ROSE He sucked and nibbled strongly, and I mimicked his moves, parting my lips to suck his lips and feel their plumpness—it was the only way—it seems—to appease the tightening in my chest. But the tingles intensified, demanding more of his lips. Wait, I need to get closer. I shifted forward and was able to draw in more of that soft cushion at once. How does his lips feel like against mine? I nibbled his upper lip, rubbing my lips against it, and then repeated the same with both his lips, as though I wanted to memorise its texture. I need to get even closer…. My hands reached up behind his head and pushed it forward. And his firm lips flattened against mine. Then, something warm and moist entered my mouth—. My eyes flew open, staring at Rum’s closed eyes as his tongue stroked mine. His tongue?! I jolted back, tearing my lips from his with a loud smack. “What’s wrong?” Those piercing blue eyes stared into mine. It was then I felt his hands on my back, holding me th

ROSE So Rum put that term in the contract because werewolves can’t mess with humans? I stared at the marble floor of the elevator, feeling especially glum. Stop it, Rose. You can’t fall in love with Rum anyway. You’re here to make sure he does his job and continues to gift the world with his talent—not do a rom-com with him, Jesus Christ…. “Tsk! Are you upset because you can’t hook up with Ambrose?” I jolted up and looked at that gorgeous face of an angel, its features knitted in bitterness. “No. I’m not.” “That doesn’t sound like it.” “What’s wrong with you? I have colleagues—and some of them are men. Are you telling me to avoid everyone who has balls?” “YES.” My eyes flared up in shock. “You’ve got no right to do that.” “Sure, I do.” His blue eyes turned to a fierce shade. “I’m your fucking boss.” “No, you don’t! You don’t have that kind of right even as my boss.” I refuted firmly. Then, a thought popped into my head. I folded my arms and felt a smug look on my fa

ROSE “By the way, have you seen Rum?” I looked up from Ambrose’s shirt to his beaming face as he asked, “He was pacing up and down the pool, checking his… uh… phone? Wondering what time you’ll be here.” Ambrose seems to be adapting well to the human world. “W-Was he?” The werewolf nodded. “It’s fun to watch. But scary to see.” I forced out a chuckle. “He said I was late.” “Did he?” Ambrose inched closer and lowered his voice. “Between you and me: I think Rum likes you.” What? My heart skipped a beat. It can’t be true. He was just making out with Christy…. Ambrose shifted away. Then, he muttered, “Rose?” “It can’t be true.” I heard my voice in a disappointing whisper. “Hmm?” Ambrose crunched his nose. “I can’t be wrong… Rose, I know Rum very well… We’ve known each other since we were cubs… I mean, kids… Rum’s paying a lot of attention to you—that means he likes you….” I sneaked a peek behind Ambrose’s left shoulder and saw Rum’s face disappearing into Christy’s

ROSE “W-Who was that?” I asked, my eyes closed to fight off the remaining anxiety from the terrifying experience of almost being raped by three drugged models, my face buried in Rum’s chest to hide my embarrassment and shame, my arms hugging his neck like a security blanket as he carried me away from the pool. “Ambrose.” Rum’s silky voice vibrated from his chest to my forehead. Silence fell between us. But I heard the gentle crushing of loose stones under his feet as he padded across the concrete… the sounds of the crazed and dazed crowd muffling to silence… I felt the lights coming on…the droplets of pool water dripping off Rum... the warmth from the bare skin of his chest… the protection from his shirt covering me… and the soft thudding of his heart. His heart was beating fast…. “Are you mad?” I asked. I felt the bobbing in his throat and got my answer: he is mad—and I better shut the fuck up. The rumbling of a car engine seeped into my ears, getting louder with each

ROSE As the van sped through the expressway, silence continued to separate us, keeping us to ourselves—me to my thoughts about my unrequited love for a man who belongs to the people and my dilemma to have a fling with him; him… to his nap? Rum hasn’t moved since he flung me aside. Perhaps, he’s fallen asleep. After exiting the expressway, meandering through the maze of city streets, the van finally turned into the luxury apartment building of Rum’s penthouse. I jolted forward in my seat. “David, I think you should send me home first—.” “Rum said to come straight here,” David reported like an army soldier as he turned the steering wheel, and the van swerved into the parking lot. As soon as it stopped, Rum sprung alive, grabbed my wrist and yanked me along with him as he got out. The trip up to the highest floor was quiet at first. Then, I turned to Rum and whispered, “Rum….” “I don’t want to hear anymore of your nonsense talk, Rose. Just stop talking.” “Then why am I h