She had agonized over what to bring him, rejecting Mirian’s suggestions and finally settling on giving him her last fruits, despite her love for them. The thought of him smiling as he received her gift had motivated her, but now, seeing the tray already laden with an assortnt of fruits, including juicy apples that had just co into season - yet expensive, her gesture felt redundant and thoughtless.
Seeing Reana’s eyes had turned colder, Ryder imdiately understood what thoughts were going through her. He grasped her hands in his, his eyes locking onto hers with an intense seriousness. "They’re not mine," he denied in a heartbeat.
"I woke up to find them there. Perhaps they were brought in by Zeta Marcus." His grip on her hands tightened, as if he feared she might pull away, his gaze burning with a desire to reassure her.
As the silence stretched on, Ryder’s anxiety grew. He bent forward, the sudden movent pulling at his wound, but he ignored the pain, making no sound. His hands closed around the basket of fruits she brought, and he lifted it off the floor and onto the bed. "These are mine, right?" he asked, his eyes searching Reana’s face for any hint of emotion.
However, Reana continued to stare at him, her expression unreadable, but the coldness in her eyes had decreased considerably.
Ryder’s lips pressed together in a thin line. "I heard the kitchen staff ntion that your fruit storage was almost exhausted, yet you brought these..." His voice trailed off, and a beautiful smile spread across his lips. "That’s because you see differently, don’t you, My Luna?"
He paused, his gaze locking onto hers, filled with a deep sincerity. "So, how can I not cherish your gift with my life? I could easily die without–"
"Ryder!" Reana exclaid, her hand flying out to slap his arm. That word again!
Ryder chuckled, his chest vibrating with the sound, eyes sparkling with mirth. Reana’s cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink as she watched him, relieved that he appreciated the gift. She had been rendered speechless earlier, unsure of how to respond to his thoughtful words, and had simply frozen, her emotions swirling beneath the surface.
He plucked a banana from the selection and carefully peeled it open, his eyes locked on Reana’s as he said, "I heard the rchants broke their deal with our pack. You can’t start your day without fresh fruit, can you?" He paused, his gaze softening with concern. "Is there a plan to establish trade with other rchants?"
"Hm," Reana hmd. "We’ve sent delegations to the Southern Islands...but we need a plan B for when the southern islands negotiation fall through." She didn’t understand why she had to explain to him, but sohow, she felt relief from the burden of buckling it up for days.
With the banana neatly peeled, he brought it to her lips. Reana frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched him, perplexed. Why was he trying to feed her?
Seeing she wouldn’t take it, Ryder’s eyes sparkled with amusent as he held out the banana, his voice taking on a playful, teasing tone. "Co on, My Luna. Have you ever taken food from a man other than your father and brothers? I promise you, it’s a whole different experience." He winked, his lips curling into a sly smile, daring her to take a bite.
Reana’s stomach fluttered with a mix of excitent and nervousness. She couldn’t deny the curiosity that had sparked within her. She had heard stories of her father feeding her mother, especially during her pregnancy with Reana - he was overly happy to know they were finally having a daughter after six sons.
Her father would often reminisce about how her mother would say that eating from his hand made even the simplest food taste exquisite. That had always captivated Reana, but whenever she ate from her father and brothers’ hands, the food tasted the sa, or even worse because her brothers would sar the food on her lips, laughing as she scowled at him.
The happy mories lifted Reana’s cold mask a bit and a rare softness kissed her face. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of subtle vulnerability, and subconsciously, she parted her lips. Ryder’s smile widened as he gently placed the banana between her teeth.
As her lips closed around it, his fingers grazed her bottom lip in a whisper-soft touch.
Reana’s heart skipped a beat at the fleeting contact, a shiver running down her spine. The sensation was like a spark of electricity, leaving her feeling both startled and intrigued.
His smile was charming and alluring, and he edged her on with a nod, encouraging her to continue eating. Reana’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink as she averted her gaze, darting it around the room in a bid to escape the intensity of Ryder’s eyes. Her lashes fluttered, veiling her eyes as she savored the sweet taste of the banana.
But she could still feel Ryder’s hot stare on her, watching her every move. Annoyed at how she was acting so differently from herself, or rather, angry that Ryder had sohow crept into her vulnerable side, her head snapped back to him, wanting to be stern with him. To tell him off.
However, her breath caught in her throat when she saw what he was doing with the banana. Not only was he eating from the sa spot she’d bitten into, he was... sucking it, his lips wrapped around the fruit in a sensual, intimate gesture.
"Hmmm..." he moaned softly, eyes fluttering close, as if mimicking a woman enjoying sucking on...ahem!
Reana’s mind froze, her thoughts suspended in a mix of shock and fascination. She may have been inexperienced in intimacy, but she wasn’t naive.
How bold of Ryder to be so brazen in front of her! Yet, she couldn’t find it in her to punish him when he did wrong.
And now, she couldn’t tear her gaze away either, transfixed by the sensual scene unfolding before her. His eyes locked onto hers, burning with a hot, unspoken challenge, as if daring her to look away. But Reana’s gaze remained fixed, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum.
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