Stefan Pierce

"You."

She looks away as soon as the words leaves my mouth. I'm sure she's blushing even though I can't see her face. At the very least, I've learnt a lot about her. This simple move of hers is enough to make me feel proud that I have an impact on her.

That was the exact reaction I was hoping to see again. God knows what got into me after Mae's call the other day behind the canteen, but I reacted strangely. I cursed myself for being rude toward her.

But when I touched her, I went crazy. I tried and failed badly to keep my hands to myself after that.

The night we kissed for the first time is a blur, but when she kissed me back, I lost it all over again. She is the new definition of sexy and adorable all at once. Her lips, her perfect curved body, can wreak havoc on your imagination.

Her words, tears, and the way she moaned my name made it impossible for me not to submit.

"You know, I know you're blushing, right?" I tease the edge of our limits to keep our hands to ourselves, taking the final sip from my bottle.

She clears her throat and pushes her hair back from her face. Then she returns my stare with a neutral expression.

"No. I am not," she replies, sagging her shoulders and licking her lips.

The way she tries to appear smart and naïve goes beyond cuteness. I used to believe that just a woman's hotness was a turn-on for me.

Had I not met this girl, the choices I make would have been so vanilla.

I want to kiss her right now.

"Uh-huh. Let's see where the blush went then." I set my bottle next to her and pull her right to the edge of the bonnet.

She gasps in surprise yet holds my shoulders. I tilt her neck, and place my lips on a throbbing vein below her ear. She instantly softens under my touch.

Greed for more of her skin beneath my lips compels me to kiss her open-mouthed all the way up till her parted lips drawing trembling breaths. I come to a halt just as she is going to kiss me.

Our breathing blends with one other's, but we remain where we are — aching millimeters apart from kissing.

"There it is," I say quietly, and place my finger on her flushed cheeks. She bites her lower lip, smiling.

We maintain the distance. I run my hand over her waist and back gradually. She has a grip on me, her legs around my hips.

I'm trying not to go any further than a kiss right now, but it's quite difficult for me. Her faltering smile indicates that it's not easy for her to hold back either.

I know she's yearning for more than a kiss right now.

"We're going to miss the sunset," she says. Her breath becomes urgent as she strokes our forehead.

"I don't care about the sunset." I speak the words I was looking for. When I lift her up, she straddles me and laughs like a child. She pulls the empty beer bottles off the bonnet with her.

With one hand, I open the door and slide her into the passenger seat. We both fasten our seatbelt without wasting another minute.

"I thought you'd shove me in the backseat instead?" She points out the obvious.

"Car sex isn't my thing."

I park the car in the house's garage and turn off the engine. Silence surrounds the atmosphere.

"Where are we?" she questions, stepping out of the car, her eyes examining every detail around.

"My place," I pause as I recall an idiot who also lives with me. "Technically, it's both mine and Charlie's."

We exit the garage and proceed to the front door. It's strange to bring Clara here as I've never brought any girl to my house before.

In any case, how many girls was I meant to bring? I've just been here for maybe a month or two.

She scans the cropped green grass with a fence, the fragrance of the flower-filled garden, huge trees in the backyard grown like dinosaurs, distinct houses separated by a road, and the serene starlight above us.

"This place is beautiful," she says. Folding her hands over her chest and squeezing her arms to keep warm. "But why do you live here? Far from the main city?"

My smile vanishes as an outcome of her question. My hand grinds to a stop in search of the keys in my jean pockets.

I face her with a stern expression as she stands on the grass, waiting for my response.

After a 30-minute journey on a route with hardly any traffic and nearly no vehicles, I clearly know what she means.

This area of city is largely owned by people that value nature, fresh air, and a relaxed way of life. On the contrary, I picked this location to avoid people recognizing me because of my father.

For the time being, I don't mind if people remember me as his son. Everyone knows that one day I'll be the legal owner of his company.

As a result, I'd like to remain hidden from cameras for the now while I study every part of the business world in order to be eligible to lead his company. And by every single I mean every single aspect to take over.

That's my reason for staying here. But, a few months ago, before starting college, I had to witness a very ugly and brutal fight in the middle of nowhere with one of my Dad's company's rivals.

I was on my way from Caelfall to Aerilon when two goons stopped my car and pressured me to call my dad and persuade him to terminate the Japanese contract.

The irony was that it was I who asked Dad to reduce the price by a dollar to seal the deal. That is exactly what happened. We secured the deal, ignoring the fact that it was a tremendous loss for the Arctic Stones Company.

I refused to comply with their demand and ended up knocking out one of them and fighting the other.

But in that mess, I suffered several bruises, cuts all over my face and stomach with knives. After that, I'd have to reschedule my flight here.

Mom and Dad were terrified when they found out about this, so they bought this house for me and Charlie, far away from the crowds and people who could be suspicious.

Clara raises an eyebrow as she walks over to stand in front of the door. I return from my flashbacks of that awful day and resume my search for keys as if nothing had happened.

"I just like it here. It's peaceful."

She nods, agreeing with me. I push the door open to the house.

"After you."

Clara comes through the corridor, appreciating the adorned wooden-like walls with a large oval-shaped mirror to make it appealing. The furry grey carpet spanned the entire floor, and the living room is filled with artistic items like little sculptures and various paintings made by Charlie displayed in every corner of the room, with the art nouveau contributing to the art gallery feel.

"This is just amazing," she comments, carefully touching the painting Charlie drew this morning.

My dear friend is on his hunt for a nightclub tonight, so I and Clara have the entire house to ourselves.

She moans in satisfaction as she throws herself on the couch. I smile and shut the front door.

"Would you like a grilled sandwich? That's all I'm capable of making." I ask, making my way to the kitchen.

Charlie cooks for both of us, and I usually do the dishes.

"No, I'm good. I haven't had anything but one beer since the afternoon, so, yeah." she answers, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Got it," I say, bowing my head and holding my hands up.

We both laugh, criticizing our own foolishness. This girl knows how to lighten the mood.