AUTHOR POV
The girls were still in the middle of a high-pitched interrogation when the door clicked open. Keifer stood there, having successfully escaped the Ulupong's in the hallway. He looked at the sea of girls surrounding his shivering, T-shirt-clad Jay Jay, and his protective instincts immediately flared up.
(Keifer's POV)
I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms. Seeing her in my shirt—looking small, wrecked, and beautiful—made my heart skip.
But seeing the girls pestering her like a pack of seagulls made me want to clear the room.
"Oh, look! The conqueror has returned!" Ella squealed, jumping up. "Keifer, we were just discussing the biological evidence of your—"
"Get out, ladies," I interrupted, my voice low and authoritative. I didn't smile, but my eyes softened when they landed on Jay Jay. "The interview is over."
"Aww, look at him being all protective!" Mica teased, nudging Raki. "He wants private time to finish what he started!"
"Seriously," I said, stepping into the room and gesturing toward the door. "Out. Now. I want to take care of her. She's exhausted, and you're giving her a headache."
(Jay Jay's POV)
I looked up at him from the bed, feeling my heart melt. He sounded so bossy, but so sweet. I stuck my tongue out at the girls.
"See? My soldier said leave me alone! Go bother Denzel!"
Honey paused at the door, giving me one last knowing look. "Drink some water, Jay. Your hydration levels are low after all that... cardiovascular activity."
"HONEY! GO!" I screamed, throwing a sock at her.
AUTHOR POV
The girls finally shuffled out, giggling and whispering "Good luck, Keifer!" until the door clicked shut. The room suddenly felt ten times smaller and much warmer.
Keifer walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, pulling Jay Jay into the crook of his arm. He pressed a kiss to the top of her messy hair, ignoring the way her legs were still occasionally twitching under the sheets.
"Are you okay, butterfly?" he whispered. "They didn't give you too much trouble, did they?"
"They're meanies," Jay Jay pouted, snuggling into his chest and breathing in his scent from the T-shirt. "But I'm fine now. You're here."
"I'm here," Keifer murmured, his hand stroking her back. "And I'm not letting anyone else in until you've had something to eat. Not even Angelo."
The room was quiet, but the air was still heavy with the lingering heat of their night. Jay Jay reached for the blister pack with shaky fingers, her face determined as she tried to pop out two tablets at once.
I moved before she could even bring her hand to her mouth. I snatched the pack away, my expression hardening into a scold. "Jay Jay, what do you think you're doing? These are pills, not candy! You can't just swallow them like they're dumplings."
I looked up at Her, her lower lip jutting out. "But Keifer! You... you did it twice! It was a lot! I need to be safe!"
I sighed, my heart softening at her panicked expression. I sat down on the bed and pulled her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her small frame so her back was against my chest. I took one single pill and held it to her lips.
"Just one, butterfly," I whispered softly against her ear, my voice low and calming.
" Your body can only process a certain amount of the hormone at once. Taking two doesn't make it 'double safe',it just shocks your system and makes you sick. One is exactly what the dosage requires to stop the cycle, even after... a long night. Trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."
I watched her swallow it, then I tucked the rest of the pack into my pocket to keep them safe.
AUTHORPOV
Just as Jay Jay was leaning her head back against Keifer's shoulder, the door creaked open. Angelo stood there, his arms crossed, his eyes darting suspiciously between Keifer's protective hold and the glass of water in Jay Jay's hand.
"What's going on in here?" Angelo asked, his voice deep and wary. "Why are you sitting like that? What did you just give her?"
(Jay Jay's POV)
My heart nearly stopped. I scrambled to find an excuse, my brain firing at a thousand miles an hour. "It's a headache, Kuya!" I blurted out, rubbing my temples dramatically. "Keifer was just... helping me. My head is throbbing because you were screaming at the door so loud! It was just a headache pill."
Keifer kept his face like a mask of stone, nodding slowly. "Jay has a migraine, Angelo .I was just ensuring she took her medication before we headed down to the foyer."
(Angelo's POV)
I squinted at them. Jay Jay looked pale and exhausted, and Keifer looked like he was ready to carry her across a battlefield. It made sense—she always got cranky when she didn't sleep.
"Fine," I grunted, though I didn't move from the doorway. "If it's a headache, get some air. But Keifer... keep your hands where I can see them. I don't care how much her head hurts."
(Jay Jay's POV)
I let out a tiny breath of relief, clutching Keifer's hand under the sheet. Close call.
BUT.
My heart feels restless, and I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong .
AUTHOR POV
The breakfast table was a battlefield of clinking silverware and heavy silence. Angelo and Aries sat at the head, eyes darting between their plates and the two "sleepy" people sitting across from each other. Jay Jay was picking at her eggs, her movements stiff, while Keifer looked entirely too relaxed.
(Keifer's POV)
I leaned slightly over the table, pretending to reach for the orange juice, but my focus was entirely on the girl trying to act like she wasn't vibrating with exhaustion.
"Butterfly," I whispered, my voice a low rumble beneath the sound of Angelo's loud chewing.
"Hmm?" Jay Jay murmured, her eyes fixed on her toast.
"Your legs hurting?"
(Jay Jay's POV)
I nearly choked on my juice. I felt the ache in my thighs every time I shifted on the wooden chair, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "No," I hissed, glaring at him through my lashes.
"Then thanks me," he breathed, a smug, dark glint in his eyes.
"Why!?" I demanded, my grip tightening on my fork.
(Keifer's POV)
I took a slow sip of coffee, watching the way her cheeks turned a beautiful, frantic pink. "Because I make you little loose, baby," I whispered, leaning in closer so only she could hear. "And still, you are tight enough to give me pain."
I knew why it felt like that, her petite frame wasn't built to handle me for hours on end, and yet she had adapted to me so perfectly that the friction alone had left us both feeling the burn. My body was still thumping with the memory of how she'd clenched around me.
(Jay Jay's POV)
"Shameless!Gago" I whispered-yelled, my face feeling like it was on fire. I kicked him under the table, but my leg was so shaky it barely tapped his shin.
(Keifer's POV)
I didn't even blink. I just leaned in further, my voice dropping to a velvety, dangerous crawl.
"Yeah, I did it. 8... no, 9 times. You're a little loose now, but don't worry. I will make you loose until our wedding."
(Jay Jay's POV)
I wanted to crawl under the table and die of embarrassment, but I also wanted to jump over it and kiss him. He was being so incredibly bold right in front of the "executioners."
"Shut up, shameless gago!" I snapped, stuffng a huge piece of pancake into my mouth so I wouldn't have to speak.
AUTHOR POV
Angelo paused his eating, his fork midway to his mouth. He looked at Jay Jay's red face, then at Keifer's calm, predator-like expression.
"Why is she turning purple, Keifer?" Angelo asked suspiciously. "Is the 'headache' getting worse?"
"She's just... excited for the trip home, Angelo" Keifer replied smoothly, finally tearing his gaze away from Jay Jay to look Angelo in the eye. "She has a lot of... pent-up energy."
Aries narrowed his eyes, looking at the way Jay Jay's hand was trembling as she held her glass. "Eat your breakfast, Jay. You look like you're about to fall off your chair."
The dining hall was filled with the clatter of plates and the loud chatter of Section E, but for Jay Jay, the world had narrowed down to the heat of Keifer's voice right at her ear. She was so red she looked like a strawberry about to burst, her fingers curling into the tablecloth as he continued his low-voiced assault.
(Keifer's POV)
I watched her squirm, and it only made me want to push her further. I leaned in even closer, the scent of her skin—fresh from our "efficiency bath"—making my head swim.
"You look so delicious when you're flustered, butterfly," I whispered, my voice a dark, velvet crawl. "Every time you shift in that chair, I can tell you're feeling exactly where I was. I can still feel how you were shaking when I finally let go... screaming my name so loud I thought the windows would shatter."
(Jay Jay's POV)
I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart hammering so hard I thought it would break a rib. Stop it, stop it, stop it! I thought, but I couldn't move. My skin felt electric.
"Keifer... please," I whimpered, the sound lost in the noise of the room.
(Keifer's POV)
"Please what? Please stop? Or please take you back upstairs and make it ten times instead of nine?" I let out a low, rough chuckle that sent a shiver straight down her spine. "I love how I marked you, Jay. Every time you move your arms, I know my handprints are there. Every time you breathe, your chest stings from where I claimed you. I'm going to spend the whole car ride thinking about how I'm going to make you even looser next time."
(Jay Jay's POV)
I was literally about to explode. My face was so hot I felt like steam was going to start coming out of my ears. I reached for my water glass with a trembling hand, but I was so shaky I nearly knocked it over.
"You are... the most... shameless man... in the world," I hissed, my voice cracking.
(Keifer's POV)
"And you're the most beautiful girl in the world when you're completely wrecked by me," I countered, my eyes dark with a possessive fire. I glanced up to see Angelo looking our way, and I slowly pulled back, giving her one last, lingering look at her swollen lips. "Eat your eggs, love. You need the energy for what I'm going to do to you once we're back home."
AUTHOR POV
Jay Jay sat there, frozen, her fork hovering in mid-air. She was so overwhelmed by his dirty talk that she had completely forgotten how to function. Her mind was a chaotic loop of his words and the memories of the night before.
Denzel leaned across the table, squinting at her. "Uh, keif? Why is Jay Jay's face actually radiating heat? I think her 'headache' just turned into a full-blown fever."
Angelo slammed his hand on the table. "Keifer! What did you say to her!? She looks like she's about to pass out!"