Hyung licked his lips as he traced her curves with one hand. His fingertips moved from her waist down to her hip and behind her, where it cupped one of her cheeks and squeezed it gently. Talia inhaled sharply just as he closed the distance between them again. He was kissing her again, pushing her towards the bed. She felt the edge of the mattress against her leg before she collapsed onto it, with Hyung on top. He was crushing her with his weight, even though he was supporting most of it himself. His tongue was massaging hers, curling around it while his fingers pinched her nipples. Electric shots ran through her body as his tongue trailed down her neck and to where his hand had been. She tugged at his hair as she arched her back, giving him more access to her chest.
He spread her legs apart and positioned himself between her legs, the bulge in his pants pressed against her. She bit her lip as her fingers reached the button of his pants. It was a wonder how she managed to undo them, given how shaky she was. Soon, his pants joined the pile of clothes on the floor of the guest room. She gasped at his size, her hand moved up and down him. He groaned under the effect of her gesture, but he didn’t get too distracted. He continued his trail down her body, until he was dangerously low.
His lips kissed her inner thigh, teasing her. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. She couldn’t wait until he was inside her, she wasn’t sure how long she would be able to take his teasing. She'd never been that crazy to be with someone. She’d never felt that deep desire to become one with someone. It scared her how much she needed him, how much her body craved him.
She suddenly felt his touch in her center. His fingertips brushed against her core. The strokes were gentle and constant at first. He looked her in eye as he massaged her, pleased to see the reaction he was receiving. She muffled a moan against the back of her hand.
He smirked and inserted two fingers inside her. They moved inside her with careful moves. Pleasure was bottling in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes, her hip moved in sync with his hand. She was so close to exploding, so close to letting out all the colors and sparks that had accumulated inside her.
Then, he stopped. He removed his hand, leaving her cold and lonely. She meant to stand up, to return the favor and make him feel the same rush of emotion she’d felt. But he stopped her. Without a word he shook his head and made her lay on her back again.
“Today is about you,” he whispered as he came to kiss her again. His words lingered on his lips, she kissed them, feeling their meaning deep inside. Small things like those made her realize he truly cared, that he didn’t just throw out empty words to get inside her pants.
As they kissed she felt him. He’d positioned himself at her center, his head poked her, just before he thrust in for the first time. All the things she’d been feeling intensified. They’d doubled. All the pleasure and the lust and the desire was suddenly ten times stronger. She saw nothing but him, in a dark world. But it was enough. All she needed was him. He was enough to fill her, to make her feel whole and alive.
Chapter 9
“Honey, I’m going to miss you!” Talia’s mother exclaimed as she buried her in a deep hug.
“I’ll miss you too mom. But you and dad promised to come and visit me in a couple of weeks. Don’t even think I forgot about that,” Talia warned as she pulled back, her finger pointing at both of them. Her dad chuckled and nodded before he took her mother’s place.
She was a grown woman now, an adult in all its meaning, but it was still hard when it came to leaving home. Tears pricked her eyes, blurring her vision as she realized she wouldn’t be seeing the two for a while. She wished life hadn’t thrown her so far away from them. But, life was what it was, and she couldn’t complain about it. At least she was luckier than others. Being in another city was far easier than being overseas.
“I wish you could stay more.”
“Unfortunately, my workaholic boss...” Talia trailed off as she eyed Hyung in a playful way. “Decided that having an important meeting before New Years would be fine. We have to go and prepare for that.” It was true, their meeting was in two days. “Besides, Hyung has this official New Years party to attend. As his secretary I have to be there as well,” she sighed.
“I guess you have to go,” her mom sighed. “Take care, sweetie. And Hyung, you better not overwork my girl like that,” she warned. She tried to pull on a straight and serious face, but anyone could see that it was nothing but an act. Hyung had gotten to both her parents, in just a few days they’d both come to love him more than any other person Talia had brought home. And she hadn’t even introduced him as anything but her boss.
“Don’t worry. I’ll treat her well.” Hyung was referring to Kayla’s statement, however, Talia couldn’t help but read in between the lines. She felt the heavy meaning behind the words, and it made her heart flutter. After their night together, Hyung and Talia hadn’t really discussed their relationship. They hadn’t had the time. However, now that they were leaving, they were bound to finally have the conversation. She wondered what will happen. She was still his secretary, still his employee and way below his status. Was he ready to overlook all that he believed in and all that society wanted for him just to be with her? Was she ready to enter his world? Talia wasn’t sure about anything, but she knew that when the moment came, all the answers would reveal themselves.
“Just so you know, I added two extra jam jars for Hyung. So don’t be selfish and take them all!” her mother warned as they got inside the car.
“Yes, yes!”
“Thank you!” Hyung said above the sound of the engine. “Thank you for everything! I’ll be waiting your visit!”
Before either of them knew it, Talia and Hyung were once again on the road. They sped down the rows of houses, leaving behind the two people waving at them. Talia bit her lip, hoping that it would stop the tears from falling. Her heart sank, seeing the vanishing images of her parents. It wasn't until a few minutes later, when they were already exiting her neighborhood, that Talia gathered herself. She straightened her back and tied her hair in a messy bun. She crossed her legs beneath her and put on a soft song in the background. She was once again ready for the long trip.
“I guess we’re back to work, huh?” Talia said once they were out of her city. “Tomorrow we’ll have to prepare for your presentations. I also have to send confirmation emails for—”
“How about we postpone the meeting,” Hyung suddenly said, taking her by surprise. Talia frowned and turned to look at him, unsure of what he meant. “I want to take you somewhere.”
“But the meeting; you said it’s important we have it as soon as possible.”
“Postponing it a few days won’t make much of a difference. Besides, they did it before, it’s time I pay them back.” He chuckled. It was weird, seeing Hying put his job second. He was usually all about business. He'd recently joined the textile market, so it was important he went in as strong as possible. He needed to show people that his decision had been the right one. “So, do you want to go somewhere? Or are you homesick?”
“Where do you want to go?” Talia asked. She still wasn’t sure what was going on. Having a getaway with Hyung seemed like such a surreal thing.
“The mountain? I kind of got used to a cozy fire and some hot chocolate.” He smiled. There was something different about Hyung. He wasn’t his stiff self anymore. His eyes weren’t as dull as they had once been. They seemed...happy.
“Let’s do it! I would love to see the great and all-mighty Hyung give up work to go have fun,” Talia chuckled.
“You make me sound like a workaholic!”
“You are one!”
“What makes you think that?” he exclaimed as he took a turn, no longer driving on the highway that lead back home.
“Let’s see...” Talia trailed off as she tapped a finger against her chin trying to pretend that she was thinking. “You work on weekends, you wanted to have a meeting before New Year’s eve. You—”
“Okay, okay. I get i
t,” he interrupted before she could continue. Talia chuckled and sank deeper into her chair.
“So, since you're all fun now, are you ready for another round of Karaoke?”
“Bring it on.”
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Talia wrapped her arms around herself. It was colder there, but beautiful nonetheless. When they’d arrived snow had begun falling, it fell from the sky in swirls of small snowflakes. Everything was white, as far as the eye could see. The snow, however, wasn’t like the muddy city one. The one that had been stepped on way too many times. It was white and untouched, only a few pairs of footsteps visible every once in a while. They’d parked the car at the beginning of the road, where the rows of wooden cabins ended. They did that partially because they were still unsure of where they were going to stay, and because driving through that snow would have been both a hassle and possibly dangerous.
“Are you sure we’ll find a room to rent?” Talia asked. “It’s Christmas, I’m sure a lot of people came to spend it here.”
“This place may be nice, but not a lot of people know about it. I doubt they even have enough guests.” Hyung shook his head as he looked over his shoulder at her.
“How do you know about it?” She rose a brow as a shiver ran down her spine.
“You’re cold.” Hyung said before he even came close to answering her question. She was about to shake her head, although it was pretty obvious she was freezing. Hyung didn’t wait for her head-shake, or maybe he hadn’t been waiting on an answer at all. He suddenly paused, one of his hands came to wrap around her, puling her closer to him. She was now close to him, and although the gesture didn’t help much, Hyung’s presence alone made the cold vanish. The simple fact that her body was now pressing around his, his mere touch, was enough to make her blood heat. She stopped shivering almost immediately. She froze for a second, her body tensed under his arm. She wasn’t used to this, to them being so open about how they felt. But she soon recovered. Her body relaxed and her hand, too, wrapped around his torso.
“I came here once, after my father died. I had just inherited everything and they were going to announce me stepping up as chairman. There was a lot of pressure on me, so I needed a getaway. I didn’t stay here too long, but it did me well.”
“It must have been hard. You didn’t even have time to properly mourn.”
“It was. But I owed it to him. He did so much for me, the least I could do was keep the family name thriving. We needed to show the world that my father’s company was still strong.”
“Do you know anything about your biological family?” Talia didn’t know where she got the courage to ask about that, but she did. She’d thought about it before, she’d wondered many times about the details behind Hyung’s adoption.
“They're both alive. They didn’t have any special circumstances, they just didn’t want me.” Hyung shrugged. “They tried to contact me once, but they didn’t ask to see me, they just asked for money.”
Talia couldn’t even imagine how awful that must have been. To have someone’s own parents only seek them for money. Talia could slowly see a bigger picture. Maybe his fitting in insecurities weren’t only related to his nationality. Maybe it was due to a deeper trauma, such as the one of being rejected by his own parents. She knew it would be hard to mend such deep wounds, but she hoped she would be able to. Hyung was such a great guy, he had a kind heart and a brave soul, he didn’t deserve feeling insecure.
“What happened after they called?” Talia asked.
“I gave them the money. But I made it clear I don’t want to speak to them. It took me a while, but I understood that family isn’t who’s related to you by blood. My parents gave me everything, and they never forced me to give them anything in return. They even made sure I kept my Korean roots, because they knew how important it would be to me.”
They then fell into silence. They walked like that up the imaginary road, their feet struggling to make it through the snow. But, their walk soon came to an end, when they came to stop in front of the last cabin. It wasn’t as grand and as big as the others. It had a more traditional vibe to it, with the small twinkling lights that draped from the windowpanes and down the roof. The lights twinkled even under the dim red light of the twilight.
“Let’s hurry inside,” Hyung said as he pointed towards the wooden steps.
The inside of the cottage was as simple as the outside. Everything was made out of wood, of the same bright mahogany. Inside, it smelled like burnt wood and lemon cookies. She smiled as she looked around. She felt Hyung’s eyes on her, they followed her, admired her in the same way she was admiring the design.
“I knew you would like it,” he chuckled.
“What’s not to like.” She breathed out as she resumed her walk towards the reception.
“I'm sure most of the people I know would object. They would trade this humble coziness for red carpets and extravagant jacuzzis.”
“Hello!” A foreign voice suddenly interrupted them. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you. I didn’t think anyone would come today!”
Talia turned to meet an older woman. She was probably in her late sixties. Her grizzled hair fell in layers over her shoulders, covering the metallic rims of her glasses. She smiled at them warmly, her brown eyes twinkling with excitement. Hyung must have been right. Not a lot of people knew about that haven. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. While it meant bad business for the owners, it kept the place more quiet and private.
“Hello,” Hyung greeted. “Do you happen to have any empty rooms?”
“But of course, dear! We only have one person staying over! I doubt anyone will show up until New Year’s eve,”the woman said, she was so sweet. There was something about the way she talked and gestured that made Talia immediately grow fond of her.
“You can rent one of the rooms, but feel free to use the entire house as you please!” she said as she hurried towards the reception. Talia and Hyung followed, wide smiles tugging at the corners of their lips. “By the way, you look familiar,” she said as she adjusted her glasses.
“I stayed here before.” Hyung smiled. The woman thought for a moment, and then all the confusion vanished. Her lips formed a large ‘o’ as the memory of who he was hit her.
“I remember you. You helped me chop the wood!” she exclaimed. “Your boyfriend is a really nice guy. You’re one lucky girl.”
Talia’s instinct was to object. She almost chocked on thin air because of the woman’s words. She wasn’t sure what to answer, her only response was a smile. But, Hyung had something to say, something that made her heart stop.
“I’m the lucky one.”
The woman smiled and nodded. While Talia processed his words, and struggled to recover from the way her body had reacted to that, Hyung paid for their room. The woman informed them that dinner would be ready soon and then left them be. Talia followed Hyung silently up the stairs. He seemed to know the place really well. She wondered what he’d done there, all alone.
“I’ve never been to a place like this,” Talia said as they climbed up the stairs. She hadn’t, but she’d always wanted to.
Upstairs, there were four bedrooms. There was also a large sitting area with a fireplace and a shelf full of worn books. The Christmas tree was still up, placed between the two green couches. While she admired the place, Hyung opened the door to their room, the sound of the key filling the silence. She wondered if they were going to meet the other guest soon. They were probably goin
g to have dinner together, so she could only hope the guest was as friendly as their host.
The bedroom wasn’t big. It was modest too. With a double bed situated against one of the walls, and a dresser across from it. There was a tall vintage mirror in a corner, along with a hanger and an armchair. There was an attached bathroom too, with a vintage bathtub against one wall.
“Do you like it?” Hyung asked as he came to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his breath fanned her neck. She closed her eyes and nodded. She wondered if she would ever get used to being so close to him, if his touch would ever stop making her head swoon.
“I love it,” she whispered, her voice breaking when his lips touched the base of her neck.
Slowly, she turned, her hands snaked around his neck. Her eyes settled on him, smiling as widely as her lips were.
“I still can’t believe any of this is real,” she confessed. “I've liked you for a while, but I never thought anything would happen between us. You seemed so out of reach. Everything happened so fast, I—” she wasn’t sure how to explain what she was feeling. It was all so overwhelming and new for her. But she believed he understood what she meant.
“I know,” he said as he brushed a strand of brown hair from her face. “But I’m glad this finally happened. We were only teasing and hurting ourselves.” It was true. They’d lied to themselves for so long, and that had done no good.
Talia smiled and cupped his face. Her hand was cold, unlike his warm cheek. Despite the coolness of her skin, he didn’t flinch or move. On the contrary, he placed his hand on top of hers, pressing it tighter on his cheek. They stayed like that until she reached to kiss him. Until his lips collided with hers. The kiss was slow and tender, gradually increasing. They weren’t in a rush. On the contrary, they were eager to enjoy each other's presence to the fullest.
The Asian One: BWAM, Asian Man, Billionaire Romance (Relatives From Money Book 5) Page 9
