Chapter 6: Anything Goes at Night

Livia couldn't stand his demanding tone. Leaning against the wall, she exhaled sharply. "This isn't the time or place."

"Any time is the right time. You've got three seconds to open the door, or I'm breaking it down," Angelo threatened.

Resigned to the fact that she couldn't defy him – he was a man of his word – Livia unlocked the door.

Angelo pocketed his phone and raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was quick."

"What the hell do you want?" Livia stood her ground in the doorway, blocking his entry.

With a gentle push, Angelo squeezed past her, closed the door behind him, and before she could explode in anger, he seized the back of her head and planted a kiss on her lips.

Livia's lips were firmly sealed as she pushed him away.

Angelo let go.

Gasping for air, he disregarded the rage in her eyes. His Adam's apple bobbing, he said in a raspy voice, "I've missed you."

His reason of missing her was purely physical.

Livia understood that look in his eyes. It wasn't her he was thinking about, but her body. Pathetically, she always surrendered to him far too easily. Just hearing "I’ve missed you" was enough to make her lose all sense.

Angelo kissed her again. "Did you miss me?"

Livia was in turmoil. She had indeed missed him.

Craving someone is like an addiction. You might hold off for days, but the moment that cigarette is lit and hovers close to your lips, the compulsion to take a drag becomes unstoppable.

She was in that very state now.

Angelo's kisses intensified, and his hands started to roam.

His slightly rough palm slid under the hem of her shirt, grasping her tender breast, his heavy breaths releasing a damp heat into the hollow of her neck.

Livia felt herself melting in his embrace until his hand traveled higher, and she inhaled sharply, catching his hand. "If you just want to satisfy your physical needs, find someone else."

Angelo's movements halted, and he raised eyes clouded with desire. "You really don't want this?"

Her tear-glistened eyes stared back at him. Her stance said it all.

"I'm going to take what I want!" Angelo asserted as he kissed her neck voraciously.

Three years had been long enough for him to get hooked on her and develop an addiction. She was his particular craving. Other women seemed lackluster by comparison.

He reveled in her body.

"What's this supposed to be? Rape?" Livia's voice trembled as she turned her head, a mix of defiance and arousal evident in her strained whisper.

Angelo's breath brushed her ear, his tone smug with a hint of pride. "Don't you want me?"

As his words hung in the air, his fingers traced her soft abdomen, knowing exactly where her weaknesses lay.

"Yes," Livia responded, her moan involuntary and intoxicating.

"Yet you still dare to say you don't want it?" There was mirth in Angelo's eyes until his touch sensed something was amiss.

Confused, he turned on the light, and the stark red color assaulted his eyes.

After exiting the restroom, Angelo threw a glance at the flushed and flustered woman, huffing, "No wonder you're so irritable."

Livia was embarrassed. She had only been apart from him for a month and had already forgotten the date of her period.

The interest between them had waned.

"Go clean up and change your clothes," Angelo said flatly before slamming the door behind him.

Feeling a surge of self-pity, Livia quickly grabbed her clothes and headed to shower before tears could escape.

After the shower, she brewed some ginger tea in the kitchen, her thoughts drifting.

'He used to buy a durian and leave it at the house whenever her period was near, claiming he heard it could relieve menstrual cramps. And indeed, it did help.'

She scoffed at herself. The man was only nice to her because he wanted to sleep with her.

After finishing her tea, she prepared to head back to her room when the doorbell rang.

She could only think of one person, but there was no value in her for him tonight. He wouldn't come back.

Checking through the peephole first, she saw his impatient face pressing the bell insistently.

Not wanting to disturb the neighbors, Livia opened the door.

Angelo walked in holding a cardboard box, which he dropped on the table before opening it.

The scent of durian burst forth, filling the room.

Angelo, frowning, started to peel the durian, revealing its tempting, creamy flesh.

"What are you waiting for? Eat it," he said gruffly.

He had a strong aversion to the stuff. He could hardly stand the stench that he likened to hell itself.

Livia was taken aback by his behavior and simply stayed put.

Angelo reached out with a piece of fruit and pushed it toward her lips. "Eat it!"

She just stared at him.

He grumbled, pushing the piece of fruit into her mouth. "Hurry up and eat it. It stinks to high heaven."

Livia turned her head away, firmly refusing. "Aren't you going to leave now?"

Annoyed, Angelo tasted a bite of the fruit himself before disdainfully tossing it on the plate. He thought it tasted disgusting.

"I'm not leaving." Wiping his hands with a napkin, he said in a challenging tone, "What are you going to do about it?"

Livia clenched her teeth. "What the hell do you want?"

"I'm moving back in," declared Angelo, casually seating himself on the couch.

"No way." His suggestion was out of the question. She was done with being wrapped up in his drama.

Their so-called romance was as tainted and shameful as an affair with a homewrecker.

Moreover, if they had to label what was between them, it wasn't a romance—it was strictly a physical relationship.

Angelo didn't seem upset. "Then move into my place. You'll be perfect for keeping an eye on Luke."

Livia sensed that Angelo was essentially looking for a free nanny.

She looked at him indifferently. "Are you still not bored with this game? Sorry, but I am."

Angelo narrowed his eyes. "Say that again."

"I said I'm done with this ambiguous relationship with you—I'm fed up." Livia's voice trembled slightly, and she avoided his gaze as she spoke. "I've wasted three years on you, and I refuse to waste another minute."

"I see I'm more committed than you are. You're already thinking about trading me in after just three years." Angelo stood up, stepped closer to her, and tenderly lifted her chin. "Where have I fallen short?"

Livia averted her gaze, but he gripped her chin firmly, preventing her from turning away.

"Don't be so naive, baby. Do you really think marriage is going to keep you happy forever? Besides that sacred bond, I dare say no man can treat you better than I do."

Angelo cupped her face in his hands, his gaze intense and almost menacing. "I'm still interested in you. Don't take me lightly. If you dare refuse me again..."

Livia held her breath, her beautiful eyes drifting, her lips slightly parted. "What will you do?"

With one arm wrapped around her waist and the other pinching the nape of her neck to stop her from moving away from him, he pressed his lips close to her ear and nibbled on her earlobe. At the moment her body shivered, he whispered, "Even if you're on your period right now, I still want to sleep with you."

Livia's cheeks burned, her breathing disordered as she cursed at him. "You're sick!"

Angelo, as if not hearing the insult, held her waist tighter, his forehead pressed against hers, his eyes filled with deep affection. His cool lips brushed lightly against hers. "Should I move in with you, or will you come to mine?"

He grew fierce, his movements a release of emotion. He wished he could extinguish her.