Chapter 30: Do You Want to Sleep with Me?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Do You Want to Sleep with Me?
He led Blair from the balcony. She hurried to keep up with his long strides, muttering as if to herself.
"What if that man from earlier is badly hurt...?"
Her voice made Herdin stop in his tracks. Anger flared in his chest. How could she be concerned for Wesley, especially now?
"Are you really worried about him? After all the filth that bastard spewed at you."
"But today is Mother's birthday banquet."
Now she was worried about Katrina. It seemed her own well-being was the last thing on her mind.
Just as Herdin was about to retort, an ill-timed hiccup escaped her lips.
Hic. Hic. Hic...
The hiccups showed no signs of stopping. Even when Blair clamped her mouth shut, the sound still leaked out.
He realized then that the scent of alcohol was clinging to her every breath. Herdin's brow furrowed.
"...Are you drunk?"
"I'm not drunk."
The reply was instant, but her pronunciation was noticeably slurred.
Herdin held up two fingers.
"How many do you see?"
At that, Blair pouted.
"...You said you wouldn't doubt me."
Her uncharacteristic pout was endearing, but Herdin pressed on, his resolve hardening.
"So, how many is it?"
"Hold still for a second."
Swaying slightly, Blair suddenly grabbed his outstretched hand with both of hers. Herdin froze, but she seemed oblivious, her full attention on his fingers.
The ticklish sensation of her small hands tracing his own wasn't unpleasant in the slightest.
Blair furrowed her brow in concentration, focusing intently on the two fingers before finally giving her answer.
"It's two."
Her tone was indignant, as if offended he'd think she couldn't count something so simple.
Herdin burst out laughing, his fingers still captive in her hands. The foul mood Wesley had plunged him into was already a distant memory.
His drunk wife tilted her head, her expression solemn, as if she couldn't fathom what was so funny. Even then, her hiccups didn't stop.
When another bout started, Blair frowned in frustration and patted her chest.
Watching her with an amused glint in his eyes, Herdin asked, "Shall I stop them for you?"
Blair blinked in confusion and looked up at him. In an instant, his face drew close.
Peck.
Something warm and soft pressed against her lips for a moment before pulling away. Unable to process what had just happened, Blair blinked slowly.
Herdin chuckled, looking at her wide, startled eyes.
"See? They've stopped. Your hiccups."
His low, languid voice made Blair's heart skip a beat.
Her own heartbeat thundered in her ears. Blair looked up at Herdin, confused. She couldn't understand why he was acting this way.
You don't like me. You're not supposed to.
She hated how he could slip past her defenses and rattle her so easily. She didn't want to be swayed by him; it pained her that her heart was racing against her will.
Blair came to the only conclusion she could.
"Do you want to sleep with me?"
After all, this man, if nothing else, seemed to desire her body.
Yes, that must be it. It couldn't be anything more than that.
Of course, it was something she would never have uttered had she been sober.
At her words, all amusement vanished from Herdin's face. His gaze turned icy, a look she'd seen before.
Herdin let out a dry laugh.
His wife had been treating him like some lust-crazed beast since their first night together. But she wasn't entirely wrong. His mind was, in fact, filled with nothing but filthy thoughts of her.
"...And if I do?"
"We agreed to consummate our marriage twice a month. There's still one time left. So if you want to... you can."
Her tone was that of someone offering charity, devoid of any personal desire.
Her attitude grated on his nerves. And yet, ironically, the moment she gave her permission, his desire boiled over—a raw, physical anticipation completely separate from his sullied mood.
Why should he refuse a woman offering herself to him? He desired her. She was his wife, at least on paper. And she was promising no resistance.
There was nothing wrong with wanting her. Nothing at all.
Herdin pulled Blair into a nearby room. She stumbled after him, dragged helplessly in his wake.
He shut the door, trapping her between it and his body. He lifted the slender wrist he was still holding and pressed a kiss to her skin.
"Can we do it here?"
His lips brushed against her pulse as he spoke, and her whole body trembled. He watched her chest rise and fall with shallow breaths. Even that was beautiful.
Blair blinked blankly and gave a slow nod. The moment she did, his large hand slid from her waist, roaming upward.
Meanwhile, his lips began a slow assault on her wrist, her palm, and the slender fingers that had so boldly touched him just moments before. All the while, his eyes never left her face, as if determined to burn her every reaction into his memory.
"Ah..."
Blair writhed as his hot, wet mouth moved over her skin.
He was only kissing her hand, yet a thrill shot through her lower abdomen. Perhaps it was his unwavering gaze. Her breathing quickened, even though he had yet to steal her breath.
At a loss, Blair grabbed his arm with her free hand. Herdin finally released her wrist, pulling her flush against him by the waist and burying his face in the pale curve of her neck.
Pressed so tightly against him, she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Every nerve she possessed stood on end. She tried to twist away, but he only tightened his grip, pulling her closer still. The more she struggled, the more intensely she felt every hard line of his body.
"Herdin..."
It was a call with an unclear meaning—a plea to stop, or a beg for more.
Herdin chose to interpret it as he pleased. A name whispered so breathlessly could only be encouragement.
He moved from nipping at the tender flesh of her collarbone to capture the lips that had just called his name. As his hand traced down her waist, Blair writhed and let out a soft moan. Her grip on his arm tightened.
Her soft moans echoed in his ears, bringing the memory of their first night rushing back. The urge to take her, right here and now, was driving him mad.
He kissed her deeply, sucking gently at her lips, but he froze the moment his tongue slipped past them.
The sweet scent of wine drifted from her mouth. In that instant, the foul mood he had suppressed with raw desire reared its ugly head.
Would this woman even remember what she was saying and doing right now?
It was like a bucket of ice water over his head, a chilling clarity completely at odds with the fire in his veins.
When he suddenly pulled away, Blair opened her eyes.
"...Herdin?"
His own reflection stared back from her violet eyes, hazy with alcohol. Just looking at them made his head spin, as if he were the one who was drunk.
Herdin loosened his grip on her waist. He covered his eyes with one hand, as if he couldn't bear to look at her, and a pained sigh escaped through his clenched teeth.
After a moment spent wrestling his desire back under control, he lowered his hand and met her gaze.
"On second thought," he said, "this isn't fair."
"Unfair...?"
Even now, thoroughly drunk, Blair just parted her lips and repeated his word like a parrot.
She was ridiculously cute. And the way her swollen lips, glistening with his saliva, moved... was incredibly erotic. Damn it.
Herdin gritted his teeth, his voice a low, gravelly rumble.
"You'll just forget all of this once you're sober."
Because I want you to remember everything.
He wanted her to be sober. He wanted the sensations he gave her to be branded on her mind. He wanted her to think of him at the slightest touch, to react to him instinctively.
Blair, who had been blinking slowly at him, simply shuffled closer and buried her face in his chest, mumbling, "Herdin, I'm sleepy..."
She clearly hadn't heard a word he'd said. Or rather, she was in no state to understand them.
A dumbfounded laugh escaped him, but he instinctively wrapped his arms around her small frame, supporting her weight as she leaned against him.
He let out a pained sigh and whispered in Blair's ear, "...Be prepared when you wake up."