JAY JAY POV
I started to laugh, my shoulders shaking as the adrenaline from the haunted house began to fade into pure amusement.
"What?" Keifer asked, trying to act like his soul hadn't just left his body five minutes ago.
"AHHHH!" I shrieked, perfectly mimicking the high-pitched yell he'd let out when the zombie appeared.
Keifer shot me a look of pure annoyance, though the tips of his ears were turning pink. "Tss, stop it," he muttered.
"Tss, stop it," I copied him immediately, catching his tone and everything.
"You screamed way louder than me," Keifer claimed, crossing his arms and looking down at me with an arched eyebrow.
"You screamed way louder than me," I shot back, having way too much fun with this. I was on a roll, and no amount of President of Section E brooding was going to stop me.
"Jay-Jay," Keifer said, his voice dropping into that warning register.
"Jay-Jay," I repeated, matching his serious expression and narrowing my eyes just like he did.
Suddenly, without warning, he reached out and poked me hard in the waist.
"Oi!" I yelped, jumping nearly a foot in the air. I'm incredibly ticklish, and the idiot knew exactly what he was doing
My tough exterior crumbled instantly as I tried to swerve away from his hands.
"Gotcha," Keifer smirked, his eyes glinting. "Copy that"
"That's cheating!" I gasped, swatting his hand away while still trying to keep my balance. "Using biological warfare because you can't win an argument? Low, Keifer. Very low."
"I call it effective strategy," he replied, stepping closer so I couldn't escape. "Now, are you going to keep making fun of me, or do I need to find out where else you're ticklish?"
"Don't you dare!" I warned, holding my phone up like a shield. "I still have the 4K recording, remember? One more poke and it goes live on every social media platform I own!"
"Tss, like I care," Keifer said, leaning back against the railing and trying to play it cool. He clearly thought I was bluffing—that he was untouchable.
He clearly forgot who he was dealing with.
"Okay then," I said, my thumb hovering over the screen. I gave him one last mischievous look before tapping the Post button with zero hesitation. The upload bar zipped across the screen. Video Sent.
"What did you do?" Keifer asked, his eyes widening as my phone made a triumphant ding.
"I uploaded it," I said simply, giving him a wink. I turned my head, scanning the neon lights of the park. "Anyway, where did the others go? Jare is going to kill me if I'm lost for more than ten minutes."
Keifer didn't answer. Instead, a slow, mischievous smile spread across his face. Before I could protest, he grabbed my wrist and led me toward one of the private, shaded tents near the edge of the attraction area.
"Keifer!" I gasped as he pulled me inside, the heavy fabric muffling the sounds of the park.
"Jay-Jay," he murmured, his voice low and vibrating.
"We—we shouldn't be in here! Someone will see," I started, my heart beginning to hammer against my ribs.
"I own this tent. No need to worry, nobody is coming in," Keifer said, his hands finding my waist and pulling me flush against him.
"Asshole, let me go!" I snapped, squirming and trying to pry his fingers off me. The adrenaline from the haunted house was nothing compared to the electricity sparking between us right now.
"Can you stop cursing for five seconds?" Keifer asked, looking down at me with an amused arch of his eyebrow.
"If I want to cuss, I'll cuss!" I challenged. I wasn't about to let him dictate my vocabulary. I took a deep breath and let out a literal torrent of London's finest. "Fuck, son of a bitch, asshole, jerk, damn, shit, fucker, bitch, motherfucker—"
I went on without a single gap, rattling them off like a grocery list. I looked up at him, breathless and defiant, only to find him watching me with pure amusement, his eyes dark and fixed on my lips.
"Ummm... shit," I added, my brain scrambling to find a few more choice words to throw at him.
Before I could find another syllable, he lunged.
He kissed me—hard. This wasn't like the kiss in the bedroom; this was intense, possessive, and perfectly timed to shut me up. My heart did a literal backflip, and for a second, the entire park—the rides, the noise, the video I just posted—completely vanished. My hands, which had been trying to push him away, somehow ended up tangled in his shirt, pulling him closer.
I found myself opening my mouth for him, and when he nipped at my lower lip, a soft moan escaped me, echoing into his mouth.
What the hell was I doing?
That sound only seemed to make him go more insane. In one swift movement, he hooked his hands under my thighs and lifted me off the ground. My traitorous body didn't even hesitate—I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him as close as possible.
"Keifer," I gasped against his lips as his hands squeezed my thighs, his grip tight and firm.
The air in the tent felt thick and heavy, the muffled sounds of the amusement park outside feeling like they were miles away. My head was spinning
"Say it again," he murmured, his voice a low, rough growl against my skin as he moved his kisses to the sensitive spot just beneath my ear.
"You... jerk," I whispered, though my fingers were buried deep in his hair, holding him there.
"Wrong word Jay Jay" he breathed, his teeth grazing my jawline.
I was losing the battle with my own common sense. Jare was out there, my friends were out there, and I was in a tent with the most dangerous guy in HVIS, basically inviting him to ruin me.
As his hands slid higher up my legs, my thoughts were becoming a tangled mess of no and don't stop. Every ounce of common sense I have was currently dissolving in the stifling heat of the tent.
He moved his focus to my earlobe, biting down gently before smoothing it out with his lips in a way that made my entire body shiver.
"Keifer," I moaned, the sound raw and completely betraying me.
His grip on my thighs tightened, pulling me even closer until there wasn't a single millimeter of air between us. The vibration of his low chuckle against my neck sent a fresh wave of electricity straight to my toes.
"You like that, Jay Jay?" he whispered, his voice dangerously dark and rough. "The way you're shaking... you're not so tough right now, are you?"
"Shut up," I breathed, though it came out more like a plea than a command. My fingers tightened in his hair, tugging him back toward my lips. I was past the point of caring about the King of Assholes title or the fact that we were in a temporary tent in the middle of a public park.
The contrast between his cool, calculated exterior and the sheer heat coming off him was enough to make my head spin. He was possessive, borderline insane, and currently holding my entire world in his hands—and for the first time in sixty days, I wasn't fighting it.
His lips trailed back to my jawline, his breath hot against my skin. "If we don't leave this tent in the next thirty seconds, Jay-Jay, I'm not going to be able to let you walk back to your brother."
I looked at him, my vision slightly blurred and my heart thundering. The look in his eyes was ravenous
"Twenty-nine seconds," he murmured against my mouth, his thumb tracing the hem of my skirt.
"Asshole, let me go," I breathed out. I was trying to regain some form of dignity, but it was hard to act tough when I was still pinned firmly to his hip, my legs literally locked around him.
Keifer's eyes darkened, a small, predatory smirk playing on his lips. "One more time, Jasper Jean. One more time you use profanity and I will kiss you."
I looked at him, my stubbornness flaring up despite the fact that my heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest. He thought he could threaten me with a good time? Please. I rolled my eyes, leaning in until our noses were almost touching.
"Asshole," I whispered defiantly, right against his lips.
"You really like trouble, don't you?" Keifer asked, his voice a low rumble.
Before I could even think of a comeback, those lips were on mine again. But this was different. If the last kiss was electric, this one was a lightning strike. He was being completely demanding, his tongue sweeping into my mouth as if he were trying to claim every single part of me. He was basically eating me alive, his hands gripping my thighs so hard I knew there'd be marks tomorrow.
I couldn't help it; I melted. My head fell back, and a broken sound escaped my throat as he deepened the kiss, his possessiveness reaching a fever pitch. He was the king of assholes , the bossy, arrogant, lollipop-sucking jerk, and yet, in this dark tent, he was the only thing keeping me grounded.
Suddenly, the sound of a distant whistle—the park security—pierced through the fabric of the tent.
Keifer froze, his lips still pressed against mine. He let out a frustrated groan, resting his forehead against mine as we both panted for air.
"Time's up, Jay jay" he rasped, his eyes swirling with a mix of heat and irritation. He slowly lowered me until my feet hit the gravel floor, but he didn't let go of my waist. He reached out and smoothed my messy hair, his touch surprisingly gentle for a second.
"Fix your skirt," he commanded, his bossy mode returning as he straightened his own shirt. "If Jare sees you looking like that, I actually will have to kill him in self-defense."
I smoothed down my clothes with shaking hands, my lips feeling swollen and tingly.
"You're still an asshole," I muttered, but I said it so softly I wasn't even sure if it counted as a cuss.
Keifer, of course, heard it. He leaned back in, but instead of my lips, he went for my earlobe, biting down and leaving a stinging, hot sensation that I knew was going to be a hickey.
"I might have to upgrade the punishment since you seem to like me kissing you so much," Keifer finally said, pulling back and letting my earlobe go.
Poor me. This animal actually ate me alive. I didn't even do anything to provoke him—well, maybe a little—and yet here I am, looking like I've been through a literal storm.
"How is it coming for you so far?" I asked him, glaring. I reached up, frantically trying to brush my hair forward to hide the mark he'd just left. "I have to find an excuse for this now! People are going to see, you idiot."
He didn't look remorseful at all. Instead, he leaned down, his face inches from mine, his voice dropping into a register that made my knees weak all over again.
"Maybe I'll start fucking you every time you use a profanity," he whispered, his eyes dark and dead serious.
My heart stopped. My brain short-circuited. I stared at him, my mouth agape, completely losing my composure.
"I think we should stick to the kisses," I blurted out.
I immediately regretted it. The words hung in the air, echoing in the small, dark space of the tent. What the fuck is wrong with me? I just basically gave him a green light to keep attacking my face as long as he didn't take it further.
Keifer's entire demeanor shifted. The smirk didn't just grow; it turned into something triumphant, like he'd just won the lottery and the crown at the same time. He took a slow step back toward me, pinning me against the tent pole.
"Stay with the kisses, huh?" he repeated, his voice like velvet. "So you're admitting you want them."
"I'm admitting that you're a predator and I'm trying to negotiate my survival!" I snapped, though my voice was shaky.
"Negotiation accepted," he whispered, leaning down so his lips were brushing against the shell of my ear, right over the stinging hickey he'd just left. "But the price just went up. Every time you use a profanity, I don't just kiss you. I choose where."
I swallowed hard, my throat feeling dry. I wanted to call him an asshole so badly it was physically hurting me, but I kept my lips pressed firmly together.
"Nothing to say" he teased, pulling back just enough to look me in the eye. "That's a first."
"I'm practicing my silence," I hissed through gritted teeth.
"Good girl," he murmured, the term making my stomach do a triple flip. He reached out and tugged at a strand of my hair, pulling it over my ear to hide the mark he'd made. "Keep it hidden. If Jare sees what I did to you, we won't make it to the Ferris wheel."
He turned and walked out of the tent, leaving me standing there in the dark for a split second to gather the shattered remains of my dignity.
I am a Mariano, I told myself, taking a deep breath and smoothing my skirt one last time.
As I stepped back out into the bright neon lights and saw him waiting for me, looking back with that possessive glint in his eyes, I knew I was lying to myself. I wasn't just surviving him—I was falling for him
As we stepped out into the neon lights, I saw Jare and the others standing near a fountain.
"There you are!" Jare yelled, marching toward us with a look of pure suspicion. "Where were you? And Jay... why are you holding your neck like that?"
"I... I have a cramp!" I blurted out, pressing my hair firmly against my ear. "The roller coaster... the wind... it was very cold up there!"
Keifer just whistled a casual tune, looking like the most innocent person in the Philippines. I wanted to kick him. Hard. But I knew exactly what would happen if I called him a name right now.
Stay calm, Jay-Jay, I told myself. Don't let the animal win.
"Jay-Jay, maybe we should head back? We can come do the Ferris wheel some other day," Mia suggested, looking at me with a slightly concerned expression. She probably noticed my hair was a mess and my face was glowing like a radioactive beet.
"Perfect. Let's go. Right now," I said, practically tripping over my own feet to get toward the exit. I needed distance. I needed a cold shower. I needed to be at least five miles away from the person currently making my brain melt.
"Bye, Keifer!" Dave and Sarah called out, waving as they started toward the parking lot.
"Bye," Keifer replied smoothly. His voice was so calm, so casual, it made me want to scream. As I tried to brush past him, he leaned down, his lips ghosting against my ear one last time so only I could hear him.
"Bye, wifey," he whispered, that low rumble sending a fresh chill down my spine. "I'll be waiting for your next cuss. I can't wait to explore you with my kisses."
My heart did an undignified thump. Without thinking, I wound up and delivered a solid, heavy kick directly to his shin.
THUD.
I expected a groan, a hiss of pain, maybe even him doubling over. Instead, he didn't even flinch. He just stood there, looking at me with a smug, knowing grin as if I'd just patted him on the leg.
Asshole! I narrowed my eyes at him, my face burning. I really needed to practice more; my kicks were getting weaker, or his legs were made of actual steel. Either way, it was infuriating.
"Jay-Jay! Move!" Jare yelled from twenty feet away, looking back at us with his overprotective brother radar pinging at maximum frequency.
I didn't give Keifer the satisfaction of another word. I just turned on my heel and marched toward our cars, holding my hair over my earlobe with a death grip.
As we piled into the car and drove away, I looked out the window at the receding lights of the amusement park. My phone buzzed in my pocket—probably notifications from the video I'd posted earlier. But all I could think about was the weight of his hands on my waist and the way he'd said wifey.
I slumped into my seat, staring at the back of Jare's head.
I am in so much trouble, I thought, biting my tingly lower lip. I'm going to have to learn an entirely new language that doesn't involve swear words, or I'm not going to have any skin left on my face that hasn't been kissed by that jerk.
"You okay, Jay?" Jare asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. "You're unusually quiet."
"I'm fine, Jare," I muttered, looking out at the Manila traffic. "Just... tired."
"Good," Jare said. "Because if he did anything to you in that haunted house, I'll—"
"He didn't do anything, Kuya!" I snapped, the familiar annoyance bubbling up.
Except turn me into a puddle of emotions in a tent, I added silently.
I looked at my reflection in the window. I looked different. Flustered. Messy. Actually happy. I hated it. I loved it.
I really, really hated him. (But I didn't say it out loud. I wasn't ready for the punishment just yet.)
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