Her Rebirth.-Chapter 45

Amelia walked back into the room, her fingers now washed clean of the sticky fluids that once covered them. She took a deep breath, feeling quite exhausted as her gaze fell on Kai’s sleeping figure.

After helping him several times until her hands ached and after being kissed so senselessly that she had barely been able to think, he had finally fallen asleep.

She, however, was not so lucky.

Though she was extremely tired, the thought of sharing a bed with Kai made her hesitant. She had done that with him, yet the idea of sleeping beside him still felt uncomfortable and too intimate. So, with a quiet sigh, she turned toward the couch, deciding that would be her bed for the night.

But just as she took a step forward, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, yanking her backward.

"Ack—!"

She barely had time to react before she tumbled onto the bed, landing against Kai’s warm body.

"Where are you going, Amelia?" His voice was low and husky, muffled slightly as he nuzzled his head against her shoulder.

Her heart lurched in response. She forced herself to stay calm, though her heart couldn’t help but beat vigorously.

"I was going to sleep on the couch," she murmured.

Kai’s hold tightened just slightly, his hot breath on her skin. "Don’t go. Sleep here." His tone was almost coquettish.

"I don’t think that’s a good—" she answered as she tried to pry his arm off, but it didn’t budge.

Kai let out a soft hum. "Why don’t you want to? Are you scared I’ll do something to you?" he teased, but then, in a quieter tone, he added, "I promise I won’t."

Amelia froze at his words.

It’s the drugs, she reminded herself. That had to be the reason for his clinginess.

She couldn’t allow herself to overthink things.

With a resigned sigh, she gave up struggling. Fine. I’ll just wait until he’s fully asleep, and then I’ll slip away.

That was the plan.

Three hours later, Amelia lay stiffly in the same position, her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.

Kai, on the other hand, was wrapped around her, his arm still locked securely around her waist, his steady breaths tickling the nape of her neck.

Carefully, she tried to shift his arm.

It didn’t move.

She tried again.

Nothing.

A deep sigh left her lips.

It seemed like she had no choice. She was going to have to sleep here after all.

*****

Amelia’s eyelids fluttered open, feeling quite groggy and disoriented. The soft sheets beneath her felt unfamiliar. It definitely did not feel like the soft bed in Kai’s house. She looked around, and the luxury in the hotel room was a far cry from the guest room she slept in.

For a brief moment, Amelia could confidently say that she had forgotten where she was.

Then the bathroom door clicked open.

Her gaze shifted toward the sound, and her breath got caught in her throat. Kai stood there, freshly showered, a white towel slung low around his waist. Droplets of water clung to his toned chest, trailing down the defined ridges of his abdomen before disappearing beneath the fabric. His muscles were rightly proportioned, not too much, but not too little either, just the right amount.

Heat rushed to Amelia’s face as the memories of last night surged back. The way his body had trembled, the way he had kissed her, causing her to be breathless. The way she had... helped him.

Amelia buried her face in her hands, willing away the rush of embarrassment. At the time, she hadn’t felt much shame, Kai hadn’t been in his right mind, and it had been necessary. But now? Now that the tension had passed, now that she remembered clearly what she had done and that they had slept on the same bed, cuddling because Kai had refused to let her go, Amelia couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

Surely, he didn’t remember... right?

Even if he did, God forbid he bring it up. She didn’t think she could survive the humiliation.

Kai glanced at her.

"You’re awake." His voice was casual, completely unaffected, as if last night had been nothing unusual.

She forced a nod, struggling to match his nonchalance. So he wasn’t bothered by it? She had spent half the night lying awake, heart pounding, questioning everything, and he just acted like it never happened?

As much as she had prayed for him to forget about what happened, why did she feel disappointed?

Kai turned away, walking toward the wardrobe. The towel loosened slightly at his hips, and Amelia quickly averted her eyes, focusing on anything else.

But as he reached for a shirt, something caught her attention. It was a dark tattoo curled along his back, starting from his shoulder blade and extending down his spine. It was a black-scaled snake, its head positioned just below his nape, its body coiling downward before disappearing beneath the towel.

Amelia looked at it curiously. She never knew he had a tattoo, or rather, she didn’t expect him to have one. Then again, Kai smoked and carried the scent of blood like cologne. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised.

The quiet, reserved illegitimate child of the Blackwoods may have just been a facade after all. Though it was quite a surprise to her that Kai didn’t seem to even bother hiding whatever he was doing or try to make himself unsuspecting.

Was it because he knew she wouldn’t tell? Or was he simply confident that no one would believe her even if she did?

"You’re staring." His amused voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Amelia blinked, realizing she had been gazing too intently.

"I—" She hesitated, then decided to ask, "That tattoo... when did you get it?"

Kai didn’t turn around immediately. He pulled on a crisp white shirt first, the fabric concealing the snake’s body but not quite hiding the edges near his collarbone. Then he finally glanced at her over his shoulder, his expression unreadable.

"A long time ago."

Something about his tone made it clear that was all he was willing to say.

Amelia’s eyes fell, debating whether to push further, but before she could, Kai smirked and tilted his head slightly.

"Interested in my body, are you?"

Amelia nodded her head, not denying it. "You do have a great body. If only you were a model, you would make a perfect mannequin."

Kai was once again dumbfounded by what she said, but then a smile curved on his lips. His little butterfly always seemed to amuse him, even when she had no intention of doing so.

However, concerning the tattoo, his gaze darkened slightly. She was better off not knowing.

----

A few hours had gone by, and since it was a Saturday, Kai had taken Amelia home. Afterwards, he had gone to the café for his shift.

Well, he did go to the café...

Kai leaned forward in the chair as he puffed out a ring of smoke, blood and dead bodies around him, obvious that a bloody battle had just occurred. There was a phone pressed to his ear, his expression contained a slight mocking smile.

"You’re alive," came the voice on the other end of the line.

Kai exhaled, quite unimpressed. freewёbnoνel.com

"Disappointed?"

A low chuckle. "Hardly. But Grandfather has been asking about you."

Kai’s fingers tapped the cigarette’s ash onto the bloodstained floor. Of course, he was. The old man rarely summoned him unless he had something in mind.

"And?"

"He wants to see you. Soon. Said you’ve been avoiding him."

Kai smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

"Avoiding? That’s such an unpleasant word. I’ve been busy."

The voice sighed. "He also heard a rumor."

Kai’s gaze fell to one of the corpses, his interest barely piqued.

"About?"

"That you have a fiancée."

A pause. Then Kai smiled slowly as an image of Amelia’s flushed face flashed through his mind.

"Oh?" His voice was smooth and unbothered. "News travels fast."

"He wants to meet her." The voice’s tone was amused. "You should bring her soon. I, for one, am dying to see what kind of woman managed to tie you down."

Kai chuckled darkly.

"Oh, she is just a little interest of mine, nothing worthy of Grandfather’s attention."

"Either way, he still wants to meet her."

Kai sighed, rubbing his temple. How troublesome.

"He’ll have to wait. I have things to take care of."

He hung up before the person could respond, tucking the phone into his pocket. He stood up, tossing the cigarette to the ground before crushing it under his boot.

He pulled off his bloodstained jacket, then walked toward a rack, swapping his clothes for a simple white T-shirt and jeans.

Then, he picked up the apron hanging nearby, tying it around his waist.

With a smile, he pushed open the door and stepped out into the bustling café.

"Ahh, Kai, about time you got here!" a cheerful voice called out.

His coworker, a pretty young woman, smiled at him as she untied her apron.

"My shift was over, and I was worried I’d have to stay overtime."

Kai offered a soft, apologetic smile. "Sorry, Annie. I’ll make it up to you."