Caleb froze.
A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
’Ah... crap.’
He could practically feel her eyes burning holes into the side of his head.
"Well?" Naya pressed, her voice deceptively soft, but there was a sharp edge beneath it.
Caleb shifted uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to laugh it off. "I an... nothing really happened. We were stuck... in a tight space... and then she just kinda... you know, stumbled a bit, and—"
"Stumbled?" Naya arched a brow, sitting up slightly, her tiredness fading as her eyes narrowed in the dark. "You expect to believe that Helene—who literally moves like a ballerina—stumbled?"
Caleb groaned under his breath. "Look, it wasn’t planned. She... may have accidentally... fallen on ."
Naya’s face darkened even more.
"Did you kiss?" she asked flatly, her voice dangerously calm.
"What? No!" Caleb shot upright, his hands raised in full defensive mode. "No kissing. None. Zero. I swear!"
’When did Naya get this protective...?’ Caleb thought nervously, forcing an awkward smile as he swallowed hard. ’If I tell her what actually happened in that elevator, she might actually slice off my dick this ti.’
Naya narrowed her eyes, studying his face with sharp suspicion.
For a tense mont, neither of them moved. Her eyes searched his, unblinking, her lips pressed into a tight, unreadable line.
Finally, she huffed and flopped back onto the bed, her arms crossed as she stared at the ceiling—clearly still stewing.
Caleb let out a small breath of relief but kept his mouth shut. He knew better than to push his luck right now.
Naya sat down quietly.
But her heart kept pounding.
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she beca—not just at Helene, but at herself. The very idea that soone else might get close to him made her chest feel tight.
She bit her lip, staring blankly at the ceiling.
After a tense silence, she suddenly sat up again, startling Caleb.
"I can’t," she muttered.
"Can’t what?" Caleb asked cautiously, eyes widening as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
"I can’t just sit back and let other girls throw themselves at you while I’m here like an idiot," she grumbled under her breath. "I need to make sure you don’t end up falling for soone else."
Her face was flushed deep red, her voice barely above a whisper, but the determination in her eyes was clear.
Caleb blinked in disbelief, a weird mixture of amusent, confusion, and panic swirling in his chest. "Wait—what are you even saying right now?"
"I an it," Naya said, moving to stand—only for her foot to catch awkwardly on the blanket. She let out a startled yelp as she tumbled backward—
Right on top of him.
"Ah—!" Caleb gasped as the full weight of her landed on his chest, knocking the air from his lungs.
There was a heartbeat of stunned silence.
Their eyes t.
Her face, flushed and wide-eyed, was re inches from his. His hands instinctively caught her waist, steadying her.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them breathed.
The soft warmth of her body pressed against his in the quiet dimness of the room. Her breathing was quick and uneven, her heart thudding so loudly that she was sure he could hear it.
"N-Naya—" Caleb began, his voice barely a whisper.
Naya’s body tensed the mont she landed on him, her hands bracing against his chest—but in her panic to push herself up, her palm accidentally slid lower.
Way lower.
Her fingers pressed right over sothing warm and very much alive beneath the thin layer of fabric.
Both of them froze.
A heartbeat of deafening silence.
Caleb’s eyes went wide, his breath catching sharply in his throat. Naya’s entire face went beet red as she slowly—painfully slowly—realized exactly where her hand was.
Her fingers twitched involuntarily, and Caleb twitched along with it.
’Oh no.’
’Oh my god.’
Their thoughts practically scread in unison.
"I—!" Naya yelped, her eyes flying open in horror as she jerked her hand back like she’d touched fire. "I didn’t an—I wasn’t—!"
Caleb let out a strained, awkward cough, one hand instantly covering his face as if that could sohow erase what had just happened. "It’s... It’s fine! Accidents happen!" he blurted, his voice cracking halfway through.
She scrambled, sitting upright on the bed, while facing him.
"God—I’m so sorry—I wasn’t thinking—!" she babbled, mortified.
Caleb let out a weak laugh, his own cheeks flushed bright red as he tried to recover. "Yeah... yeah, totally... normal accident... I’m fine," he mumbled, though his voice ca out embarrassingly high-pitched at the end.
For a mont, neither of them could look at each other.
The air between them practically vibrated with secondhand embarrassnt, but beneath it was sothing else—sothing electric.
When Naya finally peeked through her fingers, she caught Caleb watching her with an amused, if slightly dazed, expression.
And then—unexpectedly—she laughed.
The sound ca out shaky at first, but soon it was a soft, breathless giggle that she couldn’t hold back.
Caleb blinked, then laughed too, running a hand through his hair as the awkward tension broke just slightly.
"You were saying sothing about making sure I don’t fall for other girls?" he teased gently, shooting her a side glance.
Naya groaned, "Don’t remind ."
"Look on the bright side," Caleb smirked, leaning back against the pillow. "At least you left a strong impression."
"Ugh—!" Naya groaned louder, but despite herself, she smiled.
Her face was still burning, her heart still racing, but sothing about the mont felt lighter—closer.
"...Caleb?" Naya murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah?" Caleb replied, turning his head slightly toward her.
There was a long pause. The weight of the mont settled between them, thick with tension and unspoken feelings.
Naya still hadn’t moved her hand from where it had accidentally brushed against him earlier, and the awkward heat of the contact lingered in the air.
And Naya’s hand gracefully moved over the surface, stroking it gently.
Caleb swallowed hard, unsure whether to speak or stay silent. His heart pounded in his chest.
"You’re really an idiot sotis," Naya whispered, her voice barely audible. "I... I don’t want to share you with anyone."
Her fingers curled slightly, wrapping his mber in her hands, more in frustration than intention, but the subtle movent sent a shiver through Caleb’s entire body.
His breath caught.
"I’m not even sure I can have you all to myself," she admitted, her voice softening, eyes flickering with a mix of vulnerability and frustration. "But even if I can’t... I still want to be the one you look at first."
Her words struck sothing deep inside him. He could see the determination in her eyes, the trembling resolve of soone afraid of losing sothing precious.
"Naya..." Caleb started, but she pressed a hand gently against his chest, pushing him back lightly so his head rested against the headboard.
Her face was close now—closer than before. He could see every detail: the soft glow of her skin in the dim light, the way her lashes fluttered, the slight trembling in her breath.
"You don’t have to say anything," she murmured, her voice unsteady but resolute. "I know things are complicated... I know you’re carrying more than you let on. But right now... I just want to be with you. Just... this mont."
She unzipped his trousers and instantly, his dick sprang out as if released from it’s restraint.
Caleb looked at her, utterly at a loss for words.
A swirl of emotions churned inside him—guilt, confusion, sothing dangerously close to longing.
He didn’t know how to react to the raw vulnerability she was showing him.
He felt... undeserving.
How could he tell her the truth?
That when all of this began, she had been nothing more than a stepping stone—his ticket to fortune.
How could he explain that he didn’t even know how many more won fate might tie him to before this twisted ga with X was over?
And yet here she was.
"I don’t care what you’ve done," Naya said softly, her voice barely a whisper but steady with conviction.
"As long as you stay by my side... as long as I’m the one standing closest to you... then I can handle it."
Her eyes held his without wavering, and for a mont, Caleb felt the breath catch in his throat.
Before he could say a word, Naya leaned in.
She held it tightly in her grasp. Her fingers trembled, but she didn’t stop. The warmth of her touch made his body tense, his mind race.
"Naya..." he murmured, uncertain—half-warning, half-plea.
But she hushed him with a soft glance, her glossy pink lips parting open and then—
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[A/N: Great thanks to these few who have been a great support to the work so far!
AuraNova
Jason_Joy
George_Grigorov
Darkness_19
Y’all are amazing readers! Thanks for the support so far! Sorry for the long wait for Chapters, updates will resu soon... Was having exams]
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