Mastermind | Chuuya Nakahara.

TWENTY-THREE.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
Are you trying to flirt with me, Kitagawa?
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

               There was an uncomfortable silence in the office air. The two of them sat behind their respective desks, filling in paperwork, occasionally sighing just for the sake of it. They hadn't spoke a word since they returned from the arms deal the day before. The car journey had been awkward to say the least—especially for poor Hirotsu, who had no clue what had occurred between them. He assumed it was one of their arguments. But it was far worse. They had kissed and for a moment, the world has stopped. Every single ounce of tension between them had been put into that shared kiss, a mixture of lust, hate and passion. It had made them lose their minds.

                Aki glanced up, chewing on the bottom of her pen. Her eyes found Chuuya, his nose deep in his paperwork. Look at me, dammit, fucking look at me. She wasn't mad—not really, at least, not at him. What had happened in that pool had made her entire body feel like it was on fire. She had got so lost in it that she had completely forgot herself. The moment Chuuya spotted those scars, it all came crashing down for her. The insecurities she tried so hard to hide came flooding out of her—pouring like a waterfall. She was supposed to be perfect, something crafted by the gods themselves. She wasn't supposed to have flaws and Chuuya wasn't supposed to see them. But he had.

                 Chuuya could feel her amber eyes burning holes into his skull. Don't look at her. Don't you dare look at her. He had been so conflicted since the kiss they'd shared in the pool. It was supposed to be a release, a way to get how he felt about her out of his system. But the moment he saw those scars on her stomach, he'd had the urge to kiss every single of them. Something so soft and intimate was against his nature—especially when it came to Aki. She was the woman who's throat he wanted to wrap his fingers around and squeeze until she couldn't breathe, so why had he wanted to ease some of her pain? Why did he want to kiss those scars over and over again until she understood just how beautiful she was? It made his stomach flutter. God, he felt sick.

                Aki began clicking the end of her pain. In and out. In and out. In and out. Chuuya felt his brows knit together in annoyance. Couldn't she just leave him be? It was bad enough he could literally smell her from across the room, but she just had to do everything to get his attention on her? He wanted to look at her. Fuck, he really wanted to look at her. He'd only caught a glimpse of her when she walked through the door before he averted his eyes. And dammit, did she look good. Knee high boots, short skirt, red blouse, hair tied into two low pigtails. She looked absolutely divine. But he couldn't bring himself to look at her, because if he did, he wouldn't be able to look away. And all he would think about was the moment they shared in the pool—about how he could still feel her lips on his, her hands tugging and pulling at his hair. Shit.

                 Aki sighed heavily, turning her gaze downwards. She only had a few more pages worth of her report to write up—if she'd just focus, she could be out of the office within a half an hour. But it was difficult, what with her mind lingering on how Chuuya's hands had had felt gripping her hips, his mouth all over her. She sat up a little straighter, crossing her legs, squeezing them ever so slightly. This is so fucking annoying. She wanted to argue with him, exchange verbal blows—literally anything. The silence was eating her alive.

                    "Can you stop that?" Thank god. Chuuya had caved first, being the one to use his voice for the first time in four hours. He hadn't even meant to speak, the words had simply slipped out against his own will, being far too used to arguing with the black-haired beauty. But it was exactly what Aki wanted—it made her relieved.