Rules of the Night

“Have you ever kissed a stranger?” “No.” “Then do you want to try doing something else you’ve never done?” A damp voice clung to her ear. He was asking for permission, yet his tone suggested he already knew the answer. Jian met his eyes and let out a ragged breath. “Do it.” Jian’s life had always been an unbroken chain of meticulous plans, preparation, and execution. The day the first crack formed in her flawless existence, she surrendered to a fierce impulse for the very first time. She hadn’t known then that a single deviation would create a dangerous, clandestine secret in her life. *** “Please speak comfortably. I’m your ‘disciple,’ after all.” At those two syllables, laden with unmistakable intent, her blood ran cold. His gaze swept slowly and deliberately over her reddened cheeks, ears, and the nape of her neck—more sensual than any caress she had ever known. “Don’t waver because of me. The moment I catch even a hint that you’re wavering, I’ll never let you go.” “……” “I don’t care if you lose everything by being with me. If our lives have to crash straight to the bottom for me to have you, I’ll simply let them fall.” Like prey caught in a snare, her weaknesses lay fully exposed before him, and heat pooled low inside her. A low voice resonated from dangerously close, as if brushing against her pale throat. “So do your absolute best to hide it.”