The day went by unusually quiet. Anna had spent most of it in her room after instructing Kira to clean the entire mansion from corner to corner.
’That’s nothing compared to what she tried to do,’ she thought with a smug tilt of her lips. Still, it was enough for now—a warning not to cross her again.
But as evening ca and the clock ticked past Daniel’s usual return, her heartbeat grew restless.
She told herself it was relief. Yet the thought of him not appearing tonight unsettled her in ways she refused to admit. Daniel had been far too persistent lately, weaving lies with that infuriating calmness, and nearly making her believe them.
Dinner passed. Silence lingered. Finally, Anna slipped into bed, eager to end the exhausting day without dealing with Daniel’s overbearing presence.
Her mind, however, betrayed her. It drifted back to that kiss. The challenge she had so boldly thrown in his face, the heat of his tongue, the way her lips still tingled as if his imprint lingered there.
Her hand reached up unconsciously, grazing her lips.
"Would he try again tonight?"
The thought made her dizzy. But almost instantly, she shook her head hard. No. Not this ti. He can’t just keep stealing my lips. I’ll make him long for it. Beg for it.
Resolved, she closed her eyes and began counting sheep. One. Two. Three—
The door clicked open.
Anna jolted upright. Her eyes widened at the familiar figure stepping in. ’Daniel? When did he get ho?’
He walked straight toward her, each step calm and deliberate.
"Daniel, you can’t just invade my privacy like that!" she snapped, clutching her duvet like a shield.
But Daniel said nothing. He simply sat down on the bed—her bed—like it belonged to him. And maybe, technically, it did.
Her pulse thudded painfully when his eyes locked onto her, dark and unblinking. He’s going to kiss again, she thought, her lips trembling. His gaze was too intent, too predatory.
Then he spoke.
"Co, let’s sleep."
Anna blinked. Once. Twice. Her jaw dropped.
"W-what?" she sputtered. Surely she’d misheard. But no, there he was, looking at her with... was that softness?
’What the hell. Did he drink again?’
Suspicious, she sniffed the air around him, her face contorting. "Daniel, if you’re drunk, I’m warning you—I don’t entertain drunkards. Leave before I throw you out."
Daniel’s lips twitched at her audacity. The easy choice would have been to snap back, to remind her who she was talking to. But Henry’s voice echoed in his head:
Listen to your wife carefully. They may say one thing, but an another.
So instead, Daniel smoothed his expression and forced a smile. "I know you won’t throw out," he said evenly. "Because you also want to kiss . So let’s stop wasting ti and sleep."
Before Anna could process the nerve of his words, his arm wrapped around her. In one swift move, he pulled her down with him onto the bed.
"Daniel—what’s wrong with you!" she yelped, still clutching the duvet like armor as she tried to shove him off. But as always, Daniel didn’t budge. His arm only tightened, holding her firmly against him.
Their faces hovered dangerously close, her breath hitching, his eyes gleaming.
Then ca the twist.
"Sleep. Or I’ll give up on my condition of kissing you tonight."
Anna froze. Her wide eyes searched his, expecting mischief, arrogance, or the usual infuriating smugness. But instead, she found sincerity.
Daniel wanted to win, yes. He wanted to claim her lips again. But not if it ant forcing her. Not if it ant becoming soone she’d look at with hate.
With a long exhale, Daniel loosened his hold, settling back on the bed beside her. His body relaxed, his eyes closed slowly.
’This... feels oddly peaceful’ he closed his eyes recalling the first ti she shared bed with her.
But Anna lay there stiff as a board, staring at him in disbelief.
’Why is he suddenly being... thoughtful?’ Anna wondered, her mind racing in circles. But before she could drift too deep into assumptions, his deep voice cut through the air.
"Stop thinking and go to sleep before I seriously change my mind."
Anna gasped softly and imdiately clamped her eyes shut, refusing to et his face. She missed the small curve of his lips—his hidden smile at her obedience.
But sleep was impossible. Not when his arm was still wrapped around her, caging her in. Not when his body heat surrounded her like an unshakable prison. Not when she could feel every steady rise and fall of his chest against her own.
"Daniel... can you let go of ?" she muttered, her voice small, edged with irritation. "You’re holding too tight."
It was true. Despite her being oversized, his hold was firm, possessive. His arm locked around her waist, pulling her snug against him, his face so close she could feel every warm exhale ghost across her skin.
"No." His reply was firm, unyielding.
And instead of loosening his grip, he tightened it, yanking her flush against him. Their noses nearly brushed now, her heart slamming against her ribcage in protest—or was it anticipation?
Anna dared to open her eyes and her breath hitched.
Up close like this, she could see every detail that once made her heart flutter years ago. The strong brows, the sharp bridge of his nose, the sculpted lips that were too close for her sanity.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her gaze lingered on his mouth—
And then his eyes snapped open.
Dark. Piercing. Unforgiving.
"Busted," he murmured.
Before she could even comprehend the word, his mouth crashed against hers, his lips sealed over hers with a force that left her stunned, stealing her breath, her protests, her will.
Anna’s eyes widened in shock, her pulse roaring in her ears.
She had sworn not to let him win. She had promised herself she’d resist. But with his kiss consuming her, she realized with dread—she might already be losing.
***
The next morning, Anna stirred awake to an empty bed. Relief washed over her for a fleeting mont—until her eyes landed on a folded note sitting neatly on the side table.
Curiosity got the better of her. She snatched it up and read the words scrawled in bold, confident handwriting.
Last night was amazing.
Her jaw dropped.
"Amazing? My foot!" she hissed, crushing the note into a ball before tossing it aside. "We didn’t even do anything, and this man’s already losing his mind over a re kiss!"
Her cheeks burned at the mory of last night, the way Daniel hadn’t stopped even after she nearly rolled her eyes from dizziness. If she hadn’t gone completely unresponsive, he might have kept going until—
Anna shook her head violently. "Nope! Not thinking about that."
Still, the thought lingered like a brand on her lips.
"And the audacity to leave a note," she huffed, stomping her foot in frustration. "Pervert."
She wanted to punch a pillow—or better yet, his face—but she had sowhere important to be. Today was the table read for her movie, her first official eting with the entire cast and crew. No way was she showing up looking like she’d just crawled out of a madhouse.
So, she pushed aside thoughts of Daniel—though he stubbornly kept popping back up in her mind as she got ready.
"That shaless devil just runs away after taking advantage of in the middle of the night," she muttered, yanking a brush through her hair. "And it’s not like this is the first ti. The night we... the night we first—" Her throat tightened, mory flashing back to their wedding night, to the way he disappeared the next morning without a word.
Her mood soured instantly.
At least last night hadn’t escalated beyond a kiss. If he had tried anything else... she would’ve been too sore to stand straight today.
"That man’s a beast when it cos to the bed," she muttered darkly, pulling on her clothes with more force than necessary.
Once ready, Anna stepped out of her room, but her eyes lingered on Daniel’s door across the hall. Had he already left? It was unusually early for her to be awake—surely, he wouldn’t—
"Madam, are you heading out?"
Anna flinched at Mariam’s voice, then forced a smile. "Yes. And Mariam, I might not be back before lunch. If Daniel—"
"That won’t be a problem, Madam," Mariam cut in kindly. "Master said he had prior commitnts today. He left earlier than usual."
Anna blinked, montarily stunned.
Then relief spread across her face. Perfect. If Daniel was out for the whole day, that ant no awkward run-ins, no smug remarks, no stolen kisses she’d have to dodge.
"That’s... great," she said quickly. "Alright, I’ll be going then."
Without waiting another second, Anna left the mansion, silently praying she could get through the day without being caught in Daniel’s orbit again.
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