Sanctuary

Five. (Three Words)

I don't quite know how to say how I feel
Those three words are said too much
They're not enough

They stop talking after that.

The sound of heavy breathing is heady in her dark room, interrupted only by the clamor of their restless limbs tangling between the sheets, the fire inside her reawakening to a slow inhale, a long press of her open mouth tracing down the strong column of his throat. His Adam's apple bobs and she licks it sensually, feels his hand grip her hip, tight, urgent. She moves against him with a slow glide, her naked breasts dragging across his chest, curling her hands into his hair to kiss him fully on the mouth. His erection juts against her thigh, hard and unsatisfied, and she has a moment of guilt, surprised at her own selfishness in taking the pleasure he offered so freely, asking nothing in return. She reaches down between them, strokes him through his slacks and his underwear, and he hisses, eyes slamming shut just as hers open to watch his face. In the dim light filtering in from the living room, the strong line of his jaw is clenched, lips slightly parted, brow creased, the strain of his need perfectly coiled into the spaces between his breaths. It makes her ache with want.

Her stomach chooses that exact moment to loudly rumble and his closed eyes snap open, hazy but somehow knowing, narrowing on her face suspiciously.

"You're hungry," he states, matter-of fact, but his voice is raspy, thick with a different kind of hunger. 

Se-ri scowls at him. "How can you think about food right now?" More rumbling punctuates the darkness.

He lets out a breath of amused laughter, rubs a warm, soothing palm across her abdomen. "I'm not, but your stomach sounds angry."

"It's not," she insists, tenacious fingers closing around the waistband of his underwear.

He catches her hand, stills it and smiles at her. It's heart-meltingly gentle like his tone when he asks, "When was the last time you ate?"

"Ri Jeong-hyeok-ssi, you're really killing the mood," she complains, trying to wrest her hand away, equal parts annoyed and besotted with this fool, who put her every need above anything and everything, including himself. "We're not having this conversation now when I'm trying to seduce you."

One incredulous eyebrow lifts, and it's ridiculously attractive how a corner of his mouth twists upwards. "I'm already seduced. You don't need to try anything. Answer the question." He takes in the stubborn set of her jaw and sighs patiently. "Please Se-ri-ya."

The glimmer of worry in his eyes breaks her resolve. "Breakfast," she admits and knows the answer won't meet his approval.

It doesn't. "Breakfast was twelve hours ago!"

She scrambles to explain herself like a reprimanded child. "I didn't have time for lunch. I had back-to-back meetings with some of the sponsors and delegates. It was a busy day, and then I got here and you looked at me like..."

"Okay," he cuts her off. "Let's go get some dinner." Before she knows what he's about, he slips out of her arms and out of bed. The man's self-control knows no bounds. She's starting to get used to the sight of Ri Jeong-hyeok with a bulge in the front of his pants, which she wouldn't mind if she were given the chance to rectify the situation. As it is, he follows her gaze and tilts his hips away, self-conscious. From what she's seen and felt, he has nothing to hide. She makes a low humming sound of dissent, and he sighs again. "I'll just freshen up for a few minutes then we'll head out. Get dressed."

"Out?" she asks in a small surprised voice.

"Yes, out," he confirms. "I used to live around here you know. I'd love to show you some of my favorite places."