JAY JAY POV
His lips ghosted over mine, his voice dropping into that gravelly, dangerous register that usually meant my common sense was about to be evicted.
"Tonight, I really need a picture of you in that dress Ci-N gifted you," he murmured against my lips.
My eyes snapped wide
He was talking about that dress. The scandalous red nightdress from the Christmas exchange—the one he'd clearly manipulated Ci-N into buying. The one currently hidden at the bottom of my drawer because just looking at it made my face feel like it was on actual fire.
"Absolutely not," I snapped, my voice trembling with a mix of defiance and pure, unadulterated embarrassment.
Keifer didn't move. He didn't even blink. He just stared at me with that calm, predatory focus. "You are."
"I'm not," I shot back, lifting my chin.
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are," he argued, his thumb tracing the shell of my ear, making it impossible to think straight.
"No."
"Yes."
"No," I insisted
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"No."
"Yes!" I blurted out, my frustration finally losing the battle with my mouth.
Shit.
The silence that followed was heavy with my own realization. I'd fallen for the oldest trick in the book. The "Yes/No" trap. I'd been so focused on winning the argument that I'd accidentally switched sides at the finish line.
Keifer's expression shifted, a slow, devastatingly smug smirk breaking across his face. He looked like a man who had just won the lottery and found out it was tax-free.
"Thank you, Mrs. Watson," he whispered, his eyes dark with a triumph that made my stomach do a frantic backflip.
"You... you cheating, manipulative megalomaniac!" I hissed, shoving at his chest, though I might as well have been trying to move a brick wall.
"I didn't mean it! That was a verbal glitch! A technical error!"
Keifer just chuckled—that low, husky sound that vibrated right through my bones. He stepped back, finally unlocking the door and pulling it open, but he didn't let go of my hand.
"Too late, Jay-Jay. A deal's a deal," he said, his voice a low promise. "I'll be waiting for that notification tonight. Don't make me come over there and take it myself."
I followed him out into the hallway, my face a shade of crimson that probably defied the laws of physics.
What have you done, Jay-Jay? You're officially engaged to a guy who uses psychological warfare just to get a photo of you in a nightdress.
AT NIGHT
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the bottom drawer of my dresser like there was a live bomb hidden inside.
Actually, it was a bomb. A red, silk, lacy bomb that was currently threatening to blow up my remaining dignity.
"Jay-Jay," I whispered to the empty room, trying to summon some of that British composure. "You do not take orders from a megalomaniac who uses psychological warfare and primary school word traps just to get his way."
My reflection in the mirror didn't look convinced. My face was already starting to feel like a high-voltage radiator just thinking about that 'Yes' I'd blurted out. I'm an idiot.
I reached out and slowly pulled the drawer open.
There it was. The red nightdress.
Ci-N's "gift." I picked it up, the fabric sliding through my fingers like liquid fire. It was way too short, way too lacy, and way too... Keifer. Just looking at it made my heart do a frantic, caffeinated drum solo against my ribs.
"He really thinks he's won," I muttered, my eyes narrowing as I thought of his smug, devastating smirk in the music room. " 'A deal's a deal,' my foot."
I stood up, holding the dress against me.
You know what? I want to see. Not for him! Absolutely not for that jerk. I just want to see how I look in it. For science. For my own personal ego. A girl has a right to know if she can pull off scandalous loungewear, right?
"I'll wear it," I decided, pointing a finger at my reflection. "But I am absolutely, 100%, undeniably NOT sending that notification to that asshole. He can wait until his hair turns grey. He can wait until Percy actually dies for real this time."
I stripped off my pyjamas and pulled the silk over my head.
Holy shit
The fabric clung to every single curve like it was custom-made to drive someone insane. It was shorter than I thought—like, 'don't-even-think-about-bending-over' short. The lace neckline left very little to the imagination, and the red color made my skin look pale and... well, let's be honest, it looked amazing.
"Holy shit I look so sexy" i said to myself
While I was busy admiring myself someone wrapped their arms around my waist
I was still staring at my reflection, debating whether to burn the dress or the phone first, when a shadow flickered in the corner of my eye.
My heart didn't just skip a beat—it stopped, performed a funeral service, and then tried to exit through my throat. Before I could even draw enough breath to let out a scream
, a large, warm hand clamped firmly over my mouth.
"Shh," a low, dark voice vibrated against my ear.
The scent hit me first—expensive cologne, leather, and that specific, dangerous Watson aroma. I froze. My skin felt like it was on actual fire where his body pressed against my back.
"You look so fucking sexy, Mrs. Watson," Keifer murmured.
His voice was a gravelly, raw sound that sent a thousand electric shocks straight to my toes. I could feel his breath—hot and heavy—against the sensitive skin of my neck. My brain hit System Error: Critical Failure.
He finally let go, his hand sliding slowly away from my mouth, but he didn't move an inch back. I spun around, clutching the silk of the nightdress as if it could actually protect me from the King of Section E.
"How the hell are you here?!" I hissed, my voice trembling. My heart was thumping a frantic Keifer-Keifer-Keifer rhythm against my ribs.
Keifer didn't look even remotely sorry. He stepped forward, his eyes dark and heavy with a focus that made the air in the room feel suffocatingly thin. He looked like a predator who had just found exactly what he was looking for.
"Your balcony door was open," Keifer said, a slow, devastatingly smug smirk breaking across his face.
I took a frantic step back, my heels hitting the edge of the bed. "You stalker!"
"Your lovable fiancé," he countered smoothly, taking another step into my personal space.
He didn't stop until he was inches away, his shadow completely swallowing mine. His gaze dropped, tracing the lines of the red silk, the lace neckline, and the way the fabric clung to me in all the wrong—or very right—places.
"I told you I was waiting for that notification, Jay-Jay," he whispered, his voice dropping into that deep, vibrato-rich register. "But then I realized... why settle for a digital version when I could have the original?"
Bloody hell.
"Get out, Keifer!" I managed to squeak, though I didn't actually push him. My hands were currently busy shaking. "This is breaking at least fifty household rules! My brothers are right down the hall!"
"Then you better be very, very quiet," he murmured, reaching out to hook a finger under the silver chain of the engagement ring around my neck.
He pulled me just a fraction closer, his eyes burning with a possessive fire that made my knees feel like they were made of warm jelly.
"Because now that I've seen you in this... I'm definitely not leaving until I get what I came for."
"What... what do you need?" I asked, my voice trembling more than I wanted it to.
Keifer didn't hesitate. He leaned in even closer, his shadow completely devouring mine. "You."
Bloody hell.
My legs felt like they were made of warm jelly, and for a second, I thought I might actually faint.
"I... I will give you a few kisses!" I blurted out, trying to bargain for my life—and my virtue. I held up a finger as if that would stop the literal hurricane of a man standing in front of me. "Just a few. And then you have to leave through the balcony like the proper stalker you are!"
Keifer stared at me for a long, agonizing moment. His gaze dropped to the red silk, then back up to my eyes. I expected him to laugh, or to pull me into a kiss that would make me forget my own name.
But instead, his expression shifted. The predatory fire in his eyes didn't vanish, but it was joined by something else—something heavy, dark, and uncharacteristically serious.
"Change," he said suddenly.
I blinked. "What?"
"The dress, Jay-Jay. Change," Keifer repeated, his voice dropping into that deep, gravelly register. He let go of the silver chain around my neck and took a half-step back, though he still felt way too close. "I need to tell you something. And I might not be able to get the words out if you keep looking like that."
My heart did a nervous little flip-flop
I nodded, clutching the lace of the nightdress. "Okay. Just... stay there. Don't move."
"I'm not going anywhere," he promised, his eyes tracking me as I backed away toward the bathroom.
I scrambled inside and shut the door, leaning against it for a second to catch my breath. Thank God he didn't do anything to me. My hands were still shaking as I yanked off the red silk and threw on my most un-sexy, oversized
hoodie and a pair of leggings.
I looked at my reflection. My face was still flushed, and the engagement ring on the chain was resting right over my heart.
Whatever he has to say... it's big.
I expected to find Keifer pacing the room or looking like he was about to break something, but instead, he was standing by my dresser, leaning in close to look at the framed photos I'd lined up there.
"What are you looking at?" I asked. My voice was a bit steadier now, but my heart was still doing that nervous little thump-thump against my ribs.
Keifer didn't turn around immediately. He was tracing the edge of one specific frame with his thumb—a rare, quiet gesture that made my breath hitch.
He was grinning like he'd just won the lottery—proud that he was finally strong enough to carry his "little" sister—and I was laughing so hard my eyes were practically squeezed shut. We looked so innocent.
"Your pictures," he said, his voice dropping into that low, smooth register. He pointed at a small, slightly faded photo in the center. "It's really cute. You."
I walked over, curious despite myself, and looked where he was pointing. It was a photo of me and Jare when we were only six years old.
In the picture, Jare was giving me a piggyback ride in our old garden
"That was a long time ago," I whispered, leaning in slightly. "Jare used to think he was my personal bodyguard back then. I think he still does, honestly."
Keifer let out a low, content chuckle, but his gaze didn't leave the photo of me and Jare. He stayed there for a long moment, traces of that rare, soft expression still lingering on his face—until he finally turned toward me.
The air in the room didn't just feel heavy; it felt like it was vibrating.
Before I could ask him why he was acting like he'd seen a ghost, Keifer closed the distance between us. He didn't smirk, and he didn't use one of his signature word traps. He just leaned down and kissed me.
It wasn't like the hungry, territorial claim from the music room. This was soft, lingering, and tasted like a silent plea. My heart did a slow, painful somersault in my chest.
"I'm so sorry," Keifer whispered against my lips, his breath hitching.
I blinked,
"For—"
"For everything," he cut me off, his voice cracking in a way that made my chest tighten.
This wasn't the arrogant, immovable King of Section E. This was just... Keifer. Vulnerable. Terrified. He cupped my face with both hands, his thumbs tracing my cheekbones with a desperate intensity, as if he were trying to memorize my face before the world ended.
"I was an idiot, Jay-Jay. A goddamn megalomaniac who thought he could control everything," he rasped, his eyes burning into mine with a raw honesty that made my knees feel like they were made of warm jelly. "But please... whatever I tell you tonight... just don't leave me. You're the only thing that matters to me. Infinitely."
Before I could even find my voice to tell him that I wasn't going anywhere—that I was already too far gone for him—he crashed his mouth against mine again.
It was a bruising, desperate kiss, like he was trying to anchor himself to me before the storm hit. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer as if I could shield him from whatever truth was about to come out.
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