Chapter 173: Don’t Mistake Gentle for Merciful (18+)
Lux dragged his knuckles slowly down the center of her chest, grazing the thin fabric of her bra with deliberate care. His other hand slid to her thigh, thumb pressing into the soft flesh there like he was testing her response. And god, did her body respond. She jerked slightly, her legs tensing, breath catching.
"You're too tense," he whispered, smiling against her skin. "I said I'd be gentle."
His fingers curled into the waistband of her underwear, tugging slowly, teasingly, down her hips. "But don't mistake gentle for merciful."
She gasped again, head tilting back, exposing her throat. The moment the last strip of fabric left her body, she felt more naked than she'd ever been. Not just undressed—seen.
Lux sat back slightly, golden eyes drinking her in.
"Nice," he murmured, licking his lips. "You always hide so much under those pretty dresses."
Naomi squirmed, trying to cross her legs on instinct, but he was already between them, his palms sliding up the inside of her thighs.
"You said you weren't thinking about sex…" she whispered, breathless.
"I'm not," Lux said, hands spreading her thighs gently apart. "I'm thinking about you."
Then—
[Status Effect: Pheromone Surge – MAX]
[Warning: Emotional Feedback Loop Detected]
[Recommended Action: Moderate Contact or Risk Bond Reinforcement]
Lux's body pulsed once. Just once. Like something under his skin shifted.
His irises darkened, pupils widening unnaturally as his aura expanded in the room like a velvet smoke. Naomi's breath hitched. She felt it—him—not just on her skin, but under it. His scent deepened, rich with spice and warmth and something older than sin. Her thoughts fogged, hazed like steam on glass.
"I can smell it, you know," he said casually, as if they were discussing market trends. "The way your body reacts when I touch you."
She clenched her jaw, trying to hold back the sound building in her throat.
Lux leaned down, lips grazing the top of her breast. "C'mon," he murmured. "More."
He took her nipple between his lips, tongue flicking, slow and maddening.
She arched with a broken gasp, eyes fluttering closed.
"Lux—" she whispered, voice high and cracked.
He chuckled darkly. "That's better. But louder."
She quickly pressed her hand to her mouth again, shaking her head. "I… I can't. They'll hear."
Lux's voice was darker now. "Let them hear."
"No—" she gasped, squirming under him, thighs clenching instinctively.
But he didn't stop.
His hand slid lower, trailing between her thighs, fingers slow and torturous. He didn't rush. He just explored—mapping every reaction, every tremble, every place she gasped and jerked beneath his touch.
Naomi bit her own lip to hold back a moan. But her body betrayed her. Her hips lifted. Her chest rose, seeking more. Her breath came in quick, shivering bursts.
"You're shaking," he said, tracing lazy circles on her inner thigh.
"I hate you," she whispered, eyes glassy.
"I know."
He kissed her stomach.
"But you'll beg me to keep going anyway."
Her fingers curled in the headboard, legs tensing as he finally slipped his fingers between her folds—slowly. Softly. He groaned at the heat of her.
"Holy Hell, Naomi…"
Her entire body arched at the sound of her name said like that.
"Lux—" she gasped, her voice catching as his thumb brushed where she needed him most.
"Say my name again."
She moaned against her wrist, shaking her head.
"Naomi," he growled. "Say it."
She whimpered, barely able to hold still as his fingers slid in deeper, moving with expert rhythm.
"L-Lux," she breathed, her eyes rolling back.
His mouth was on her breast again, teasing, punishing, rewarding.
"You like that?" he whispered, dragging his lips along her skin.
She nodded, unable to speak. Only sounds. Only helpless gasps and broken versions of his name.
"You're soaked," he muttered, tone reverent and wicked all at once. "You're trying so hard to behave. But your body already chose."
And it had.
Naomi's thighs trembled. Her breath came in pants. Her body was burning—desperate.
But he didn't let up.
And she didn't want him to.
She wanted him to ruin her.
But Lux was patient in the most dangerous way.
He moved like a slow-burning fuse—closer, deeper, darker with every second—never in a rush, never in a frenzy. He didn't need to be. He had all the time in the world and all the control in his hands. Literally.
Her wrists were still bound above her head with his belt, soft leather digging lightly into her skin every time she pulled against it.
And she did pull. Because her body couldn't stay still anymore. Not with what he was doing. Not with the way he looked at her—like she was already his next sin.
"Look at you," Lux murmured, his fingers trailing just above her navel as his body slid down the bed, heat and shadow wrapped in human form. "Squirming like this."
She bit down on her lip hard enough to taste blood, her knees tightening, instinctively trying to close again.
He chuckled low and cruel, spreading her again with two firm hands on her thighs.
"No," he said simply. "You don't get to hide now."
He kissed her thigh. Then again, lower. His mouth left a trail of heat that made her gasp. He didn't just kiss—he claimed, like every inch of her was his favorite indulgence.
"I should keep you tied like this more often," he murmured, voice dark velvet. "You're so honest when you can't move."
She moaned softly, her hips rising on instinct.
Lux moved slower. His mouth pressing lower.
One kiss at the inside of her knee. Another on her trembling calf.
Then another. Then another.
He crawled up her body like a predator—hungry, methodical—kissing the inside of her thighs with agonizing reverence.
"Naomi," he growled, breath hot against her skin. "You're shaking."
She made a broken sound—somewhere between a sob and a plea.
And then—he kissed her lower.
Just once.
Her entire body jolted.
Her head fell back, a gasp escaping her lips before she could stop it.
"Too much?" he asked, looking up through dark lashes, his hair tousled like a sinfully sculpted stormcloud.