Chapter 81: Don’t hide from me
Anna stayed perfectly still, though in the quiet of her mind she had already surrendered. There was no winning against Daniel when he set his will on something—and deep down, she no longer wanted to fight.
She had told herself she could stand toe-to-toe with him, challenge him the way he challenged her. But every time he closed the distance, her heart betrayed her. Her resolve melted like ice in the sun.
’There is no way I can win this one,’ she thought, finally making peace with her own resistance.
’After all, it’s only a kiss.’
The phone slipped from her fingers, forgotten, and rolled to the side. She reached up and cupped his face.
"If that’s what you want," she whispered, her voice steadier than she felt, "then let me grant your wish."
Her words landed like a strike to his chest. For a heartbeat Daniel just stared, the familiar spark of mischief in his eyes replaced by startled wonder. His grip on her tightened unconsciously. He had expected her to push him away, to argue—anything but this sudden surrender.
Before he could recover, her lips found his.
’Maybe this is how I’m meant to remember you,’ she told herself as her eyes fluttered shut. ’Before I walk away from your life.’
The first brush of her mouth was soft, almost tentative. Then she kissed him the way he always kissed her—fearlessly, as if there was no world beyond that moment.
For a breath Daniel froze, stunned by the tenderness, until the quiet ache in her touch broke through his hesitation. He answered her with a slow intensity that stole the air between them.
His hand slipped to the small of her back, drawing her closer. The warmth of his palm through the thin fabric sent a shiver spiraling down her spine.
"You shouldn’t have done that," he murmured against her lips, voice roughened by something he could no longer hide. "Now I’ll want more than just a kiss."
Her eyes flickered open, startled, but the question forming on her tongue dissolved when he caught her mouth again.
The room around them faded—the quiet hum of the laptop, the muted light from the window—until there was only the sound of their breathing and the rapid thrum of her heart.
Daniel drew her closer and kissed her until her breath came in soft, uneven bursts. When he finally pulled back, his lips traced a slow, teasing path along her jaw and down the slender curve of her neck, each light brush sending a shiver through her.
He had never wanted anyone the way he wanted her. Other faces had never held his attention; other touches had never lingered in his mind. But Anna—she was different. She met him with eyes that never flinched, defied him with her chin lifted high. She could bruise his pride, even knock him off balance, and somehow still make him ache for more.
And she never made it easy.
Daniel’s pulse hammered as she pressed against him. Every instinct told him to claim the moment, yet something deeper held him still—a need to memorize her, to let the quiet between their heartbeats say what words could not.
Anna’s back arched as his warm palm settled lightly against her, even through the thin fabric. Her breath caught, a soft sound of surprise mingled with something he felt more than heard.
He lowered his head again, his voice rough with a truth he rarely admitted.
"Anna... you undo me." he muttered under his breath, however Anna failed to hear it.
All she could register was his touch—his lips, the quiet strength in his hands, the way he unraveled her with every breath. The world beyond them blurred, and in that haze she was carried back to the night they first consummated their marriage.
Daniel had been unsteady with drink then, yet impossibly gentle—so careful it had surprised her. That memory, soft and unguarded, returned now like a warm tide, and it was that same hidden tenderness she felt beneath the fierceness of his embrace.
His words held the edge of a claim, his movements a silent vow, and still she found herself leaning closer, surrendering to the heat of his touch until everything else—doubt, hesitation, even time itself—simply fell away.
Without any warning Daniel flipped her on the bed, pushing away the laptop until he rested on the edge barely falling down. But Daniel didn’t care, instead his eyes was on the woman in front of him and the way she seemed drowsy in her eyes, flustered on her cheeks made him want more.
Letting go of her skin with a smug tug on his lips Daniel pulled the top up. The sight of her red bra enticing him to the point that he wanted to rip them off.
But he held back because he wanted to take his time devouring the sight of her plump breast that were bigger than the normal one.
But he didn’t care, because it wasn’t the perfection that drew him in and he was far more than being perfect when it came to her.
Her curvy body turned him on, her round buttocks, her pump lips her doe eyes made him tightened. And even no the thought of having those nipples in his mouth made him high.
’You are addictive Anna. I just can’t control myself when it comes to you’ he told himself that he wouldn’t undo her with his burning gaze, however he failed when his resolve slowly bagan to crumble and his face dove into the valley of her round melon, kissing them tenderly.
Anna eyes closed at the gentle touch of his lips while his hand kneaded them with much precise. It had been long since she was touch like that.
"Daniel I..." her voice trailed as her breath stuck in her throat with the strange sensation that crawl down her stomach.
Daniel wasn’t hard, but he wasn’t that smooth either. The way he was teasing her with his tongue before slowly pulling the cup of her bra to side exposing her pink tip made her feel bare.
His eyes darken and the next moment those bud was in his mouth as he sucked the life out of it.
Anna clutched the back of his head and felt him tease her with his teeth before he moved to the next one doing the same.
A moment that was suppose to be just a mere kiss turned so intense that neither of them wanted to stop.
Daniel was far more done with just a kiss and now after going deeper into knowing how much her body excited him, his greed inscreased.
Keeping his pace slow, Daneil took his time until Anna was left sore on her chest. But Daniel, he wasn’t over.
Their eyes locked, and Anna saw something shift in his gaze—a darkness that sent a quick jolt of warning through her.
She’d lost all sense of time. When she finally found the will to push him back, he didn’t budge.
"I’m not finished yet, Anna," he said, his voice a low rumble that startled her with its seriousness.
Before she could form a reply, Daniel dipped his head and pressed a trail of kisses down her stomach. Every nerve in her body leapt at the unexpected tenderness.
For a heartbeat she told herself she could still stop him. She’d always believed Daniel had no real power over her—that her heart and body were hers alone. But as his touch lingered, that quiet lie crumbled.
Anna bit her lower lip to stifle the sound rising in her throat. At once, Daniel paused and lifted his head, his eyes sharp as if she’d broken some unspoken rule.
"Don’t hide from me, Anna," he murmured. "It only makes it harder for me to be gentle."
She froze, caught between defiance and something softer, and managed only a slight nod.
A slow, satisfied smile curved his mouth. "That’s better."
His fingers traced the waistband of her clothes, making her pulse trip. The thought of what he might do next jolted her back to herself.
"Daniel." Her voice finally cut through the haze. "This isn’t what we agreed on."
One brow arched in amused triumph. "Ah," he said lightly, "so you admit we agreed on something."
Anna blinked, his words sinking in.
"Y–you devil," she breathed, anger and dawning realization twisting together. "How could you—"
Daniel only smiled, that infuriating, knowing smile that told her he had played her perfectly.
At last, Anna found the strength to shove Daniel away with all the force she could summon.
His low laugh rumbled through his chest, maddeningly calm, as she scrambled upright and yanked her top down covering her chest before stomping to the edge of the bed.
"How dare you trick me!" she snapped, her voice sharp with anger.
Her heart pounded. One brief moment of weakness—and she had crossed a line she’d sworn she never would.
Does this mean I actually allowed him to touch me?
"No!" The word tore from her like a wild cry. She swung her gaze toward Daniel, eyes blazing, and for a heartbeat she looked ready to grab him by the collar and slam him against the wall.
And then—two phones rang at once.
The sudden chorus of sound froze her mid-stride.
Brows knitting, Anna turned toward the pillows, spotting her phone wedged between them. At the same time, Daniel reached for his own device on the nightstand.
Henry’s name flashed across his screen. His brow furrowed at the restless blinking of the caller ID, a silent warning that something was wrong. Without a word, he snatched up the call.
"Boss—Miss Kathrine—" Henry’s urgent voice crackled through before Daniel strode quickly from the room, his expression hardening.
Startled, Anna stared after him. The tension of moments ago scattered like smoke. Shaking her head, she no longer lingered on what had just happened and answered her own phone—Shawn’s name glowing on the screen.