Zayden's eyes widened as he felt a woman's delicate lips on his. He remained stunned and unmoved, frozen in shock.
The taste of her lips was like ice cream—sweet and captivating. He could smell her, and the intoxicating aroma of her skin enveloped him.
The sweet fragrance of blooming flowers, with a hint of vanilla, wafted in, teasing his senses.
He found her scent oddly familiar, as if he had encountered it before, and it felt too good to be real.
His eyes met her closed eyelashes, which fluttered slowly, and in that moment, he wanted to kiss her back badly, to pull her into the bathtub and ravish her body, leaving both of them breathless and tired.
But why did his heart ache just from the taste of her lips and the scent of her?
He had countless women who pleasured him, but he had never felt anything toward them.
Was a kiss enough to send his thoughts spinning like a stormy sea in chaos?
Just then, as he grappled with his conflicted emotions—whether to resist the temptation or give in—he badly wanted to feel her lips against his again.
But as his gaze traveled to her face, he realized her eyes were open. Zara quickly pulled away and let out a scream of shock. Zayden couldn't help but scream too.
"Y...you pervert," Zara said, pointing at him as she used her other hand to cover her pink lips.
Zayden was stunned, his mouth widely agape. Instead of calling the intruder—a woman who had abruptly entered his bathroom and kissed him—a pervert, she was calling him one.
"You are forgetting something. You entered my bathroom without permission and then... you kissed me," he stammered.
Damn it! This was the first time he felt so speechless in front of a woman.
Zayden heard her gasp and looked at her. He was shocked again to see her crying.
"My first kiss," she said through her tears.
Was first kiss that important? Zayden couldn't help but question himself.
He didn't know what to say as his mouth hung open, wide enough for a fly to enter.
He cleared his throat, thinking it might get her attention, but her tears flowed even more, like an ocean.
"You stole my first kiss," Zara said, pointing at him accusingly.
Was she forgetting that she was the one who kissed him, not the other way around?
"How much do you want?" he asked, resting his hands on his temples. He thought the young lady's tears would cease when he offered her money, but one thing he didn't know was that she wasn't like other ladies.
Zara thought she hadn't heard it right when Zayden said he would pay for her first kiss. She felt annoyed that he was offering money for stealing it. She wiped her tears with her hand and furrowed her brow.
As her gaze drifted to him, she noticed how handsome he was. The soft light danced across his features, highlighting the sharp angles of his jawline, his sharp eyebrows, his delicate long eyelashes, and the gentle curve of his nose. But there was something that left a lasting impression in her memory.
It was his ocean-blue eyes that spoke of hidden secrets, the pain and regret he had endured over the years.
She felt drawn to him, like an invisible pull that kept dragging her to him and the dangers that surrounded him.
Her heart skipped a beat as she took in his tempting features. Her eyes settled on him as he looked back at her black eye. He felt too familiar to Zara, like she had seen him somewhere before.
She felt a flutter in her chest, like a honeybee, and her skin tingled with warmth that spread around her at the sudden awareness of his gaze.
"Tempting?" she heard his deep, husky voice, which made her shiver and was enough to send her jolting.
She swallowed hard as her eyes roamed over his dark hair, which looked wet, and he had been running his hands through it for a while.
He had a smile on his lips, and Zara couldn't help but feel attracted to his seductive eyes.
"Huh?" she asked back, not having heard what he said. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed that she did find him attractive instead of scolding him.
"Do I look tempting?" He hated repeating himself, yet here he was, doing it for her. He couldn't help but want her to say yes.
As he waited for her answer, he felt impatient, wanting to pull her tongue out of her pink lips to say the words he longed to hear.
But why was he acting like this?
He had many flings with different women, but none had ever made him feel this way. He felt uneasy, a tingling sensation just from looking at her.
"No, you're less tempting because you look like a blob of fish," she said and smiled.
Zayden creased his brows and asked curiously, "What is that?"
"Find out yourself."
He frowned as he heard those words. No one told him to figure things out on his own. They always gave him answers without hesitation. He was growing increasingly annoyed and irritated, feeling like punching something.
Who was she, and what was she doing here, anyway?
"What are you doing here?" he asked curiously. He knew she wasn't one of his maids, since she wasn't dressed like one, and he wondered who had the audacity to enter his private space.
"That's true. Some guys kidnapped me earlier and brought me into this room," Zara said, clapping her hands in remembrance.
Earlier, they had brought her here and left her alone. She struggled to free herself, and that was when she heard footsteps by the door.
She quickly entered the bathroom and saw a bucket by the door. In defense, she grabbed it, ready to strike, only for the man to enter.
She had watched him strip before her, and when she thought she had the chance to escape by hitting him on the head and making a run for it, instead, she slipped and kissed... kissed him.
She touched her lips as she remembered the taste and texture of them.
Zayden's gaze roamed over her body from head to toe. She had brown wavy hair, a black eye, and a perfect curve that made him want to squeeze her tightly. She also had short legs.
He doubted she even reached his chest. She wasn't too short or too tall.
His eyes darted to her wet clothes, which clung to her body, making her undergarments visible. He cleared his throat, looking away before his gaze landed on Zara's wrapped hands, stained with blood.
His eyes twitched, and he clenched his jaw, averting his gaze.
"It must have been that red-faced Mr. Reed," Zara said, interrupting Zayden's thoughts. She clenched her fists as her face turned red with anger.
Or was she his surrogate? He stood up, forgetting that there was an innocent and young lady with him. He pondered the question in his mind.
Zara's face immediately turned crimson as she stared at his chiseled body, almost drooling at the sight.
His physique was the perfect one she had always imagined, wishing she could marry someone like him someday, but that would remain a dream. Her eyes drifted down to his V-shaped torso and stopped at something sacred.
Instinctively, she turned around, covering her eyes.
"Per... Pervert!" she said accusingly.
Zayden couldn't help but smile at her innocence. He walked over to the hook where he had hung his bathrobe.
Her gaze was drawn to his little monster, which swayed with each movement. He wrapped his white robe around his body and placed his hands in its pockets.
"It would fit perfectly," he whispered with a teasing smile into Zara's ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
She covered herself with her hands, her cheeks turning red, her thoughts running wild and turning dangerous.
"You're not that innocent," he said with a smirk.
"I thought I might have to teach you what could fit." He closed the door, leaving Zara to her wild thoughts.
Zayden picked up his phone from the bedside table and dialed a number.
"Come instantly," he said, his chilly voice filled with danger.
Immediately, he heard a knock, and he gave permission to enter. Ryan, Zayden's bodyguard, rushed in, his breathing short and ragged as if he had been running from a far distance.
"Yes, boss, you called for me," Ryan said, breathing in and out.
"Where is the surrogate my father arranged for me?" Zayden questioned, suspecting the woman who had kissed him might be his surrogate and not a maid.
"We... We kept her here," Ryan stammered, his hands fidgeting as he looked around but couldn't find her.
"You may leave," Zayden said, lowering his head, his hands between his brows.
Ryan wondered why his boss was so calm, but he soon noticed Zayden's tired expression and thought his boss had gone out earlier to sign a deal.
He knew his boss wasn't someone to let go of something important, and considering it was his father who had picked the surrogate, Zayden must comply with it.
It took a lot of time to find the surrogate after hearing that she had run away, but thankfully their boss hadn't skinned them alive.
Wanting to leave peacefully, Ryan remembered they had a visitor—someone well-acquainted with his boss who could possibly calm him.
"Boss, Alex is here," Ryan reported. However, the menacing expression on Zayden's face foretold a dire outcome.