breathless moans echoed in his ears, the sensations from their wedding night resurfaced. He felt as though he would go mad with the urge to take her right then and there.
He had been repeatedly sucking and releasing her petite lips, only pausing when he gently parted her lower lip and delved inside.
A sweet wine scent wafted through the parting of her lips, which offered no resistance. In that moment, the wretched feelings he had suppressed behind his desire reared their heads.
*Would this woman even remember what she was saying, or what she was doing right now?*
It was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over his head, cooling his mind instantly. It was a stark contrast to the raging desire that still wanted to lay her down and satiate his greed.
As he abruptly pulled his lips away, Blair opened her eyes.
"...Herdin?"
His reflection was captured in her hazy, violet eyes, clouded by the alcohol. Just looking into those eyes made him dizzy, as if he were the one getting drunk.
Herdin loosened his arms from around Blair's waist. Then, as if avoiding her gaze, he covered his own eyes with his hand. A pained sigh escaped through the gaps of his fingers.
After taking a moment to catch his breath and suppress his desires, he looked down at Blair and spoke.
"Come to think of it, this seems a little unfair."
"Unfair...?"
Even now, not entirely sober, Blair pursed her tiny lips and parroted his words.
The sight was so endearing it was almost absurd... and the way her flushed lips, still glistening with his saliva, moved was undeniably erotic. Damn it all.
Herdin gritted his teeth and spoke in a low, husky voice.
"Once you sober up, you're going to forget everything about today."
*I want you to remember every single thing.*
He wanted her to remember everything with a clear head, so that the sensations he had given her would be etched into her mind.
So that she couldn't help but think of him even at the slightest brush of a fingertip. So that she would have no choice but to instinctively react to him.
Blair blinked slowly as she looked up at him, then shuffled closer and buried her face in his chest, murmuring.
"Herdin, I'm sleepy..."
It didn't seem like she had heard a word he said. Or rather, it was more accurate to say she was in no state to hear him at all.
Herdin let out a laugh of disbelief, but still wrapped his arms around her small frame as she leaned into him for support.
He let out a heavy sigh and whispered in Blair's ear.
"...Brace yourself for when you wake up."