Chapter 79 The Dominant Kiss
Sloane's POV
His words were like a dose of burning medicine, soothing my restless heart that had been stirred up by that argument.
I stared at him blankly, looking at the deep admiration in his eyes that seemed impossible to dissolve. My heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, slowly tightening, skipping a beat.
The drama in the restaurant had ended. Christian was dragging Keira outside, and through the glass window, I could still see the siblings arguing at the entrance.
Keira seemed unwilling to leave just like that, pointing at the restaurant and saying something emotionally.
Christian just kept a cold face and shoved her into the car without allowing any objection.
Before leaving, Keira's eyes found me in the crowd. She stared at me with such cold resentment, I felt it like a weight on my chest.
But Jared acted as if he hadn't seen anything. He blocked me with his body, his tall figure cutting off that malicious stare.
He just lowered his head, took my hand again, and carefully examined the red mark that Keira had scratched on the back of my hand.
"Let's have the doctor look at it when we get back." He frowned, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The red mark was so faint it could almost be ignored, but in his eyes, it seemed like some terrible injury.
The hostility that had flared up inside me because Director Aria was insulted had long since disappeared completely in his protective words and focused gaze. The nauseous feeling in my stomach came back again, making me just want to find somewhere to lie down.
I leaned against him, burying my face in his chest that carried a faint scent of tobacco and aftershave. My voice was muffled, "Let's go home. I'm tired."
"Okay." He responded and walked out of the restaurant with his arm around me.
The evening breeze carried a chill, blowing away the lingering tension and gunpowder smell from the restaurant.
I thought he would take me straight back to Montclair Estate, but after the car left downtown, it turned onto a road completely unfamiliar to me.
The neon lights outside gradually thinned out, replaced by vast stretches of silent darkness and quiet suburban streetlights.
"Where are we going?" I looked at his cold, hard profile, feeling a bit confused.
He didn't answer, just slowed down the car. His lips curved into a mysterious smile, "We'll be there soon."
The car finally stopped by an open suburban lake.
There was no one around, only the cool moonlight spilling onto the quiet lake surface, creating rippling reflections.
He turned off the engine and turned to look at me. Those deep eyes were startlingly bright in the darkness.
"Close your eyes," his voice was low and somewhat bewitching, "count down from ten."
I didn't understand why, but seeing the anticipation in his eyes, I obediently closed my eyes.
"Ten, nine, eight..."
My voice sounded especially clear in the silent night, and my heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably along with the countdown.
"...three, two, one."
When I said the last number, I didn't hear any sound.
Just as I was about to open my eyes in confusion, a sharp whistling sound suddenly tore through the night sky.
A huge golden firework exploded in the pitch-black sky. The brilliant light poured down like a waterfall, instantly illuminating the entire lake surface and his smiling eyes.
I was stunned by this sudden spectacle and instinctively looked up.
Then the second, the third—countless dazzling fireworks bloomed one after another in the sky. Red, purple, blue—like a grand and silent meteor shower, painting the entire world in fairy-tale colors.
My eyes were filled with nothing but this overwhelming brilliance. All the unhappiness and exhaustion were washed away completely in this ultimate romance.
Just as I was lost in this visual feast, there was a slight sound beside me. Jared had gotten out of the car at some point and opened the trunk.
"Sloane." He called me softly.
I turned around, and under the light and shadow of the fireworks filling the sky, I was completely stunned.
The black trunk was packed full of red roses, bouquet after bouquet, gorgeous and lush, layer upon layer, like a burning sea of fire.
The rich fragrance mixed with the smell of gunpowder, creating a strange yet deadly romance.
My heartbeat completely lost control at this moment.
He walked up to me, led me out of the car, then pulled out the most blooming rose from that sea of flowers and held it in front of me.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
The light and shadow of the fireworks flickered on his face, softening his usually cold, hard features.
I looked at the light in his eyes, which clearly reflected the fireworks filling the sky and my dumbfounded expression.
I nodded hard, took the rose, and my eyes uncontrollably felt a bit hot.
I've never been a woman who would be moved by this kind of formality, but tonight, I felt incredibly happy.
"I love it." I looked at him and answered seriously, word by word.
He smiled, and that smile was even more brilliant than the fireworks behind him.
He pulled me into his arms and, amid the loud explosions of fireworks, bent down and kissed me.
We exchanged breaths under the witness of the sky full of fireworks and the sea of roses.
After a long while, he finally pulled back slightly, his forehead against mine, his hot breath spraying on my face. "Sloane," his voice was hoarse, carrying a solemn sense of finality, "I'm sorry. I was wrong before, letting you suffer so much."
He paused, cupped my face, his eyes focused and devout, "I swear, I won't let you suffer even a little bit anymore. I'll cherish you well, more than I cherish my own life."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, buried my face in the crook of his neck, and softly hummed in agreement.
This belated affection—I used to scoff at it, but now, I was willing to believe it one more time.
Maybe it was because the night was too gentle, the fireworks too enchanting, and his scent had become extremely aggressive.
His arms holding me kept tightening, and his burning kisses traveled from my forehead downward, landing on my lips, lingering and grinding.
"Jared..." I was kissed until I could barely breathe. My hand pressed against his solid chest, my voice fragmented, "Here... someone might see us."
My resistance didn't make him stop; instead, it seemed like a silent invitation.
He chuckled softly, scooped me up completely, and pressed me directly onto the cold car hood.
"No one will come." He leaned down, his tall figure completely enveloping me. Those eyes burned with two clusters of scorching flames, carrying a pushing-his-luck kind of wickedness, "Even if someone comes, I don't care."
The night wind carried the gunpowder smoke of fireworks and the sweet fragrance of roses, amplifying all my senses infinitely.
The cool car hood and his burning chest formed a sharp contrast, stimulating every inch of my nerves.
His kiss carried an undeniable dominance, as if he wanted to devour me whole and meld me into his bones and blood.