Chapter 298 - 297: Baptism of the Storm

Beads of sweat dotted the man’s temples as he held back. He forced himself to look away from the enchanting woman beneath him and said hoarsely,

"We agreed to wait until our wedding day, and besides, we don’t have any..."

Of course, he knew what she meant. They had been completely open with each other countless times recently. They’d done pretty much everything except take the final step.

Though every encounter was torture, he had always managed to forcibly hold back.

Tonight, he’d only meant to get a few perks for himself and hadn’t prepared any protection in advance. He never imagined he would, for the umpteenth time, end up in this situation.

The thought made Leo Grant want to go back an hour and give his past self—the one who’d asked Yvonne Lowell to sign those papers—a good, hard slap across the face.

’What damn papers had to be signed right away? Couldn’t they wait until tomorrow?!’

’That way he could have at least... He was a complete fucking idiot!!!’

Yvonne Lowell tightened her grip, pulling him closer and looking directly into his eyes.

"You’ve already got me completely wrapped around your finger, so what are you hesitating for? Besides, it’s my safe period. Not to mention, I have every confidence in President Grant’s self-control when it really counts."

"Stop playing around."

Leo Grant was exasperated by the way she could lie so bald-facedly with such a serious expression.

Let’s not even get into how a woman’s so-called safe period isn’t really safe at all. Besides, Yvonne Lowell had cryptic menses—what freaking safe period?!

When they first got together, he’d noticed that Yvonne Lowell seemed to never get her period.

He’d been worried about her health and had wanted to take her to a hospital for a check-up. That’s when he learned such a condition even existed.

Because of this, he’d even crammed on women’s health, doing everything he could to take the best possible care of her.

"Don’t hold back anymore. When you’re uncomfortable, I’m uncomfortable."

Seeing he remained unmoved, Yvonne Lowell lightly tapped his Adam’s apple with her fingertip, adding more fuel to the fire.

"Or are you saying you can’t get it up? In that case, for the sake of my future happiness, I’d better run a test first... Mmph..."

Leo Grant’s reason snapped in that instant. He bent his head and kissed those lips that wouldn’t stop running.

He knew Yvonne Lowell was goading him, but he was already at the very brink of his endurance. Besides, when it came to her, his self-control was in the negative.

Besides, she was right. He had her completely wrapped around his finger.

They were getting their marriage license soon, and wedding preparations were already underway.

She was his. She would always be only his...

That night, rain began to fall on the mountainside. The air filled with the scent of damp earth, bringing a hint of coolness to the oppressive heat of midsummer.

At first, it was just a soft drizzle, like cool fingertips caressing a lover’s cheek while whispering tender affections.

But gradually, the owner of the voice seemed to decide that language was too lacking, that soft whispers could not fully express the profound love they held for their beloved.

And so, they incorporated physical touch, raising their voice, determined to convey every last drop of affection and make their beloved truly feel the depth of their devotion.

Thus, the rain grew more and more turbulent, gradually becoming a torrential downpour.

It was as if someone had torn a rift across the sky with their bare hands. Rain poured from the fissure, attempting to possess the entire world.

In the backyard, the snow-white roses swayed in the wind and rain, yet they stood tall, a testament to nature’s vibrant rhythm of life.

The downpour only began to subside as the first light of dawn touched the horizon, leaving glistening droplets upon the rose petals.

And the flowers, having been washed by the storm all night, bloomed with an even more tender beauty.

...

「The next day.」

The sun was already high in the sky, but the bedroom remained dark and dim.

Yvonne Lowell groggily opened her eyes, the first thing she saw being his elegant, handsome face.

Though he was still fast asleep, it was easy to see the look of pure satisfaction on his face.

She cursed inwardly, ’A handsome face is a woman’s downfall.’

She’d called for a ceasefire several times last night, and while that beast had agreed verbally, his actions were anything but agreeable.

Each time, he would press that deceptively handsome face of his close, gaze at her pitifully while calling her "sweetheart," "honey," and "wifey," and she would, for the umpteenth time, disarm and surrender.

She had no idea when she’d finally fallen asleep, only that when she’d last peeked through a gap in the curtains, the sky was already growing light.

By the time he’d carried her for a bath, she couldn’t even open her eyes, her eyelids fighting a losing battle.

Thankfully, the beast hadn’t completely lost his humanity. During one of their "halftime" breaks, he’d even known to take off her makeup.

And finally, while she soaked in the tub, he’d changed the sheets before helping her finish up and putting her to bed.

"Sss."

Yvonne Lowell wanted to turn over to grab her phone and check the time, but the moment she moved, her whole body ached as if she’d been run over by a monster truck—repeatedly.

She was certain that even back in Apeiron, doing ten consecutive sessions of hellish training had never left her feeling this way.

Yvonne Lowell irritably swatted away the large hand on her waist and forced her aching body to roll over.

She grabbed the phone from the nightstand and glanced at the time. It was almost eleven, but she’d only gotten a few hours of sleep in total.

The body behind her shamelessly pressed close again, an arm reaching out to pull her into an embrace.

The man’s voice was still laced with desire. "You’re awake? Hungry?"

"Shut up. I don’t want to talk to you today."

Yvonne Lowell tossed her phone onto the nightstand and closed her eyes again.

Her voice was so hoarse it sounded like she’d swallowed eight pubescent boys whose voices were in the middle of cracking.

But she was taking her gravelly voice in stride. After all, it wasn’t much different from how she’d sounded while cursing him out last night.

At her words, the man, both embarrassed and chagrined, nuzzled the tip of his nose against her fair shoulder.

He had, admittedly, been reckless last night. But when it came to Yvonne Lowell, he didn’t know the meaning of the word "self-control."

Having opened the door to a whole new world, he’d gotten a taste of paradise and now found himself insatiable.

’But could he really tell her he’d already held back quite a bit, considering they had to go to Lowell Manor for dinner tonight?’

’No, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t dare.’

All he could do was dutifully massage her sore muscles like a lackey. But as he massaged, his rogue hands started to wander again.

The strange sensation from behind her made Yvonne Lowell’s body go rigid for a second. She quickly pinned down his large hand.

"Grant, I’m warning you."

Leo Grant chuckled, his voice low and husky.

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop. What do you want to eat? I’ll go make it for you."

"Not hungry. Don’t want anything," Yvonne Lowell replied weakly.

Leo Grant kissed the top of her head. "I’ll whip something up then. You get some more rest. I’ll carry you to wash up after I bring it upstairs."

When he got no response, Leo Grant didn’t mind. He snatched his clothes from the sofa, threw them on, washed up quickly, then opened the door and headed downstairs.