The second meeting happens on an unscheduled day. It's the afternoon after a meeting with a client at Connaught Hotel, not far from his family house in Mayfair.
Karlyle's schedule is supposed to end with him having dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant in the hotel. Since his mother is an official board member of the hotel, he doesn't need to make reservations. He can just leisurely go down to eat.
At that moment, his phone rings. He puts the phone used for personal purposes in the pocket inside the outerwear of his suit. He quietly takes out his phone. It's Ash's name on the screen.
[Good evening, Karlyle. Do you have time today?]
He didn't expect to receive a text from Ash. He looks at his phone in surprise. Seeing him like that, his father Jonathan turns his eyes to him. Jonathan often goes on business trips outside England like him. Today, he's with Karlyle on his way back to London to see his mother Alice after a long time. His gray eyes, which Karlyle's inherited, studies him for a few seconds.
"It looks like you have an urgent call."
Karlyle raises his gaze at his low voice. The client is also looking at him.
Karlyle's family runs two businesses. One is the real estate that the Frost family owns and has been passed down from generations to generations. The other is an investment company owned by Jonathan.
Since the 19th century, his ancestors have gained enormous wealth through lands that now make up London's most expensive areas. They also own a lot of land in Canada. His mother Alice, coming from that background, and his father Jonathan, the CEO of an investment company, met each other and gave birth to Karlyle and Kyle. Their marriage wasn't normal.
Jonathan is not an aristocrat, and above all, both Alice and Jonathan are Alphas. Marriages between Alphas are not forbidden, but the upper classes have always taken it for granted that Alphas must be connected to Omegas.
So Alice's marriage made his grandfather blow a gasketin. And that anger led to his strict control over his grandchildren. He supervises his grandchildren in everything so that they would not follow in the same footsteps. And he's particularly strict with Karlyle. Because unlike Kyle who is a dominant Alpha, Karlyle is only a normal Alpha.
From generation to generation in aristocrat society, dominant Alphas inherit the family business and most of the wealth. Karlyle is just a normal Alpha while his younger brother Kyle is the dominant one, so the role of a family leader is supposed to belong to Kyle, not Karlyle.
However, his lovely brother was kidnapped at the age of 13 by a gang of criminals who was anonimous for kidnapping dominant Alphas for ransom. As a result, even after having been rescued, Kyle went through his adolescence suffering from serious mental trauma.
Because the health condition of the official heir was not yet stable, Karlyle "temporarily" played the role for Kyle. He has never complained about that. Since he was born, he has known how his family tradition is. And above all, his brother's happiness is more important than anything else.
And so, ever since he was 16, Karlyle has prepared to lead the business, making his social debut and building connections. In the past few years, he and his father Jonathan have been focusing on setting up a corporate spin-off in Qatar.
Currently, the client in front of him is the chief of the East London real estate development business whose stock price is steadily rising. This person has a wide range of connections and Karlyle needs to make a good impression on him. So he pretends to be nice to the opponent to some extent.
The smile that he only shows at business meetings appears on his face. A smile under a pair of eyes that isn't smiling. This look of his is awkward but familiar at the same time.
"Excuse me." Karlyle briefly apologizes.
It's Thursday and he already has an appointment. He can't just accept Ash's request without considering his schedule. They have promised to meet on weekends, so it'd be fine to reply to his text later. His hand holding the phone hesitates.
….It will be fine.
But maybe he should answer. Karlyle wavers. It's because he recalls their last meeting, which was their third meeting to him and their second meeting to Ash.
That day, they talked a little more about future meetings and stuff. Ash briefly explained what they would do through eight meetings like making a curriculum. "Deciding everything in advance would be a bit boring, so let's find out in each meeting", Ash said.
Ash's smiling eyes, a smile full of liveliness, flashes through Karlyle's mind. His softly curved eyes have the power to capture all the attention. But that smile turned cold at Karlyle's words (about not having unnecessary feelings).
Whether it was his ability or his personality, Ash had skillfully covered up his emotions in the tense situation that almost led to conflicts. Still, the impression Karlyle left on Ash was very bad. So if he keeps ignoring his messages and not responding….
Jonathan intently watches Karlyle, who has been unconsciously blanking out. Then he opens his mouth.
“Mr. Roman, if you don’t mind, shall we have dinner without Karlyle? My son seems to have business to take care of.”
Roman Milato seems to be considering his graceful invitation.
Gently smiling politely, Karlyle quickly tries to explain himself. But Jonathan turns away from him and shares some friendly chat with Roman.
“We adults have a lot of things we don't understand about young people.”
“Anyway, Mr. Karlyle is still at the age where you find this kind of meeting boring.”
A man more than 30 years old is still considered young, Karlyle is embarrassed. It's hard to know why Jonathan would make an offer like that. Jonathan seems to agree with what Roman said, he turns to Karlyle.
“It looks like you have business to take care of, you can go first.”
“But….”
As if not wanting to listen anymore, as soon as the elevator door at the end of the corridor opens, Jonathan leads Roman into it. Karlyle immediately follows them but is restrained by Jonathan. Jonathan smiles.
“Karlyle.”
In a tone that seems to imply him to comply, Karlyle has no choice but to obey. Since the old days, he has always been a child who obeys his parents without arguing. To temporarily replace his dominant Alpha brother, and to stop any suffering that his family might have to face, Karlyle does everything Alice and Jonathan want. One of which is always being obedient.
"…Then, I'll take the liberty of going separately. I'm sorry."
"It’s okay, Karlyle. See you at the next meeting."
Roman nods at him just before the door closes. All alone in the hall, Karyle looks down at his hand. Staring at the transparent phone screen, he slowly types the answer.
****
Ash suggests meeting at Southbank. Karlyle arrives exactly 10 minutes before the appointment. Ash came first today. It's not too hard to find him. Because some people are gathering around where Ash stands, the lobby connecting the BFI (British Film Institute) and the central Southbank.
Two Omega men are standing there talking to Ash. Ash stands against the pillar with his arms crossed. He looks down at them and smiles softly. His smile looks relaxed and natural.
The atmosphere seems to be good, Karlyle isn’t sure whether he should interfere. Every time he meets Ash, the difference in the worlds he and Ash live becomes even more pronounced.
‘Smiling is a habit.’
The guess that he has long had is confirmed. Ash's smile isn't exactly expressing any particular emotion, it's just a habit that has been engraved into his body. So it won't be hard for him to smile for Karlyle. Suddenly, a thought that has puzzled him since the last meeting comes to his mind.
No matter how much he thinks about it, is it really okay for Ash to meet and touch someone he doesn’t like?
While he is in the middle of his thoughts, Ash has found him first. Getting away from the pillar, Ash gently brushes away the people who are trying to talk to him. Then he heads for Karlyle.
“Are you here, Karlyle?”
His smiling face is looking at only Karlyle. Ash calls for him in a friendly voice and stands in front of him. Karlyle can smell his sweet scent. Ash's pheromones have the subtle taste of wood dried in the sun. Although they are both Alphas, Ash’s soft but equally strong scent doesn’t evoke any unpleasant feelings. That's weird.
Feeling strange, Karlyle lowers his gaze a little. Ash is dressing in casual clothes. He wears a short-sleeved white T-shirt and slightly tight jeans. He looks fashionable despite wearing only basic clothes. It's the exact opposite of Karlyle's summer suit. Karlyle avoids looking at Ash’s upper body, which seems solid at the first glance. Eyes on where Ash just stood, he asks.
“....It seems that I’ve interrupted you.”
“Interrupt? Ah.”
Ash looks at where Karlyle’s gaze is heading and smiles.
“You are the one I came here for, Karlyle.”
"They kept talking and it would be more annoying if I ignored them so I exchanged a few words with them", Ash adds. His tone is friendly, but his attitude seems indifferent. Karlyle is speechless for a moment. He needs to think how to respond since what Ash just said sounds like they were on a date. No, Ash wasn't wrong. Ash was just telling the truth. They did agree to come here to meet each other.
“Have you had dinner?” Ash asks.
Karlyle checks his watch. It’s 6 o’clock. He isn’t hungry but it’s dinner time anyway. And he hasn’t eaten, either.
“No, I haven’t. How about you, Mr. Jones?”
“Me, either. I’m starving right now. If it’s okay with you, shall we start with a simple meal?”
Start? Then what will they do after that? Karlyle suddenly realizes one thing. He has accepted the invitation without knowing what it is for.
“....May I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
Standing next to him, Ash smiles softly. His hand gently touches Karlyle’s waist. It's just a slight touch on his vest, as if he isn’t touching at all.
“Aren’t we supposed to meet on the weekend?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
A question flickers in Karlyle’s eyes. There’s no big change in his expression, but it looks like Ash has caught the questioning look on his face. He laughs out loud.
“Did you come here without knowing why?”
Ash lowers his eyes and smiles meaningfully. His fingers gently touch Karlyle’s cheek. Then they move to his chin.
“So you have this innocent side, Karlyle.”
“...If you are joking, it’s not fun.”
“I’m serious.”
There’s no way he seems innocent on the outside. He’s surprised Ash said that. The index finger holding his chin moves down to his neck. It brushes against his throat then goes back to its original place. Ash starts to lead the way.
Karlyle's mouth shuts. He feels like he was being teased. It wasn't insulting, but he didn’t know how he should react. He doesn’t have much experience with this kind of body language. He is only used to the aristocratic style of language, such as being sarcastic, saying things around, or judging others.
“I got some movie tickets, so I called you because I thought it would be nice to watch it together.”
This time, it really is a date-like statement.
“....Is it okay for you to spend time like this with me?”
“Like I said, I won’t do it until you feel like it.”
Ash says. Karlyle looks at Ash with puzzled eyes.
“That's how I am. Before I do it, I want to get to know the other person first. You and I haven't talked much, Karlyle.”
“Talk?”
“For example, what you like, your job,....”
Ash leads Karlyle to the first floor of a restaurant in Southbank right on the banks of the Thames. It's not the kind of restaurant that Karlyle often goes to, but it looks clean and simple with a sense of tranquility.
“So today, tell me about yourself, Karlyle.”
I'll tell you about myself, too. Ash says. Leading him to the table, Ash pulls out the chair for him. He was about to do that for Ash, but Ash has done it for him first. Karlyle silently hides his embarrassment.
He feels like he’s getting caught in the opponent’s pace with no time to react. It’s necessary to keep calm without losing the initiative, but the most basic axis when meeting is already shaking.
‘Keep calm, Karlyle.’
He reminds himself. Ash and his hand touch the menu at the same time. Ash meets his eyes and smiles. Smiling like a flower blooming, Ash grabs his hand.
“You choose first, Karlyle.”
The slight movement of fingers intertwining is dizzying. Ash holds his hand tight. After a few seconds of silence, he manages to answer back.
“It’s fine. You go first, Mr. Jones.”
“Then shall we choose together?”
Ash's hand holding his is soft yet strong, accompanied by his warm body temperature. It feels like his cool hands are being melted. Without giving him time to answer, Ash looks down at the menu. Looking at his slightly tangled black hair covering his forehead, Karlyle forces his eyes back to the menu. It's late at night but still so hot.
Ash only orders a salad and goes straight for dessert. Karlyle orders bread and soup. How is your food? Ash asks him. Karlyle also asks Ash the same question.
Since the time is short, Ash talks about movies first. In response to his question of favorite movie genre, Karlyle ponders for a long time. For him, enjoying art is only meant to serve the cultivation of knowledge. Since this is a necessary topic in conversations, it is essential to acquire knowledge that must be known. In that respect, Karlyle is not very picky.
Well, there's one thing he doesn't like.
Should I say it? He hesitates. He has no memories of telling anyone about what he doesn't like. Perhaps recognizing his hesitation, Ash asks, tilting his head.
"Is there anything you don't like?"
"Not really."
"Then tell me, Karlyle."
I want to know. It's just a trivial thing like the kind of movie he hates, but Ash is very serious. The opponent is just repeating what he has asked, but somehow his sincere whisper seems to cause suffocation in the air. Karlyle hesitates. Because it's really trivial. It feels a little awkward, but saying it shouldn't be a problem.
".....I hate zombies."
"A ha ha, is that so?"
Ash seems to find that cute. He laughs. Ash continues asking, his face is radiant with happiness.
"Can I ask you why?"
It's a little hard to breathe. It's a very common and trivial question, but it's hard for Karlyle. Why? Because nobody has ever asked him that. No one around him wants to know his private and small thoughts.
In his aristocratic world, which is full of Alphas, half-blooded or pure-blooded, these kinds of questions are only allowed at elevated jobs and events.
"That…."
Karlyle avoids Ash's gaze. His eyes move to the waiter passing by. He raises his stiff hands, ignoring Ash's eyes scanning his face. The waiter comes closer. When being asked for a receipt, the waiter nods.
He can feel Ash looking at him. The waiter quickly returns to hand over the bill and leaves. After that, Ash opens his mouth.
"Karlyle."
Karlyle startles at the soft voice. As he's trying to take his wallet out, he pauses in his tracks.
"If you don't want to say it, you don't have to." (This is quite similar to what Ash said to Lyle later in the Pause chapter, when Ash finally met Lyle again)
Ash grabs his wrist. His hand is dragged away before he can take the wallet out.
"Take it easy."
Ash grabs his hand and stands up. At the same time, he pulls Karlyle close, and puts money on top of the bill.
"Let me pay…"
"You already paid last time, so I'll pay this time."
It’s not that he’s looking down on the opponent, but Karlyle has enormous wealth that is hard for any people to compare. Karlyle looks at Ash with puzzled eyes. Ash pulls him to his side. As soon as he realizes he is in Ash's embrace, Ash leads him out of the restaurant.
“The movie is going to start soon, let’s go.”
A strong arm and a strong chest are touching him. Karlyle dodges his gaze. It's an Alpha body like him. A body with identical structures as his. Karlyle’s expression hardens. How pathetic is it to feel all stiff like this, without any pressure?
This feeling of being swayed and swung around is really uncomfortable and unpleasant. He's disappointed in himself, not Ash. Still, he doesn’t want to push Ash away. His stomach feels tangled up.
Painful thoughts are surrounding him, but his shoes are still moving. Then they go into the cinema.
There are not too many people inside. Ash walks up to the back row. The space inside the theater is not too big, the screen is only moderately sized. Ash sits right next to him. Watching his expression, Ash breaks the silence. He whispers.
“Are you okay?”
Karlyle nods, not looking Ash into the eyes. Like walking through a sand dune, he feels like he’s losing control of himself and sinking the whole time he’s with Ash.
“Karlyle, look at me.”
Ash says in a slightly lower voice. At those words, Karlyle turns his head. Ash is smiling, but his face looks a little sullen.
“Are you offended by what I did?”
“....I’m not.”
“Then why are you avoiding my eyes?”
The lighting in the cinema gradually darkens. The pure white light from the screen shines brightly, coloring one side of Ash’s face.
“That….”
He almost squints his eyes, but he manages to come to his senses. He can't lose his composure. The other party's just a one-time encounter. He’s even an Alpha like him. They won't see each other again after two months. Although they kissed once in the past, the other person doesn’t remember who he is…
“Karlyle, if you don’t tell me honestly, I won’t know what I have done wrong.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
“Really?”
Ash touches the back of his hand resting on the armrest of the chair. Karlyle looks down at it.
“You don’t like being touched, do you?” Ash asks.
No, I don’t hate it. Karlyle unconsciously shakes his head. He quickly says.
“I made it clear the other day that I didn’t hate it.”
“Then don’t avoid my eyes.”
Ash says in a low voice.
“You’ll hurt my feelings…if you keep this up.”
Something chokes up inside him. He really can't understand Ash's intention. Ash doesn't remember the past and only meets Karlyle because he's asked, but he treats Karyle as if he's meeting someone he likes. Although it's not the truth.
Ash loves Nicholas White. He probably still doesn’t entirely have a good impression about Karlyle. The question that is meant to be kept in his mind finally pops up.
“Do you….usually go to such lengths?”
Karlyle asks with a voice showing obvious confusion. Ash raises his eyebrows slightly.
“I know you don’t like me very much.” He adds.
“It was. But I made it clear last time. I don’t hold it in my heart.”
“But the way you are acting right now….”
Ash seems to get what he’s implying, his expression loosens a little.
“Of course. We both know we’ll only meet like this a few more times and then never again.”
Ash says, friendly but certain. It feels like something is stabbing in his ribs. Karlyle shuts his mouth.
“But in this moment, the only person I’m seeing is you, Karlyle.”
Ash’s hand, which has been rubbing the back of his hand, interlaces with his.
“So even if it’s only for this moment, I want to treat my sex partner right.”
Sex partner. Karyle ponders how Ash defines their relationship. The words creak back and forth on his tongue.
“So don’t worry.”
Ash picks his hands up and puts his lips on Karlyle’s fingertips.
“There definitely won’t be any unnecessary emotions for you to worry about.”
Ash's voice is powerful and trustworthy. A strange emotion rises at the sentence that clearly clarifies Karlyle's request. There's some relief intermingling with other emotions that are hard to understand in him.
Karlyle nods slowly. At that moment, the trailer ends and the movie starts. Putting his fingers on his lips again, Ash smiles. Then he puts Karlyle's hand on his lap and looks forward. Leaving their grasped hands alone, Karlyle tries to look ahead.
However, after the movie starts, he can't concentrate at all. His mind keeps paying attention to the hand holding him with a moderate force. In his memory, he's never held hands with anyone that long. He only held hands with his younger brother Kyle when he was small.
He has never had a lover and has only occasionally shaken hands with business partners or aristocrats. So to Karlyle, this act is overly intimate.
Since he has only had experiences with Omegas, when meeting them, he would be extremely careful not to do anything that might make his opponents misunderstand. However, he has no idea how to deal with Ash's actions now.
It's weird because Ash is an Alpha like him, and at the same time, it feels ambiguous.
As Ash said, Karlyle was the one who asked not to have unnecessary feelings in this relationship. Still, that is not a specific requirement for Ash, it is his personal rule.
He can't get involved with Alpha in the first place. Of course they'll do it sooner or later for some special reasons, but that's it.
Karlyle's future is clear. He is approaching marriage age, and a fiancé will soon be appointed for him. Karlyle has only one future, that is to fulfill his duties to his Omega fiancé.
While immersed in his thoughts, Karlyle feels someone breathing in his ear. He turns his head in surprise. Ash's lips touch his ear.
“What are you thinking about, Karlyle?”
The warm breath makes his earlobe itchy. His whispering sound goes into his ear canal, causing a shiver to run down his spine. Originally, his ears are sensitive. Caressing your opponent is mandatory, but Karlyle doesn't like to be caressed so this situation is somewhat uncomfortable to him. Pleasure is immediately replaced by discomfort.
“I’m not thinking about anything.”
There’s a lump in his throat. Seeing Karlyle answer in whisper like him, Ash moves his lips again. This time, his lips gently bite Karlyle’s ears.
His soft, smooth lips bite in and move on his earlobe. The soft caress makes Karlyle tense. Veins pop up on the back of his hand holding Ash's. His body stiffens.
“Is the movie interesting?”
Unfortunately, he didn't pay any attention to the movie. He’s really embarrassed by his immature act. If Ash asks him about the movie now, he won’t be able to answer it.
Even the basics like the main character's name are not in his mind. This is hard to find in Karlyle Frost since he always listens, memorizes and is able to narrate the story easily.
“It, isn’t.”
Ash licks his ear gently. The stimulation is completely different from his lips, Karlyle instinctively shuts his eyes. His teeth clench. He sucks in a shaky breath. Why is Ash doing this?
“Ash…”
He has to call the other person's name to stop him, but the moment he opens his mouth, it seems that he might let out some uncontrollable sound. Karlyle shuts his lips tightly, enduring. It’ll be fine if he endures, he needs to hold it in.
“I don’t find it interesting, either.”
Ash says and gives him a light kiss on the cheek. Then their eyes meet.
“Shall we get out?”
The nape of his neck flares up, heat is spreading all over his body. He barely nods back and Ash leads him out affectionately.
Walking out into the dusty red carpet hallway, viewers from the other screening rooms pass by them. Karlyle is locked to the wall in the hallway. Ash leans slightly towards him to block others from Karlyle. He can see a smile in Ash’s eyes looking down at him. Silence returns to the hall when people have left. The atmosphere becomes quiet.
“I’m sorry.”
Ash suddenly apologizes. Karlyle raises his eyes. He asks back, unaware of the way he is being trapped between Ash and the wall.
“For what reason are you apologizing?”
“I picked a movie that wasn’t interesting.”
Karlyle can’t judge whether it was interesting or not since he didn’t know the contents. He purses his lips.
“It’s fine.” He answers.
His conscience pangs at the answer that is no different from lying. Silence and lies are two different things. Although he often makes his opponent misunderstand because of his silence, he rarely lies. But now, somehow he feels like he’s making a big mistake.
“I’ll make sure to pick a better movie next time.”
The word “next time” makes Karlyle startled. Still caught in the entangled gaze, Karlyle lowers his eyelashes.
“You don’t have to.”
Instead of replying there would be no next time, he answers that way. Ash laughs lowly and leans down a little. He meets Karlyle at eye level.
“Well, it seems that Karlyle didn’t need to get out of the cinema.”
“That….”
He stutters, speechless. Ash’s face moves in so close that their faces almost touch. He can see Ash’s pink pale lips right in front of him. His upper and lower lips create a perfect shape, beautiful like a painting....
“Ash.”
In the strange atmosphere, Karlyle calls Ash's name. Ash replies with a smile. His hands hesitate to touch Ash's shoulder. Finally, he musters up the courage to push Ash away ever so slightly. He opens his mouth.
“In public, this behavior is a bit…”
“What behavior?”
Ash’s naive tone of question takes him aback. The back of his neck flushes. Ash hasn't done anything, why does it feel like it's Karlyle who's expecting something first?
“What kind of behavior, Karlyle?”
“That's…”
“Is it this?”
After saying that, Ash's lips gently touch Karlyle’s. His eyes are still on him. Ash’s lips are so soft that they feel like a feather is touching him.
Strength runs in his hand holding Ash's shoulder. Is Ash out of his mind? Ash's even an Alpha. Even though it’s just a small touch, it causes his body to stiffen.
“Or is it, this?
Ash keeps on moving without giving Karlyle a break. He bites his lower lip and then sucks it softly. Just like that, Ash tastes his lower lip deliciously. A tingling sensation spreads from the soft and wet area on his mouth, giving him chills. His lower body aches.
“Ash, what if, someone sees….”
His expressionless face collapses. A moan unconsciously falls down from his lips. Ash's eyes darken at the sound of his choking breath. His big palm presses against Karlyle’s cheek. His other arm wraps around his waist. Their bodies collide. Then, their lips meet again.
Hah, uhm.
His trembling moans are swallowed up immediately. Ash eats Karlyle up, giving him no way out. His tongue protrudes into his gaping lips and skillfully licks his teeth. Then the tip of his tongue tickles the roof of his mouth. Karlyle’s body trembles at the tingling sensation that spreads from the area being caressed in his mouth. His eyes squint. He grabs Ash's shoulder blades so strong that it hurts.
Ash’s tongue that has been caressing the roof of his mouth presses against the bottom of his tongue this time. At the same time, a heavy pressure hits his lower abdomen. Wait, wait, the warning bell rings in his head. It feels so weird. This….
His tongue gets entangled without a chance to respond. It feels as if the whole floor is collapsing. The ground beneath his feet suddenly feels so empty. He can’t hear anything around them anymore. There's only the sound of their tongues rubbing and their salivas slurping.
Although he has kissed countless times, this kiss feels different. It feels like his whole body is about to lose its strength. If it weren't for Ash's arm gripping his waist so tightly, he might have collapsed and end up showing his ugly side. This man, even his kiss, too...
“I guess this is the correct answer.”
The moment he’s about to feel a burning sensation, Ash parts his lips and moves back. The tongue that has been attacking his mouth leaves him with no signs of lingering. With a bright expression, Ash whispers as if nothing has just happened.
Karlyle lets out a deep breath. His lips are scorching hot. His tongue feels sore even though the force wasn’t strong. The feeling that comes first is the emptiness in his mouth. Embarrassed at that thought, he frowns a little. Seeing that, Ash bursts into laughter.
“Sorry to surprise you.”
Ash’s hand touching his cheek moves. His thumb gently sweeps over Karlyle's lips. He can see the saliva on Ash's finger. He wonders whose saliva it is?
“I couldn’t concentrate at all since I thought this would be more interesting than the movie.”
The hidden meaning behind his voice makes the back of his head numb. It seems that he’s feeling excited. He can’t show it. First of all, he can’t.
“You find it... interesting?”
“That's right.”
Ash says satisfactorily and lets go of him.
“Of all the things I’ve done lately, this is the most interesting one.”
Ash runs his thumb along Karlyle's lips then brushes it against his own lips. Karlyle’s eyes glue to his lips, which are noticeably much redder than they were a few minutes ago. For a moment, it feels like Ash's scents are all over him.
Head spinning, Karlyle pushes Ash out. Ash backs away quietly. It feels as if he has set foot into the wrong place, Karlyle steps back. Then he looks at Ash and says.
“I’ve, uhm, got some work to do.”
He makes up an embarrassing excuse.
“So, excuse me.”
Leaving Ash with a puzzled face behind, Karlyle hurriedly turns away. His stomach's pounding. Trying to ignore the choked lump in his heart, Karlyle rubs his lips with the back of his hand. His chapped lips are hot like a ball of fire.
This man is too dangerous.
That's what his instinct says.
His legs hurry out of the theater, then he walks for a long time. Then he looks back. Ash doesn’t go after him. Feeling relieved but somewhat frustrated also, Karlyle runs his hand through his hair with a look of bewilderment.
It's different from his usual self. They've only met two, no, three times, and he has already lost control of himself.
He needs to change the plan.
Staring at the back of his saliva-stained hand, he changes his mind about his plan afterwards.