CHAPTER 39
It happened in an instant—his strong arms pulled me close.
Before I could even register the feel of his hands on my back, his lips were already covering mine.
It wasn’t the playful, quick pecks Eryshi had been giving him before.
It was like that first night—an unmistakably real kiss, one where she could feel every part of him.
A soft tongue swept in, stirring her without hesitation. For someone who had kept his distance until moments ago, the depth of it was shocking.
Her heart felt like it might burst; she couldn’t think straight. She was the one who had asked him to kiss her, yet suddenly, Eryshi wanted to flee.
She tried to slip her hips back, but it was no use—he pulled her slender back firmly into his arms again.
And yet…
“Don’t like it…?”
The words, murmured between parted lips, were careful and tentative.
Breathing hard, Eryshi mumbled something—likely Of course not or something to that effect.
Before she could close her eyes, his red gaze was already closer.
The kiss continued.
It wasn’t rough or violent like Laura had warned her about—it was gentle, intoxicating.
A strange ticklishness bloomed deep in her belly. Each time their tongues tangled, so did their breaths.
It was her first time feeling such sensations, and tension flooded her from head to toe. She felt like she might melt away entirely.
Perhaps from years of wielding a sword, his palms were covered in calluses.
When those hands swept along her cheek and the nape of her neck, it should have been unpleasant—but maybe because of the water, it only made her dizzy and ticklish.
Was this what it felt like to stand on a cliff’s edge and look down? Her head spun, sparks dancing in her mind.
The mingled taste of their kiss was sweet.
Without thinking, Eryshi gripped his chest tightly, small whimpers escaping her throat like a puppy’s.
“Mmh… Lahan…”
He trailed kisses down her neck, licking and sucking.
There was a rawer desire in him now than on their first night—biting, kissing, pouring kiss upon kiss over her skin.
Yet even then, his touch on her side was cautious, as if hesitating.
Eryshi slipped a finger under the tie of her damp top, tugging it loose. The wet fabric resisted, refusing to come undone easily.
The delay was frustrating—yet for some reason, she also felt a different, impatient kind of anticipation.
Eryshi! Remember—men hate nothing more than a woman who’s been touched by someone else!
Laura’s words flitted through her mind, making her glance up at Lahan.
If she had more experience, she’d know—he wasn’t in any state to be thinking about such things now.
Lahan’s mind was a storm of confusion and surprise—and, cutting through it all, a sharp, undeniable desire.
The faint guilt he’d felt at lunging at her the moment she’d asked for a kiss had already evaporated.
Damn it, damn it!
Her skin burned against him.
When it came to the acts between men and women, Lahan was not ignorant.
Among the women who had used his name to escape marriages, some had genuinely tried to seduce him.
And among soldiers, bawdy talk was as constant as breathing. Long hours of training often stirred physical urges that spilled out in crude jokes.
He had always despised such talk—but couldn’t avoid overhearing it.
From all that, he had gathered that such acts were… supposedly very pleasurable.
And if it were truly unpleasant, why would so many men and women seek it out?
But knowing and experiencing were different things—and this was far more intense than anything he’d ever imagined.
Each time he nipped at her neck, the Eryshi in his arms shivered—not from distaste, he could tell.
When his lips drank in her flushed skin, it was like flowers blooming.
The more she whimpered, the more an ache built in his lower body until it was almost painful.
“Ah…”
Through her lowered lashes, her light-green eyes darkened.
What he saw there was not fear, but clear, eager anticipation.
They were beautiful, kind eyes.
And in that moment, Lahan realized something else—
The memory of first seeing her, when the whole world blurred except for her, vivid as if lit by magic—
Fool.
Only now did he understand what that was. The heaviness lodged in his chest seemed to dissolve all at once.
I… I also… you…
Breath, tongues, soft moans tangled together.
He bit gently at her collarbone. At some point she had climbed fully onto his lap, untying the strings near her chest.
The simple act of loosening clothing—he hadn’t known it could be such a wickedly alluring sight.
“Eryshi…”
He called her name without even knowing what he wanted, his tone almost pleading.
Blushing, she leaned down and brushed her lips against his earlobe.
The teasing touch made him kiss her as if to steal all her breath away.
It tickled, it was soft, and it was maddeningly good. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
Now they both knew exactly what it meant for a man and woman to want each other.
“Ah!”
He kissed the upper swell of her breast.
Laura had told her about the act itself, but not how to handle every small moment as it came.
You’ll know when the time comes, she had said.
And Eryshi did know—she lifted her breast slightly, offering him more.
When one side pressed up against the damp fabric, she felt a twinge of shyness—
But before she could dwell on it, his lips were already there.
“Ah.”
It wasn’t rough or savage—
Just a soft, bird-like peck. The way her inner thighs drew together felt strange yet welcome.
Unlike the way he’d been moments before, acting as if bewitched, he now kept his eyes on her, continuing to press gentle kisses—
As if mapping out where she liked to be touched.
Eryshi felt shy, but she wanted more of his hands on her.
“Haa… it’s hot…”
It was. And not just because of the hot water—they both knew that.
Yet at those words, Lahan immediately lifted her.
He laid her down on the soft grass beside the spring. Perhaps from the heat, the blades were broad and gentle, not coarse.
Lying there, she looked up to see a patch of bright blue sky framed by the dense trees above.
Oh heavens. Only then did Eryshi realize what a scandalous thing she was doing, and her face burned.
Eridrahan above, in broad daylight—inside a sanctuary, no less!
But her shame quickly melted into brazenness.
What could she do? Eridrahan was the one who made humans this way. Among the thousands of blessed couples who’d borne children, surely some had made love in the day, not the night.
So forgive this shameless daughter…
Of course, when she saw the man over her, she forgot even the god’s name.
Oh heavens.
He was too handsome—wet, tousled hair framing a sharp, beautiful face.
A lean, muscled body with not an ounce of excess, shown clearly through the wet fabric.
And best of all, the eyes that usually held calm composure were now desperately urgent.
And she was probably the reason why.
Without thinking, she reached up to stroke his chest.
Perhaps taking it as a signal, he cupped her cheek and kissed her again—hungrily.
“Mmh…”
Maybe it was the contrast to the hot water, but she almost felt chilled. That wouldn’t last.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his back, pulling him closer until their chests met.
Her breath came fast. Her heartbeat sounded even louder in her ears.
