So the living room was too loud… They were talking about watching a movie?
Jiang Nuan watched Shen Wu with a complicated expression as he deftly adjusted the terminal, projecting a film onto the wall.
Casablanca.
When he finished, he swung his long legs over and sat down on the bed as naturally as if he belonged there. He pulled out a pillow and propped it behind his back, settling in comfortably.
Then he stood the other pillow beside him and patted it.
He poured himself some wine, then raised his glass toward her, indicating the spot beside him. “Aren’t you tired of standing? The movie’s about to start.”
…
Her cheeks were even hotter than they had been after drinking the wine.
He’d only wanted to find somewhere quiet to… innocently watch a movie?
The black-and-white images slowly flickered across the wall. In a smoky bar, the male lead lifted his eyes. The music was soft and lilting, unbearably romantic.
And the instigator of all that romance was sitting elegantly on the bed, looking as though he were simply waiting for her to take her seat and watch the movie.
Then what was she supposed to make of all those convoluted thoughts she’d had while he led her by the hand through the hallway?
The warm, dim light fell across him, making his languid pose against the headboard particularly clear.
His features were still as cool and understated as ever, yet the corners of his lips curved faintly upward. One look at him and it was obvious he was up to no good.
Like an elegant, dangerous fox.
Jiang Nuan suddenly understood.
This guy had done it on purpose.
So what if he had? They were only watching a movie. As if she were the one feeling guilty.
She imitated him, slowly pulling out an inscrutable smile. Holding the glass with the little wine that remained, she walked toward the bed.
With elegant composure, she took a sip, then leaned forward slightly and braced one hand on the bed beside him.
She looked down at him, her gaze traveling from his raised brow to the handsome curve of his jaw, finally settling on his pale, beautiful lips.
Following the impulse in her heart, Jiang Nuan leaned down and gave those impossibly good-looking lips a light peck.
They felt soft, with a hint of chill from the red wine.
She didn’t pull away at once. Pressing close to the corner of his lips, she murmured, “Of course standing is tiring. That’s why I came over.”
The movie’s score flowed on, becoming nothing more than background music.
The only truly distinct sounds in the room were the breaths of the two people so close together.
Shen Wu’s breathing paused for a beat. His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed.
“Jiang Nuan.” He murmured her name, drawing out the final syllable.
The next second, a cool hand slid over the back of her neck, gently holding her in place.
He didn’t give her any time to react after calling her name.
His cool lips pressed against hers, slowly and repeatedly brushing over them.
It was less a kiss than a lingering tease.
The pressure was light, but every pass sent a tingling sensation spreading toward her head, leaving her scalp prickling.
The hand she had planted on the bed could barely support her anymore.
She had clearly been the one taking the lead, yet in just a few moves, this man had completely turned the tables—and done it so thoroughly that she was perfectly willing to let him.
Only when her breathing had become hopelessly disordered, when she was nearly ready to surrender to the pull of it, did Shen Wu finally turn his head away slightly.
His warm breath brushed past her ear. “Do you want to… start right now?”
His voice was low and husky, full of temptation.
Jiang Nuan’s lashes trembled, but she didn’t answer.
At that moment, her reason barely managed to catch hold of its final thread.
Her fierce competitive spirit surged completely awake.
Slowly, she raised the hand still holding her wineglass. With an effortless twist of her wrist, she pressed the chilled stemmed glass against Shen Wu’s cheek.
“Hiss…” Shen Wu stiffened at the cold, and the hand resting on the back of her neck loosened slightly.
Jiang Nuan seized the opportunity to retreat a step and straighten up again.
Under Shen Wu’s eyes, which had instantly darkened, she leisurely swirled the red wine in her glass.
“Jiang Nuan.” He called her name again, this time with a hint of danger.
“As for your question…” She blinked at Shen Wu, her voice as lingering and suggestive as she could make it. “Of course I want to… start right now.”
Shen Wu’s breathing visibly quickened.
“I mean, start watching the movie.”
On the black-and-white screen, the male and female leads were embracing passionately, while the music had reached the height of its tenderness.
She raised her wineglass and smiled brightly as she lifted it toward him from a distance.
“Shen Wu… what were you thinking just now?”
Silence stretched for two seconds.
Shen Wu slowly leaned back against the pillows. He lifted a hand to brush the loose strands of hair from his forehead, revealing the small patch of flushed skin on his cheek where the chilled glass had touched him.
“I was thinking…” He glanced at the movie playing on the wall. The scene had just cut to the male lead telling the heroine, “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
“The movie has only just begun, Jiang Nuan.” He turned his gaze back to her. “We have… the whole night ahead of us.”
