A Night of Desire

When Clara Grant saw that he had stopped everything, she turned to look at him, puzzled. "Hmm?"

"I... I have something else to confess to you!" Seth looked calm on the surface, but his heart was pounding. Even the beads of sweat on his temples seemed to trickle down faster.

’He didn’t have to confess at this crucial moment. He could have easily waited until after they were done to tell her the truth—that he’d never laid a finger on her, that she was still a virgin.’

’He could even have casually asked her afterward, "Surprise! Bet you didn’t expect that!"’

’But he’d sworn not long ago that he would never hide anything from her again, so he had to tell her.’

’Even if it meant she would get angry about his deception and kick him off of her...’

"Wha—what is it?" Clara asked, slightly out of breath.

"The truth is... that time you were drugged, absolutely nothing happened between us. You’re still a virgin!"

"What... what do you mean?" Clara couldn’t quite process it, asking blankly.

"It means you’re still a virgin," Seth whispered, leaning close to her ear.

He then looked up at her. He found her dazed and bewildered expression so adorable that he couldn’t resist reaching out and gently tapping the tip of her nose.

Clara was perhaps too shocked to even register the intimate gesture—something completely out of place for a confession. She stared blankly for a long moment before she gradually came to her senses, her gaze finally locking onto Seth’s face.

"So, you’re saying... we never actually slept together?"

Seth looked at her expression—dazed, but otherwise calm—and felt a prickle of unease, but he still nodded.

Clarity returned to Clara’s eyes, though her voice remained level. "So that means you’ve been lying to me about this the whole time, too?"

"Yes..." Her calm demeanor only made Seth’s heart pound harder. He instinctively tried to explain, "But I didn’t know you had misunderstood at first. You ran off as soon as you woke up, so I never had the chance to explain."

"Later, that time at The Tuberose when you saw me with... another woman, that’s when I realized you’d misunderstood. I wanted to explain everything then, but... you didn’t exactly give me a chance, did you?"

Hearing this, Clara actually raised an eyebrow, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. "Oh, so this is my fault, is it? Even if you didn’t have a chance to explain then, you’ve had plenty of opportunities since. Why didn’t you?"

"I specifically remember you admitting yourself that we slept together. And you even asked me, could I really live with myself if I didn’t marry my first man?"

"It was because I wanted you to marry me. That’s why I didn’t explain. I let you keep misunderstanding because I thought... I thought you might consider marrying me if you believed you’d given me your first time."

"I’m sorry, Clara. I lied to you again. I know this happened before I swore never to lie to you again, but... I can’t believe I forgot to confess this to you then..."

"Anyway, it’s all my fault! Punish me however you want. I just... please don’t start ignoring me again."

After he finished, Seth stared nervously at Clara. He saw her brow furrow as she stared back at him, her eyes dark and unreadable.

Seth shifted his weight, preparing to roll off of her. ’It was clear nothing more would happen tonight.’ Although it was agony to hold back, he would rather endure the discomfort until Clara gave herself to him completely and willingly, without any hesitation.