Fluttering her eyelids open, Liora found herself staring directly at a smooth, broad, bare chest resting mere inches from her face. Her mind was still heavy with sleep, completely wrapped in a hazy twilight.
"Oh... what is this?" Liora mumbled, her voice thick with drowsiness.
Gently, instinctively, her fingers trailed across the firm, warm skin, marveling at the smooth muscle beneath her touch. Her hand wandered upward, tracing the sharp line of the collarbone until she finally raised her eyes to look at the face of the man holding her.
"Oh... it looks exactly like Ronan." Liora whispered to herself.
A soft, lazy smile spread across her lips. Thinking she was trapped in a beautiful, vivid dream, she boldly reached up to stroke Ronan's high cheekbones and the soft skin around her closed eyes.
"Am I seriously so addicted to you that you're taking over my dreams now?" Liora let out a quiet, breathless laugh, her fingers trailing down to the older man's lips. "What on earth did you do to me, you bastard? These lips... these are the exact lips you used to kiss me that day, hmm? You didn't even give me a single second to think before you stole it."
Liora pouted sweetly, a wave of affection rushing through her chest.
"But... I actually really liked it." she murmured softly.
Letting out a contented sigh, Liora buried her face back into the crook of Ronan's neck, wrapping her arms securely around the older man's waist to soak in the incredible warmth. "I never want to wake up from this dream."
With that final whisper, Liora closed her eyes and drifted straight back into a deep, peaceful slumber against Ronan's chest.
What she didn't realize, however, was that Ronan had been completely awake, listening to every single word. Keeping his eyes tightly shut to avoid ruining the moment, Ronan's heart hammered wildly against his ribs. A breathtaking, radiantly happy smile broke across his face as he pulled Liora even closer into his embrace, anchoring the girl against his heart.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By the time the heavy curtains of the master bedroom filtered the golden glow of five o'clock in the afternoon, Ronan finally opened his eyes. He had slept deeply for hours, feeling more rested than he had in months. Looking down, his heart swelled at the sight of Liora still tangled securely within his warmth. Unable to resist, Ronan reached out, his long fingers gently caressing Liora's soft, slightly puffy cheeks.
As her consciousness slowly returned, Liora subconsciously nuzzled directly into the palm of Ronan's hand, seeking more of the comforting touch.
"You really seem to like it when I touch you like this." Ronan murmured, his deep, velvety voice echoing in the quiet room.
The sound of that voice acted like a lightning bolt. Liora's eyes snapped wide open. Recognizing the deep baritone instantly, she scrambled backward in a state of absolute panic, sitting bolt upright on the mattress. The heavy duvet slid down, revealing that Ronan was completely half-naked beside her.
As the stark reality of the situation crashed down on her brain, Liora's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"Liora-" Ronan started, calmly extending a hand toward her.
"Don't touch me!!" Liora shrieked.
Desperate to put distance between them, Liora lunged backward toward the edge of the bed. But in her blind panic, she completely miscalculated the space, lost her balance, and went tumbling right off the mattress, crashing heavily onto the hardwood floor.
Hearing the loud thud, Ronan winced, tightly closing his eyes before cautiously opening one to peer over the edge of the bed. Down on the floor, Liora was slowly pushing herself up, clutching her lower back and letting out a pathetic, painful groan.
But as Liora stood up, Ronan's gaze instinctively locked onto the girl's exposed, milky-white chest and slender waist, realizing Liora was also entirely undressed.
Following the older man's line of sight, Liora realized her own state of nudity. Gasps of horror escaped her lips. She frantically yanked the trailing blanket off the bed, wrapping it tightly around her torso and pulling it all the way up to her chin like a protective shield.
Seeing the girl's dramatic, wide-eyed alarm, Ronan couldn't contain himself. A massive, genuine boxy smile broke across his face.
Liora completely froze, utterly mesmerized. She had never seen Ronan smile like that before. In fact, she was likely the first person in the world to ever witness it. It was so breathtakingly beautiful that Liora briefly wondered if Ronan even knew he was capable of making such a face.
Desperate to regain her composure, Liora violently shook her head from side to side to shatter the distraction.
Wait a minute... if this is real life, then that means I wasn't dreaming earlier?! Liora's internal monologue screamed in utter agony. Shit!! I am such an absolute idiot! He had to have been sleeping at that time, right? Please tell me he was asleep! If he heard what I said, I am officially a dead woman. Ahh, shit!!
Confused, terrified, and blushing furiously, Liora glared up at the billionaire.
"M-Mmm... M-Mister Brown!"
"Mmm?" Ronan hummed amusedly, raising an eyebrow.
"Wh-what happened to me? Why am I in your house? W-why am I dressed like this?! W-what did we d-do-"
Liora's voice died in her throat and her eyes squeezed tightly shut as Ronan casually slid out of bed. Completely unfazed by his own half-naked state, the towering CEO stalked over until there was practically zero space left between them. Liora could feel the radiating heat of Ronan's body, their breaths softly mingling in the tight space, but she refused to open her eyes.
"Yes... something definitely happened between us." Ronan whispered mischievously, a wicked, teasing smirk playing on his lips.
Liora's eyes violently snapped open, her jaw dropping half-open in absolute horror.
Before the girl could spiral any further, Ronan casually gathered Liora's clothes from the floor and tossed the bundle directly at her body. "Get dressed quickly. We need to go out."
Even as Ronan turned and walked into his massive walk-in closet, Liora remained rooted to the spot, her brain completely fried.
Oh my god! Why am I so incredibly unlucky?! Liora thought frantically, aggressively biting her nails as panic consumed her. Aaaaa!!!! Why don't I remember a single thing?! I don't even know what that kind of intimacy feels like! Shit, I completely missed out on my own first time... Aaaaaa!!
A second later, her face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. Oh my god, what on earth am I thinking?! Thinking about that right now is completely insane and wrong!! Liora aggressively scolded herself, desperately trying to quiet her wild imagination.
While Ronan was busy in the closet, Liora quickly scrambled into her clothes. She walked over to the full-length mirror to check her appearance, but abruptly stopped in her tracks, lifting a leg to test her balance.
Wait a second... can I walk properly? If we actually did... wouldn't I be in pain? No, no, there's no way we did that, she reasoned with herself, shaking her head rapidly. She leaned closer to the glass, inspecting her reflection from every angle. There isn't even a single mark or hickey on my neck. she noted, a small, subconscious frown marring her features.
Oh my god, seriously, what is wrong with me? Why am I looking for marks?! Liora covered her burning face with her hands, her cheeks hot enough to fry an egg.
"Liora!! Head downstairs, I'll be down in a minute!" Ronan's voice echoed loudly from the depths of the closet.
"Ah? O-Okay!" Liora squeaked out, practically tripping over her own feet as she bolted out of the bedroom and ran downstairs.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
A few minutes later, Liora was standing in the grand foyer when she heard footsteps descending the staircase. She turned around and completely blanked, staring stupidly at the older man's striking appearance.
Even though Ronan had thrown on a casual cap, a black face mask, and dark sunglasses to obscure his features, his towering frame and natural elegance made him look like a high-profile celebrity hiding from the paparazzi.
"Why are you wearing a mask and sunglasses? Where on earth are we going?" Liora asked the moment Ronan reached the bottom step.
Ronan sighed smoothly, adjusting his cap. "Why do you always fire off a million questions the second you see me?"
"I'm just curious." Liora mumbled, pouting.
"We're going to get some food." Ronan explained, a subtle, knowing smirk hidden beneath his mask. "I know you're starving. I haven't eaten a single thing since this morning either, just like you. And to be perfectly honest, I am completely exhausted from everything I did a while ago... so I need to replenish my energy with a good meal."
Liora's entire face instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato, the suggestive double meaning hitting her like a freight train.
Ronan had to bite the inside of his cheek, fighting an incredibly hard battle to suppress his laughter at the girl's hilarious, flustered reaction.
"And furthermore," Ronan cleared his throat, guiding Liora toward the rear exit, "I put on the mask and cap because I highly doubt either of us wants to be plastered across the front page of the national news headlines tomorrow morning."
Ronan led the way into his private residential parking garage, with Liora following closely behind.
Liora, who had only ever seen the single luxury vehicle Ronan usually drove, completely gasped, her jaw dropping at the sight. The subterranean garage looked like an elite, high-end dealership. Rows upon rows of identical luxury sports cars and sleek SUVs were parked in pristine alignment, a monochrome sea of midnight black, deep gray, and stark white paint.
"If we're going to take one of my cars, we should probably pick one of these so we don't instantly recognize each other out on the road." Ronan mused, walking down the line.
Liora looked at him, thoroughly bewildered. "Wait... so these aren't your cars?"
"Um... no, they're all mine." Ronan clarified smoothly. "But my very first, my absolute favorite, and my most beloved car... is the specific one you saw before."
"Why is that one so special to you?" Liora asked, trailing behind him as they approached a sleek black sedan.
Ronan stopped by the driver's side door, turning his head to look at Liora with a highly amused, sly glint in his eyes. "I told you before, didn't I? It was the very first vehicle I purchased with my own hard-earned money... and it holds a special place in my heart because a certain someone tried to violently kick the doors off its hinges for absolutely no good reason."
"Hey, Mr. Brown! I already apologized to you a million times for that...!" Liora whined, playfully swatting Ronan's arm in embarrassment.
Ronan threw his head back, letting out a loud, joyous boxy laugh that crinkled the corners of his eyes behind his sunglasses. Liora couldn't help but smile in return, her gaze locked onto the older man's beautifully crinkled eyes, easily visualizing the hidden smile beneath the fabric of the mask. Slowly, the laughter faded into a heavy, profound silence as the two of them became completely lost in each other's gaze, the tension stretching beautifully between them.
Snapping himself back to reality, Ronan cleared his throat nervously, breaking the spell.
"O-Oh... just get in." Ronan muttered, quickly stepping forward to open the passenger side door.
Liora fondly rolled her eyes at the older man's sudden return to his overly attentive, gentlemanly demeanor, slipping into the leather seat without another word.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ronan navigated the city streets with expert precision, pulling up to an exclusive, ultra-luxurious restaurant hidden away from the bustling main roads. Escorted by the private staff, they were led to a secluded, highly private table tucked away in a quiet corner of the dining room.
After scanning the menu, they placed their orders. Liora, true to her youthful cravings, immediately ordered her absolute favorite beverage, a thick banana milkshake. Ronan, matching her energy perfectly, ordered his own personal favorite: a sweet strawberry milkshake.
For the first half of the meal, they ate in comfortable silence, but as the plates were cleared, the underlying tension returned. Ronan set his glass down, leaning forward across the table.
"Okay... I think it's time I tell you what actually happened this morning." Ronan began, his voice serious. "I know you've been spiraling and stressing out about it all afternoon."
Liora nervously gripped her napkin, listening intently.
"First and foremost, I need to clear up a massive misunderstanding." Ronan said, looking directly into her eyes. "Absolutely nothing like what you are currently imagining happened between us. Your virtue is entirely intact."
Liora's eyes widened in a mixture of profound shock and immense relief.
So I didn't actually miss out on my first time?! Oh thank god, that is such a massive relief! Liora thought to herself, a silent, joyful sigh escaping hier lips as she mentally laughed at her own utterly ridiculous theories.
However, as Ronan began to methodically recount the terrifying chain of events from that morning, the humor completely drained from the room.
Liora sat paralyzed as Ronan detailed his sudden psychic vision on the university stage, his frantic sprint to the abandoned building, and the shattered shed. Liora's mind reeled, she had absolutely zero recollection of violently throwing three grown men through a wooden door. As Ronan described the glowing blue light in her eyes, the appearance of the diamond crest, and the deathly, sub-zero temperature that had nearly stopped her heart, a heavy, unexplainable awe settled over both of them. Neither of them could comprehend the staggering, mystical bond tying their lives together.
But as they sat in the quiet corner of the luxury restaurant, lost in the mystery of their shared destiny, they remained completely oblivious to their surroundings.
A short distance away, hidden in the shadows of the restaurant's elegant partitions, two pairs of sharp, calculating eyes were locked onto their table, tracking their every move with absolute intensity.
One pair of eyes belonged to an deeply unsettled Sophia. And the second pair belonged to someone else entirely...