Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Kenji saw the slight pink mark on her hand and noted her delicate skin.
“Whom you choose to wed is still up to you. Your father made it clear that if I can’t win your heart within four years, the marriage alliance will be off.”
Scarlette laughed out loud.
“Ha! That’s a lost cause. You can’t win me over even in forty years, let alone four.”
Kenji didn’t argue but simply watched her with a calm expression. Scarlette caught his intense gaze and halted.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Kenji lifted his hand, sweeping her hair gently behind her ear. His fingers trailed down, delicately grasping her smooth, slender neck. His rough fingertips, conditioned by frequent lab work, grazed her skin lightly, sending a chill down her spine.
“What are you doing?” Her voice came out softer and quieter than she intended.
Kenji moved closer and said, “I was fixing your hair. What did you think I was about to do?”
Flustered and annoyed, Scarlette pushed his hand away.
However, Kenji suddenly tightened his hold on her neck, pulling her close. He kissed her abruptly.
Scarlette’s eyes went wide. She tried to pull away, but Kenji’s arms enveloped her, deepening the kiss while his hands ignited a series of tingles that clouded her sight.
Scarlette was confused. What was going on? Since when had his kisses become so intoxicatingly remarkable? Was there something on his lips that bewitched her?
After a lengthy kiss, Kenji finally let her go, but his eyes, heavy with desire, remained fixed on her face.
Scarlette was left breathless in his embrace, her lips flushed and shiny, heightening her allure.
Kenji lightly stroked her swollen lips with his thumb, a soft chuckle escaping him as he said, “You’re a fast learner. By the second kiss, you already knew how to respond with your tongue.”
Scarlette stiffened and then sharply bit his intrusive finger.
Kenji grimaced, his desire intensifying. Initially, his intent had been merely to tease her with the kiss, but now he found himself unsatisfied, craving more.
In the depths of night, Scarlette tossed and turned, sleep eluding her restless mind. The memory of Kenji’s kiss haunted her thoughts, his teasing touch intertwined with his words about having a sex dream of her after their intimacy that night. He had even shared every intimate detail of the dream vividly.
Scarlette’s mind raced with the scenes she had conjured up from Kenji’s vivid description. Though their first intimate encounter had left her uncomfortable and in pain, the memory now stirred something primal within her.
Fighting back tears of frustration, she snatched her phone and dialed Kenji’s number with trembling fingers, but he didn’t answer.
In a burst of anger, she pummeled her stuffed animal, projecting Kenji’s smirking face onto its innocent features.
Dawn broke with the shrill ring of Scarlette’s phone. The sound pierced through her foggy consciousness.
“Why did you call me last night?” Kenji’s voice cut through her drowsiness.
“I didn’t,” Scarlette mumbled, her words heavy with sleep.
“My phone stays on Do Not Disturb at night. I never take calls,” he stated matter-of-factly.
An address followed his words.
“What’s this?” Scarlette asked, still wrapped in the haze of morning.
“My private address. When you’re lying awake missing me, you’ll know where to find me.”
“Oh, okay… Huh? Why would I come find you…”
Her sleep-addled brain struggled to process his words.
After a weighted pause, Kenji’s voice dropped lower.
“You weren’t nearly this vocal that night.”
Reality crashed through Scarlette’s drowsy state as Kenji’s identity registered fully.
“Go to hell!” she spat through clenched teeth.
Scarlette’s heart sank upon discovering Kenji would be teaching one of her major courses. What should have been a carefree semester with friends turned serious under his watchful eye, as he demanded perfect attendance.
Though Scarlette initially rebelled, the mention of her mother’s request for Kenji’s supervision quickly dampened her defiance.
Alicia, ever worried about Scarlette’s rebellious streak, had found comfort in Kenji’s presence.
“I’ll expose you to my mom for the wolf you really are,” Scarlette threatened.
Seated beside Scarlette at the piano, Kenji calmly turned pages of sheet music.
“Her birthday is approaching in a few months. Would you like to prepare a piece for her?”
Scarlette was taken aback, her heart softening at the thought. Playing a piece for her mom’s birthday? The mere thought of her mother’s joy at such a performance made her heart swell with anticipation.
With newfound purpose, Scarlette approached the piano, her fingers ghosting over the ivory keys with reverence.
“I’ve never practiced seriously before,” she admitted, vulnerability lacing her words.
“Have I missed our chance?”
“It’s never too late to begin,” Kenji assured her.
His words kindled something within Scarlette, and before she could stop herself, she rewarded him with a smile that lit up her entire face. Her radiance caught Kenji off guard, and drawn like a moth to a flame, he leaned in to capture her lips with his.
Though Scarlette resisted initially, Kenji’s persistence won out, and he savored every moment until he finally pulled away.
“Have you lost your mind?” Scarlette hissed, hastily wiping her mouth while scanning the room.
“The door is wide open!”
A knowing glint danced in Kenji’s eyes. Time had changed her-gone was the girl who would have struck him and cried harassment. Now, her only concern lay with prying eyes beyond the doorway.
“Next time, I’ll ensure the door is closed before I claim those lips,” Kenji promised, his voice rich with intention.
“Don’t be so presumptuous,” Scarlette fired back, her tone sharp as steel.
“My lips aren’t yours to take at will. Next time, you’ll find yourself on your knees begging for the privilege. Alright, focus on playing. Stop daydreaming.”
Recognizing the school’s limitations, Kenji took matters into his own hands-purchasing a piano for his home and crafting a convenient excuse for Scarlette’s daily practice sessions.
Wary of entering the proverbial lion’s den alone, Scarlette cleverly recruited two friends as her shields.
Though caught off guard by her friends’ presence, Kenji adapted seamlessly, playing the perfect host with practiced ease.
Scarlette’s friends, captivated by Kenji’s unexpected charm, couldn’t help but whisper, “Professor Reed isn’t nearly the ogre you painted him as. He puts Zayden to shame.”
“Don’t be fooled,” Scarlette countered darkly.
“He’s rotten to his core.”
Her friends watched Kenji tenderly washing fruits in the kitchen.
“Impossible,” one mused.
“He’s the picture of gentility.”
Scarlette’s eyes fixed on his hands, noting the prominent veins, and muttered under her breath, “Those hands know violence.”
That night remained etched in her memory-his clumsy passion, the sharp sting of pain, his selfish pursuit of pleasure punctuated by the crack of his palm against her ass. She’d remember that forever. Kenji played the perfect host, laying out an array of tempting sweets and treats that spoke to youthful cravings.
When Scarlette settled at the piano, her clumsy attempts at melody were met with stifled laughter from the balcony. There she found Kenji, looking disarmingly casual in his home attire, entertaining her friends with easy charm.
The scene shifted as Kenji smoothly exchanged contact information with them, his phone appearing as naturally as his smile.
Jealousy coiled in Scarlette’s stomach, tight and hot. That shameless flirt! Would his teasing kisses find other targets in her absence?
Her frustration manifested in a violent strike against the keys. The discordant note crashed through the room.
Kenji glanced up to find Scarlette glowering at him, her cheeks puffed out in anger like a territorial chipmunk guarding its treasure. Unfazed, he returned to his animated conversation.
It was edging toward dusk after an eventful day, and Scarlette’s two friends knew it was time to head back to their dorm.
Scarlette had originally planned to leave with them, but her resolve faltered when she decided to stay behind and confront Kenji. After Kenji saw Scarlette’s friends out and shut the door, he turned around to find Scarlette standing there, her hands firmly planted on her hips, a storm brewing in her eyes. He raised an eyebrow.
“Who ruffled your feathers?”
Scarlette, never one to mince her words, shot back, “Oh, you had a great time, didn’t you? Instead of stopping at a nice chat, you even asked for their contact information.”
Kenji regarded her for a moment, and then realization dawned. He smirked.
“Ah. You’re jealous.”
Scarlette’s cheeks flared, but she wasn’t about to let him win.
“Don’t flatter yourself. Those two are my friends, and you better keep your hands off them!”
Kenji, unfazed by her flare of temper, washed his hands nonchalantly before settling down at the piano.
“Why don’t you come over here? You still need to practice.”
Scarlette’s patience was wearing thin.
“No. I’m done with this.”