“Grrr!” Thalia gritted her teeth furiously, her cheeks burning red as she glared at Aether and shouted, “You perverted bastard! I swear, I’m going to tell my sister!!”
Aether simply stared at her…. Despite her threats, she wasn’t backing away—not even an inch. In fact, she was leaning in closer to him, even though he was the one who had cornered her against the wall.
‘Hah… So she wants me to be the one to make a move rather than doing it herself. That way, she can act innocent when she goes crying to her sister,’ Aether mused with an amused smirk.
Still, a part of him was irritated. He already had enough trouble with women ‘throwing’ themselves at him—this little game of hers was only adding to his list of problems.
‘Well… I suppose it’s not bad…’ Aether muttered inwardly, his lips curling into a sly grin as he watched her squirm. She was trying so hard to get him to take the lead, to make a move on her.
It was both ridiculous and adorable in its own way!!
“I-If you dare touch me one more time, I will…” Thalia gritted her teeth, her voice laced with anger.
“You will?” Aether teased, stepping in even closer, their faces now barely an inch apart. His warm breath fanned against her lips, making her shiver. Yet, she still didn’t back away. Instead, she glared into his eyes, her pride refusing to waver.
“If you kiss me again…” She hesitated for a second, then raised her chin defiantly, “I will tell my mother!”
Aether raised a brow, his gaze lazily trailing to her lips. He caught her licking them—so quickly, almost as if she didn’t want him to see it.
But he did! Continue your story on My Virtual Library Empire
A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth… She was practically inviting him!!
She gently parted her lips, her breath coming out in shallow, heated gasps, just a breath away from his lips. Her heart raced as their lips hovered on the edge of contact when—
“~Hmm~”
A muffled moan escaped her lips as he pressed her against the wall.
… Nope, no teasing, no distractions… Aether didn’t hesitate; he just kissed her!
Thalia’s eyes widened in shock, her body going stiff in surprise. She had half-expected him to tease her, to pull back at the last moment, but he didn’t.
He just took what he wanted.
Aether slowly pulled back, a playful smirk curving his lips as he looked down at her, his voice low and sultry. “I kissed you. Now, what?”
Thalia’s cheeks flushed a deep red as she whispered slowly, her gaze fixed with a glare, “I-I… If you kiss me again, I-I will tell my s-sis…~Hmm~” Her words trailed off in a breathless hum as Aether pressed his lips against hers once again, cutting her off before she could finish.
“Now what?” Aether murmured, his lips barely leaving hers.
“I… Huff… I will tell Lyirr~Hmm~” she gasped between kisses, her voice trembling as Aether’s lips continued their assault.
“Now?”
“Haa… Haa… I will tell Drakha—W-Wait, let me… catch my breath…~Hmmm~!” Thalia struggled to speak, her lips still tingling from the intensity of the kiss.
Aether took his time, savouring each moment, his lips lavishing her with soft, tender care.
“~Hmm~”
It was a minute or so before Aether finally pulled away, letting her gasp for air. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes wide in disbelief at how such a simple kiss had left her breathless.
Aether chuckled softly, his gaze filled with a dark amusement. He had barely used his techniques, and yet here she was, panting and trembling, her legs feeling like jelly.
Thalia wanted to say something, to rebuke him for making her feel this way, but her body had already started heating up, her mind foggy, and worst of all—she could feel a dangerous kind of heat pooling in her lower abdomen… as if she might push him down any second.
Yet, she resisted the urge—for now!!
She needed to pull herself together. At least for the sake of appearances, she had to tell her sister and mother first. Once she knew whether they would allow it or not… she would move on to the second phase of her plan.
After a few long breaths, she finally straightened her back and huffed, “W-What? Are you into m-me or something?” Her voice held a confidence, laced with pride… as if saying she was not!
Aether tilted his head, amused.
Thalia smirked, placing her hands on her hips. “Even if you are… tsk, tsk, what a pity. I cannot reciprocate that feeling. I have too many ambitions in life. I don’t have time for something as pathetic as love and lust!” She puffed out her chest in defiance, but the way her legs were still trembling ruined her act entirely.
“Oh? You want to play?” Aether mused, his eyes glinting with amusement before his expression suddenly turned sorrowful. “Is that so? Well, I guess I’ll stop then—” He sighed as if he had lost interest and turned to leave when—
“Wait!” Thalia’s hand shot out, gripping his arm tightly, refusing to let him go. Her eyes wavered slightly, betraying the emotions swirling inside her as she blurted out,
“W-What? A-Are you just going to leave like that? Aren’t you supposed to push me like you did with Dora?” Her voice carried a mix of seriousness, jealousy, and a slight tremor of hesitation.
Of course, she had seen everything—the way Aether’s hand had confidently gripped Dora’s hips, the way he acted so natural about it as if it was nothing.
That bastard had obviously set his sights on Dora too….But what shocked her even more was the fact that Dora had allowed him?
That lunatic, who cared for nothing except fighting and lazing around, was actually letting a man—this man—touch her so intimately? Thalia had been so stunned by the sight that she had completely missed whatever secret conversation they had been having.
Aether, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered. He let out a weary sigh, his voice carrying a tone of exhaustion as he muttered, “Well, Dora never said she didn’t reciprocate my feelings…” He moved away as if he had already grown tired of the conversation.
Thalia’s heart pounded against her chest.
No!!
She wasn’t going to let him walk away just like that. Her grip on his arm tightened as she pulled him back forcefully, her teeth clenched in frustration. “Then why did you kiss me?! Why did you take my innocence, you perverted bastard?! Am I a joke to you?! I thought you loved me!!!”
Aether raised an eyebrow… . She was still fixated on that? If she thought he was going to give in so easily, she had another thing comi–
“Wait!!… took your innocence?”
“W-Well, I meant in the future tense!” Thalia snapped, her face flushing with colour as she briefly averted her gaze. But she quickly recovered, her determination burning brighter as she glared at him again. “Now tell me you love me!!”
Aether frowned slightly, “Ah? Why would I?”
Thalia stiffened for a moment, caught completely off guard, ‘This bastard is playing with me, isn’t he?!’
Anger flared inside her, and without thinking, she suddenly slammed him against the wall, grabbing onto his collar as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Then why did you kiss me before?!”
“Why?” Aether repeated, his lips curling into a teasing smirk. Instead of answering directly, he reached up, his fingers brushing against her cheek ever so lightly.
Thalia instinctively tilted her head, anticipating something—maybe a deeper touch, maybe another kiss.
But to her growing annoyance, he instead reached for a lock of her onyx-black hair, twirling it slowly between his fingers as if studying its texture.
Thalia clenched her jaw. He was clearly into her—she could feel it in the way he touched her, in the way his gaze darkened when he looked at her…. And yet, he was refusing to admit it!!
‘Fine then’
If he wasn’t going to say it, she wouldn’t either. No way was she letting him toy with her heart like this. If he wanted her, he had to say it first.
“Why, huh? Why you ask?” Her voice was sharp with frustration as she pushed herself even closer to him. “You’re the one who kissed me, you pervert!” Her breath was warm against his skin as she growled, “All you had to do was admit you love me, and tha—”
“You have nice hair, Thalia.”
“…Oh?” Thalia blinked, momentarily thrown off by the sudden compliment. A faint blush dusted her cheeks as a small, almost pleased smile threatened to creep onto her lips. “T-Thank you…?”
But just as quickly, she snapped back to reality, her mind catching up to his game as she narrowed her eyes at him again. “I am talking to you, you idi—”
“If you didn’t like it…” Aether interrupted smoothly, still rubbing her soft strands between his fingers as if savoring the feel.
“H-Huh?”