Chapter 12
1491 Words
Estevan’s lips on hers were warm and steady, as if he wasn’t just kissing her but grounding her. Walang pagmamadali, pero may lalim—parang bawat pagdampi ng labi niya ay may dalang kahulugan na hindi kayang sabihin ng kahit anumang mga salita.
He wasn’t rushing, yet there was an urgency beneath the calm, like he’d waited too long for this moment, and now that it was here, he wanted to feel it fully.
Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart thudded against her ribs as if trying to match the rhythm of his. And the way he kissed her—firm yet gentle, bold yet respectful—made something inside her unravel. It wasn’t just desire. It wasn’t just need. It was something far more dangerous.
Her mind was throwing her some warnings from time to time, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned in even more.
Paulit-uliy niyang pinaalahanan ang sarili na wala lang 'to. That this is just part of the plan to destroy him. To make him fall in love with her. To worship her even more. Nang sa gano'n ay mas malalim at mas masakit ang pagbagsak nito sa oras na bitawan niya ang binata at iwan itong nagmamakaawa sa kan'ya na balikan siya.
After all, she's just here for revenge.
Dahan-dahang gumalaw ang kamay ni Estevan mula sa pulso niya papunta sa mababang bahagi ng kan'yang likod. She felt the pressure of his palm, the way he held her like she might slip away.
Hindi siya umimik. Tanging mahinang ungol lamang ang ginagawa niya. Dahil baka kung magsalita siya, mabasag ang lahat. And she didn’t want that to happen.
Her fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt, holding onto him—not with desperation, but with quiet need.
Estevan’s lips moved against hers again—this time deeper. Mas matagal. Mas tiyak. She could feel the tension shift in him, like something was starting to crack under the surface.
Then, he pulled away slowly, just enough to look at her.
“Are you sure?” tanong niya, his voice low snd his breath brushing her skin.
Eloise nodded. “Are you?”
He didn’t answer…not with words. Instead, he kissed her again. Mas mabagal, mas matatag, like he was testing how far he could go before he lost control.
Dahan-dahang dumulas ang mga kamay ni Estevan sa likod ng mga hita ni Eloise, mahinahong iniangat siya hanggang sa balutin ng mga binti niya ang baywang nito. Mahinang huminga si Eloise, habang ang mga daliri niya ay dumadagan sa buhok ni Estevan.
Binuhat siya ng binata papuntanh kama sa banayad na paraan. Pagkababa niya sa kama, hindi agad siya hinalikan nito ulit. He just looked at her. As if memorizing the way she looked in this moment, slightly flushed, breathing uneven, and her eyes meeting his without fear.
“You don’t know what you’re doing to me,” Estevan whispered.
Kumalabog ang dibdib ni Eloise sa narinig.
“Then let me show you what you’re doing to me,” bulong niya.
And that made something inside him shift.
He kissed her again—deeper now…less hesitant. Dumulas ang mga kamay nito sa paligid ng baywang at mga tagiliran ni Eloise, dahan-dahang tinutuklas nang walang pagmamadali.
Unti-unti namang bumagsak ang tela ng sundress ni Eloise mula sa mga balikat. Nanginig bigla si Eloise, hindi dahil sa lamig, kundi dahil sa paraan ng pagtitig ni Estevan sa kan'ya.
As if she wasn’t just a body, but a secret he was trying to keep only for himself.
He traced her skin like he wanted to understand her. And maybe he did.
Isa-isa niyang binuksan ang mga butones ng suot na shirt ni Estevan. Hindi siya nagmamadali. Ni hindi rin siya minadali ni Estevan. Gusto niyang makita ito, madama ang init nito, nang malapit, nang totoo, at walang pag-aalinlangan.
At nang nakahiga na sila sa kama, wala nang natirang puwang para sa mga salita. Tanging ang hininga na lang nila ang naririnig... at ang bawat haplos. At ang mga matang ayaw kumurap, ayaw lumayo.
Gumagalaw si Estevan sa ibabaw niya nang buong pag-iingat. Bawat halik sa kan'yang leeg, bawat pagdulas ng palad niya sa gilid ng katawan ni Eloise, at bawat bahagyang pagdampi ng mga labi nito sa balat niya ay tila isang pangakong hindi binigkas pero damang-dama niya.
“Eloise…” he whispered against her neck, his voice hoarse.
Ipinikit niya ang kan’yang mga mata nang mariin, tila nalalasing sa bawat halik na dumadampi sa kan’yang balat. “Don’t stop," she whispered.
And he didn’t. His lips captured hers again—warmer this time...surer. As if he’d crossed a line within himself and there was no going back.
Eloise didn’t resist. She matched his kiss with quiet fire, fingers slipping into the back of his hair, pulling him closer until she could feel the full weight of him against her. His body was solid, warm, and real—no longer just a fantasy she was trying to control.
Napasinghap siya nang dumulas pababa ang kamay ni Estevan sa baywang niya, anchoring her to him. His grip wasn’t demanding—it was grounding, like he needed to know she was really there.
“You’re shaking,” he whispered against her lips.
“Hindi ako sanay sa ganito,” bulong niya, eyes fluttering open.
His eyes didn’t leave hers. “Then let me get you used to it.”
Eloise felt her heart skip. She wasn’t expecting gentleness from him—not from Estevan Alaric Foreman. From the man who impregnated her stepsister and ran away. The man whom she was trying to destroy. But there it was.
In the way he cupped her face with both hands, as if he was trying to hold something fragile. In the way his thumbs brushed along her jaw, memorizing its every angle.
His eyes traced the line of her collarbone, then dipped lower, taking in the softness of her skin with admiration that stole her breath.
“You’re beautiful,” he said quietly. Walang buwelo. Walang pilit. “And it’s pissing me off.”
Napatawa siya, medyo nahihirapan sa paghinga. “Why?”
“Because I don’t know what to do with it.”
“Then don’t do anything,” she murmured, pulling him closer. “Just feel it.”
And he did what she said. His mouth found her neck, brushing against the delicate skin just below her ear. Napapikit siya dahil doon. Her breath was hitching as he traced slow and maddening kisses down her throat, then across her chest, leaving fire in every move he made.
Eloise arched slightly beneath him, her skin tightening under his touch. His hands followed the curve of her waist and her hips, like he was mapping her piece by piece. Walang pagmamadali. Every touch was a question—Can I? Will you let me?
She answered with every sigh, every arch, every way she gave herself over to him, inch by inch.
Nakaibabaw si Estevan kay Eloise, bukas ang kan'yang damit, at humihingal. Pero kahit gano’n, hindi pa rin maalis ang titig niya kay Eloise.
“Tell me,” he said, his forehead pressing against hers. “If you want me to stop.”
Her hands gripped his bare shoulders, her nails digging in slightly. “I don’t want you to.”
And that was all he needed.
He kissed her again, much deeper now—no longer just tasting, but taking. Not out of greed, but need. Controlled, yes, but struggling at the edge of something rawer.
Pagdampi ng kamay ni Estevan sa ilalim ng laylayan ng damit ni Eloise, bahagyang napigil ang hininga niya. Ramdam niya ang init ng palad ni Estevan, at ang biglang paghinto nito.
“Should I stop?” tanong nito na hindi niya halos marinig dahil sa hina nito.
She shook her head. “Don’t stop.”
Her dress slid off completely. She was bare to him now. And her heart was racing, her chest was rising and falling, and her lips parted.
But Estevan didn’t lunge. He just looked. And it was that quiet, respectful silence that undid her more than anything.
“I shouldn’t want this,” he murmured, brushing her thigh with the back of his hand. “But right now, I do.”
Nanginig ang boses ni Eloise. “Then want me.”
He kissed her again. Slower and more passionate. On her stomach, on her hips, down to her inner thigh, until she was gasping.
And when he finally returned to her lips, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him over her, chest to chest, skin against skin.
“I don’t want to think tonight,” she whispered.
“You won’t have to,” he responded, his voice low and sure.
Then he moved—and the world narrowed into nothing but heat, breath, and the sound of her name falling from his lips like a secret.
- Writer
