Chapter 2

Richard was driving, Sarah sat shotgun, and Chloe, Valerie, and I squeezed into the back seat. I happened to be sitting right next to Chloe.

My hand rested casually on my leg, the fabric of my elbow brushing right against her arm. Through the thin material of her clothing, a slight coolness emanated from her skin. The texture was incredibly soft, gently making contact with me as the car hit every bump in the road.

Chloe and Valerie were chatting non-stop about political gossip at the broadcast studio. Unable to join the conversation, I turned my head, pretending to admire the autumn leaves out the window. But in reality, every single one of my senses was entirely focused on Chloe beside me. She made absolutely no effort to pull away; her left hand rested perfectly still in the gap between our seats.

A man always has moments where he loses his mind, especially when entirely hijacked by hormones.

In that extremely cramped space, where the two people right next to us could notice at any second, I executed yet another incredibly reckless, suicidal move.

I quietly opened my hand and pressed it firmly down over hers in the gap between the seats.

She jolted violently, instinctively trying to pull away, but I pinned her hand down hard. After a brief struggle, likely terrified that making too much noise would draw Valerie's attention, she helplessly abandoned her resistance.

My heart was racing like a rally car. Out of the corner of my eye, I stared intensely at the rearview mirror and at Valerie, terrified that our covert operation would be caught red-handed.

For cover, I shifted my leg closer to Chloe, pressing it tightly against her thigh, and draped the hem of my jacket over our intertwined hands.

Just like that, we maintained our secret, intertwined grip the entire drive until we reached the estate. No one noticed the insane boundary we had crossed.

Upon arriving at the winery, Chloe linked arms with Richard and walked near the front. Because the estate’s cobblestone pathways were uneven, she walked very carefully, afraid of twisting her ankle in her heels. Her waist swayed with every step, the round curve of her hips tracing a lethally attractive silhouette.

We followed a tour guide through the century-old connected buildings. The ceilings were incredibly high, the corridors deep, but some of the archways were designed to be exceptionally narrow.

Just as we stepped from the blindingly bright courtyard into a dim cellar passage, the stark contrast in light plunged our vision into pitch blackness. Before my eyes could adjust, I crashed straight into someone.

I instinctively reached out to grab them, only to hear Chloe let out a gasp. My hands landed firmly on something incredibly full and soft.

Stepping from the glaring outdoors into the dark corridor, the timid Chloe had been too scared to move forward and stopped dead in her tracks, causing me to run right into her.

The moment she spun around in panic, her lips accidentally brushed against my cheek. Her warm breath, carrying a faint scent of mint, hit my skin.

She was clearly terrified. She reached out blindly and shoved me hard, losing her own balance in the process. She stumbled back a few steps and fell onto the stone floor.

I immediately stepped forward to help her up. In the darkness, Chloe’s face was flushed red. She slapped my hand away, scrambled to her feet in a panic, and ran toward the light source ahead.

Hearing the commotion, Sarah turned around and asked what happened. Panting heavily, Chloe feigned composure. "It was just too dark in there. I accidentally tripped."

Everyone burst out laughing. Valerie covered her mouth and teased, "My God, you really are scared of your own shadow!"

I, on the other hand, was the only one whose mind was still frantically replaying the one-second sensation of her lips grazing my cheek.

The group's excitement remained high, but Chloe seemed to have taken a hard fall. She walked slower, discreetly rubbing her hip, gradually falling to the back of the group.

I deliberately slowed my pace to walk beside her. Her beautiful head stubbornly darted everywhere, absolutely refusing to look at me.

Remembering her awkward tumble earlier, I couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

Chloe's face flushed red again. She turned her head and glared at me fiercely. "What are you laughing at? Wipe that smirk off your face!"

I bit back my laughter and raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I won't laugh." But my gaze remained recklessly locked onto her gorgeous, flush face.

She tightened her delicate features, lowered her voice, and ground her teeth. "You creep, what are you looking at? Close your eyes!"

I obediently averted my gaze and nodded seriously. "As you wish, ma'am. I'm not looking."

She had intentionally lowered her voice to bicker with me, clearly afraid the others up ahead would notice. In that moment, I realized our status as accomplices had deepened yet another level—we now shared a second unspeakable secret.

She probably saw right through my filthy thoughts and stamped her foot in frustration. "And no daydreaming either!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she likely realized how unreasonable the command sounded, immediately correcting herself and adding, "No daydreaming about me!"

At that moment, Valerie seemed to notice we had fallen behind. She stopped and walked back over to ask, "The guide said there’s a vintage 16mm film projection area up ahead that shows old black-and-white silent movies. Do you guys want to check it out?"

Chloe blushed, shot me another glare, and immediately linked arms with Valerie to agree.

Naturally, I was going to follow Chloe like a shadow. But Richard and Sarah had absolutely zero interest in "musty old antiques" and said they were heading to the reserved suite to rest. So, we split up. Richard and Sarah went to the hotel wing, while the three of us walked into the estate's retro projection room.

The projection room was located in a massive basement lounge with almost no windows. The audience was sparse.

The three of us found a sofa in one of the back rows, with Chloe sandwiched in the middle.

A wave of sheer ecstasy washed over me. When the heavy curtains were drawn and the projector began clicking, the entire room went pitch black—you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. This was the absolute perfect cover to get close to her.

Without a second thought, I extended my sinful hand. I had originally intended to grab her hand, but as luck would have it, my palm landed squarely on her long, smooth thigh.

This time, she didn't fight back. She just went completely rigid in the darkness, allowing me to cross the line entirely.