I slept deeply.
When I woke up, the surroundings were pitch black. The sound of rain outside the tent had stopped. I moved my body and realized that someone was holding me.
The rough stubble on his chin kept rubbing against my neck. Almost as soon as I woke up, Magnus Everstone stirred, instinctively tightening his embrace. His voice was hoarse, "What's wrong?" I didn't even know when he had joined me.
I asked reflexively, "Your leg?"
"It's just a surface wound, it'll heal in a few days."
I rolled over and hugged him.
Magnus stiffened in surprise. "Lillian, what are you trying to do?" I pinned his hand down, then slid my hand along his waist, slipping it under his shirt. Magnus stopped moving, holding my waist. His breathing grew heavier in the darkness.
"No... don't... like this..."
His breath, sensual and alluring, reached my ears. Just as he could no longer hold back, I stopped.
"Alright."
"Alright?"
Magnus Everstone gritted his teeth in frustration.
I returned to his arms, closed my eyes, and murmured, "There really aren't any other injuries. I'm relieved." Magnus hadn't lied to me.
The next day, his leg had already healed significantly.
It wasn't until the rescue team withdrew that Magnus and I finally boarded the return flight.
I thought back to the last time I returned home when Magnus and I had a falling out at the airport. As we exited the terminal, I purposely pulled Magnus toward a different exit. He followed behind, a smirk on his face, "Still superstitious? Are you hiding something from me?" I covered his mouth and got into the car.
By evening, just before we got home, the rain started again.
Unable to avoid it in time, Magnus and I ended up soaked.
At that moment, the delivery man arrived with a package. Magnus took it from me, holding it as we entered the house. I went to the bathroom to dry my hair, while Magnus stood at the entrance, carefully unwrapping the package. When I came out with a towel, I saw him standing still with his back to me, unmoving.
"What's that?"
I walked over, and when my angle shifted, I saw what he was holding. My heart leapt.
The soft, fiery fabric draped neatly around Magnus's long fingers, cascading down. He glanced at me sideways, saying nothing.
I turned to leave, but before I could, he pulled me back around the waist, forcing me to sit on the couch. Magnus chuckled darkly, "Miss, you really hid something big from me..."
My heart skipped a beat as he caught my hand and pressed it against his chest. "But I didn't expect this to be a reward. Will you wear it for me, and show me?" The heat from his palm seared through my skin.
It was as though I had made a decision. I yanked on his tie, flipping him onto his back in one swift motion.
"You behave, and you'll get the reward." Magnus swallowed hard, his voice low. "Alright."
"You can do whatever you want with me."
As the night deepened, the room fell into darkness. I covered his eyes and leaned in for a kiss.
Magnus had already worked up a sweat, his breath heated. "Lillian... let me see you..." I held down his hands, "Answer me first. How long have you liked me?"
"A long time."
"How long is 'a long time'?"
"I can't remember... maybe it's been since the first time we met. Maybe it's when you first called me a wild dog..." he paused, "Also, why won't you let me meet your family?"
Magnus lifted his head, taking a deep breath, "My sister? She's not suitable."
"Why not?"
Magnus fell silent for a while, then spoke quietly, "She likes women."
Before I could process that, Magnus slipped out of my grasp, ripping the fabric away from my eyes. He never played by the rules. By the time I realized what had happened, he had already swept me into the bedroom.
"Lillian, you look so beautiful in that..." My frustration flared, "You manipulative—"
"Stray mutt…"
Magnus completed the action for me, his gaze burning as he guided my hand, placing it behind his ear, letting me tug at his coarse black hair. Then he leaned in to kiss me, whispering, "Good girl, say a few more things, and touch me."
"Stray mutt…"
Magnus whispered a few words in my ear.
I blushed fiercely, muttering, "Y-You... shut up... shameless..." My weak reprimands only made Magnus laugh softly. In the heavy darkness of the night, he made my legs weak.
Outside the window, the bright moon hung suspended in the sky.
A breeze blew through the window, scattering papers from the windowsill. That was when I found Magnus Everstone's will in the safe. Since the day we got married, I had been named as his sole heir. I vaguely recalled the first time I met Magnus.
It had been a windy day at the airport. My handkerchief had blown into Magnus's chest. He picked it up, folded it into a square, and handed it back to me. Without looking, I brushed past him.
That was the first time I made my stance clear to Magnus.
I hated him.
I thought he had thrown it away.
Now, under the soft moonlight, the handkerchief lay on the edge of the bedside table, beneath the glass panel. The glass was spotless. Magnus noticed the surprise in my eyes and chuckled, kissing my lips.
The gentle sound of the wind carried his whispered words.
Slowly, it passed through the endless night.
"Good girl, I'll always be loyal to you."
Like a hard-to-tame stray dog, loyal to tenderness.
