Sara left. By the riverside, only Janelle and Erik remained.
The tall, strikingly handsome man stood facing the wind, shielding her from the gusts.
Janelle felt the urge to smoke. She patted her pockets, remembering she was still in her gown.
Seeing this, Erik wordlessly walked to his nearby car, retrieved a cigarette case and lighter.
He tapped out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, lit it, and took a couple of drags.
"..."
Janelle grew even more irritable. She truly hadn't expected this man to pursue her here.
He took her first time; she gave him a knife to the chest. Even if he didn't die, they were even.
So, what was his purpose in coming here now?
Just then, the man offered her the cigarette he'd just lit.
"Didn't you want a smoke?"
Janelle didn't play coy. She simply opened her mouth.
Gazing at her tempting lips, Erik resisted the impulse to kiss her directly and placed the cigarette between them.
Janelle leaned casually against the riverside railing. Her figure was exquisite, provocative even in stillness.
She took a few lazy drags before asking nonchalantly:
"Your name?"
"Erik."
"You followed me to Graham City?"
"Yes."
"What do you want?" She'd always known this man was dangerous.
But Janelle wasn't one to back down from trouble.
Since she'd tangled with him, she'd deal with it head-on.
The man suddenly closed the distance, planting his hands on the railing on either side of her, trapping her between his chest and the cold metal.
They were incredibly close; a single breath would make their bodies press together.
"I want you." His declaration was brutally direct.
"Hah." Janelle took another drag, then blew the smoke ring deliberately into his face.
A beautiful woman could make anything look alluring, effortlessly captivating.
"I think you just want my body." Men were all so shallow, weren't they?
"We're both adults. Isn't sexual attraction between people normal?"
"I feel desire for you. Do you?"
He was typically cold and detached.
This was the first time he'd ever felt such a desperate craving for a woman.
"I'm not interested in you." Janelle held the cigarette in one hand; the other pressed firmly against the wound on his chest – the one she'd given him.
"Mmm."
The girl pressed down viciously on the unhealed wound.
Blood began to seep through the bandage instantly.
Both were acutely sensitive to the scent of blood.
"Did it feel good?" Janelle asked coldly.
"Good." In the next instant, the man's large hand clamped down on the injured arm she'd used to press his wound.
"Oof." A soft grunt escaped her.
Their exchange was a battle of wills; neither was the type to take a loss lying down.
"Erik, don't mess with me." Janelle issued her warning.
The man released her injured arm, only to slide his hand around her impossibly soft waist.
He was obsessed with the softness of her waist; so pliant, it promised high compliance.
"I told you. I want you. What I want, becomes mine."
"Get lost!"
Want her? Nice way to put it!
Janelle flicked the cigarette away. Her open hands curled into fists, launching a sharp punch straight at Erik's face.
Erik sighed softly. Was his desire for her really so hard to accept?
The little fox had such a temper!
Erik caught her fist squarely, enveloping it completely in his large hand.
Janelle tried to yank her hand back, but his grip was ironclad.
Her other hand shot out instantly, but the man seemed to anticipate her moves, easily capturing that wrist too.
With a gentle tug, he pulled her forward, sending her crashing against his chest.
Both her hands were now imprisoned.
Janelle was never one to surrender. She drove her knee upwards, aiming for the most vulnerable spot between his legs.
"Little fox, so ruthless? Trying to leave me childless?" Erik blocked her attack with his thigh, resulting in them locked together in an awkward embrace.
His hardness pressed against her softness. Her subtle, intoxicating scent teased him.
"Let me go." Janelle was furious. This man was pure danger.
"Won't."
Erik was inherently wicked too. And he found the little fox's anger rather adorable.
"Fine!"
It seemed this man was determined to oppose her.
With that, Janelle went completely limp in his arms, ceasing her struggle.
"Your wound is bleeding." Janelle stated flatly.
"Mmm, it's fine. A little blood won't kill me." Erik was utterly unconcerned.
Seeing her resistance lessen, Erik also relaxed his grip slightly, though his hands remained on her slender waist.
"Little fox, I mean you no harm. You don't need to be afraid." Erik's voice was low, carrying a subtle, seductive undertone.
"Afraid? Hah." Janelle found it laughable. Who had Janelle ever feared?
Janelle lifted her hand. Her fingertip traced a feather-light path down the man's prominent Adam's apple.
Then, rising onto her toes, she brought her lips close to his. At the last possible moment, she veered to his ear.
"Whatever your goal is, don't get in my way. Or else, I'll drag you down with me, even if it kills us both."
"Alright. It's late. Should I take you home, or will you make do at the Grand Court for the night?"
Erik didn't push further. The little fox was young; teasing her too much wasn't wise.
"Not going home."
The Rovella household was probably lying in wait for her right now.
Let them wait. Let them stew.
"Then, do you dare come with me?" Erik adjusted his suit jacket on her shoulders.
"Let's go." What was there to fear?
Erik opened the passenger door for her. Janelle slid in.
Erik drove straight back to the Grand Court Hotel and had a medical kit sent up.
"Let me handle this first."
He could have taken her to the Lorenz family's private hospital in Graham City, but the thought of another doctor touching her arm changed his mind.
The bandage on her arm was stained with blood. And he was the one who'd caused it.
Janelle sat on the sofa in the Presidential Suite. Erik knelt before her, carefully unwinding the bloodied gauze from her arm.
The wound had reopened. It looked painful, yet when he'd pressed it earlier, she hadn't made a sound.
A tough one. But he liked that. It suited him.
His touch, so lethal in a fight, was surprisingly gentle and meticulous as he tended to her injury.
"Need to disinfect with alcohol. Can you handle it?"
"Mmm."
Erik applied the alcohol. Janelle's face paled with the sting, yet she remained silent.
He regretted pressing her wound now.
Why antagonize the little fox? Seeing her like this twisted something inside him.
"Bite me if it hurts." Erik offered his free forearm near her mouth while his other hand worked on her wound.
Janelle didn't hesitate. He'd offered; she wouldn't be polite.
Her teeth sank deep, breaking the skin of his arm.
"Mmm..."
The sharp pain of broken skin sent a wave of unexpected, pleasurable electricity through him.
His mind flooded with decidedly non-innocent images.