TAINTED HEARTS (ENGLISH)

TAINTED HEARTS 29

Chapter 29

We didn’t finish in just one round. I couldn’t count how many times we’d done it. All I knew was that every time I changed thongs and lingerie, it was another messy round. We had almost used them all before he finally stopped.

We woke up in the afternoon the next day. Maybe we would still be asleep if someone hadn’t kept calling his phone and the room’s telephone.

“f**k,” he groaned. “Those assholes.”

“Who’s calling? Is it Jax and Enzo?”

“Definitely,” he said with his bedroom voice. “They’re the only ones who are crazy in our group.”

He yawned sleepily, then buried his face on the back of my neck, totally ignoring the calls he was receiving. He hugged me and seemed to be planning to go back to sleep.

“What if it’s important? Answer it first!”

He shook his head and hid in my neck.

“They’ll barge into my room and not just call me if it’s important. Don’t mind those assholes.”

I laughed and remembered that he was always the one those two picked on.

“I’m still sleepy,” he groaned again.

“I can’t remember what time we ate our last meal yesterday. It’s past lunchtime now. I’m hungry,” I said, trying to push him slightly.

“Whose fault is that?”

“Fault? What? Me?”

“It’s your fault for asking my age and saying I’m near the age of a senior citizen.” He let out a small laugh and then bit my shoulder.

“How is that my fault?” I asked, laughing too.

“Do you think an old man could last until morning?”

I laughed out loud. So that’s why we ended up until the next day—because he just wanted to prove that he was still young and could do it nonstop, all night long.

“I didn’t say you were old! I was just curious about your age!”

“It’s just the same. You’re asking because you think I’m old.”

I giggled. “I’m not!”

“You are,” he insisted. “I’m still sleepy. Let’s sleep again for another hour.”

He went back to sleep. I did the same. Not even an hour had passed since we fell asleep again when his phone and the room’s telephone rang at the same time. We both flinched because of the noisy ringing. He growled in irritation and intended to go back to sleep. But before that, I shook his arm to wake him up.

I thought maybe he had an arrangement with his friends and just didn’t want to go. I got up first. He was forced to stand after I took a bath and woke him up again. He only took a short bath. When he came out of the bathroom, the traces of sleepiness were gone from his face. Afterward, we went down and quickly arrived at the dining place Jax had called about.

“Birthday boy, here you come!”

He sneered at their loud greetings. I stared at Lennox. They even had a small cupcake with a big candle stuck in the middle.

Jax lit it when we entered, and he and Enzo sang together. Some people inside laughed at the nonsense they were doing.

“It’s your birthday?” I asked in disbelief. He didn’t even tell me?

He shot the two a deadly glare and brushed away Jax’s hand holding the cupcake being pushed at him to blow the candle.

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t tell her that your age is no longer on the calendar.” They laughed.

Lennox glanced at me and irritably looked away when he saw that I was surprised.

I didn’t know if he was annoyed already because he wasn’t responding to Jax even when being teased. It looked like he might be the oldest of them all, and the two youngest—Jax and Enzo—were the ones who often bullied him.

“f**k your calendar, Jax.” He shook his head while facing me, as if he were telling me to stop listening to those assholes’ nonsense.

I stared at him. Was his age already past the calendar? But he didn’t even look like he was in his forties. He actually looked like he was in his late twenties.

“I thought you were only twenty-six.” I couldn’t stop my mouth.

His friends burst out laughing.

“Twenty-six, my ass! He’s f*****g thirty-one!” Enzo laughed, mocking him.

“He’s still on the calendar, though,” Adam joined in and chuckled.

“Tss!” Lennox pulled my hand and then made me sit beside him.

“He’s an old man! If you want, he can be your sugar daddy!” Jax fist bumped Enzo after saying that.

I would’ve been insulted in another situation, but because I knew they were just teasing Lennox, I couldn’t help but join and laugh. So this was why he had such big insecurities about Kian’s age.

“Daddy Lennox?” I joined in their teasing.

He looked at me, then parted his lips. I quickly stifled my smirk when his stare darkened. I knew what those stares meant, though. He was not offended but . . . it was the opposite.

“If you don’t stop, later, during our . . .” He paused. “I won’t stop until you call me daddy . . . deal?”

I stared at him. During our what? Was he talking about being in bed? I couldn’t answer. This crazy man. Even though he left the word hanging, I was sure his friends got it.

“That’s enough before your staring leads somewhere else!” Jax stopped the teasing which suddenly died down.

Lennox shook his head at his friends and played with my hand. He held me and only let go when it was time to eat. After eating inside the restaurant, they moved outside to breathe fresh air while drinking. The whole time, he was holding my hands. He was unconsciously playing with my fingers, and sometimes he was kissing my wrist he was holding.

Enzo and Jax were greeting the people passing them. Those two were approachable, while the rest were stern and seriously talking about work.

I reached for a glass of fresh fruit juice as I started to feel bored. It was still bright and I thought the sun would take a long time to go down. They weren’t heavy drinkers, just enough while talking. Even so, the man beside me was already red. He didn’t look drunk, either. Maybe he’s just the kind of drinker who turns red quickly whenever he drinks alcohol.

He looked at me when I gently brushed off his hand that was holding mine. He even reflexively tightened his hold on my hand like I was a child he was holding, and if he let go, I would disappear in the park.

“I’ll just take a walk,” I said so he would let go of my hand.

“Don’t go too far.” I pursed my lips at his strict voice. I just nodded and smiled so he let go of me.

I was looking down as I walked, playing with the fine white sand with my feet. Many were swimming in the sea and people were grouped together. Smiling, I stopped and leaned on the trunk of a tall coconut tree. I watched from afar the people swimming and doing ocean activities.

They were living their lives and enjoying their youth. As I watched the setting sun, I also watched the man of my life walking toward me. His serious eyes were all on me. The sides of his silhouette were glowing because of the natural color of the setting sun. He looked like an angel who came from above and was sent down by heaven, and here he was now making his way to me. He looked so perfect in every way that I almost asked God why He was unfair when He created this person.

“Are you done drinking?” I greeted him with a wide smile.

I stayed leaning on the tall coconut tree. It was quiet here and windy. He stopped in front of me and stared while his hands were in his pockets. I slightly looked up and held my hair to keep it from dancing with the strong breeze.

“Not yet. They’re still drinking,” he said in a hoarse voice.

I raised my eyebrows at him and widened my smile.

“Then why are you here?”

“Because you’re here,” his eyes were serious, staring and not crossing the space between us.

My heart just flipped. This beautiful creature really had the sweetest tongue. I grazed my lips with my teeth, then thought about another topic to stop my crazy heart.

“Did you tell Mama that we’re coming here?”

He nodded, still staring. I fixed my hair and looked away because I couldn’t handle his stares, but when I looked back, he was still staring.

“Why?” I asked, now confused.

His eyes were dim. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

“If I did something that will hurt you, are you going to leave me?”

I was surprised by his question because he always said that I would leave him. But I also thought about whether I could do that. If he hurt me, would I leave him?

I came closer and touched his cheek. He closed his eyes when my finger landed on his lips. He’s the only one who makes my heart happy, romantically. He is the only one who makes my heart beat faster and slower at the same time. He can make me breathe heavily. He is also the reason why sometimes I stop breathing. I want these incredible feelings to stay.

“No. I’ll stay . . . I will stay with you,” I said sincerely.

I felt him hitch his breath as he gritted his teeth. His eyes stayed closed. He didn’t touch me and kept his hands in his pockets.

“I don’t think you’ll stay . . .” He opened his bloodshot eyes, then stared at me. He must be a bit drunk to talk this way emotionally. “But I want to believe you, Xena. Because . . . I really hope you will stay. I want you to always be beside me.”

My lips parted and my eyes heated. Why did he say that so sadly? Did something happen or is something going to happen that could be the reason for me to leave him?

I smiled and lowered my hand from his cheek to wrap it around his body and hug him. I had already decided that he was the one I wanted until the end. If leaving him was what he feared, I wanted to take that thought away from him because I was sure I couldn’t do that to him.

“I’ll always be by your side. I won’t leave you. I promise.”