C17 Scoundrel

Nine o’clock that night.

Yanxi returned to the house she used to call home. It was cold and empty.

She had hired someone to tinker with the automated lock system in order to disable the pass code.

Tiancheng did not come home.

Well, wherever else he was spending the night was none of her business anymore, just as he had said.

Then out of the blue came the peal of the doorbell.

The sound jolted Yanxi back to her senses and she hurried to see who might be calling at this hour.

She pressed a button at the buzzer attached to the door, and a familiar, debonair face appeared on the screen.

He flashed his signature smirk, as if he already read the shocked thoughts that were running wild inside her mind.

“Open the door,” came Tang Zhengxun’s voice through the buzzer.

“What are you doing here?” There was no way she was going to let him in.

His eyes narrowed at her from beyond the screen. “I will give you three seconds before I break this door down. Three…”

“What—

“Two…”

What was it with this man and his countdowns?

“Wait!” Yanxi rushed to the door and yanked it open.

She stood in the doorway, breathing heavily at the unexpected burst of urgency, and glared at the man in front of her.

“Tang Zhengxun! You might think I don’t mean it when I say that I’ll sue you for trespassing, but I really will!”

This guy’s whims were becoming more unreasonable each time.

His lips curved upward in response. “Then I might as well commit another crime under my name.” He stepped forward even as he spoke, and took her into his arms without any warning.

He pushed his way into the foyer and reached out to close the door without turning away from Yanxi.

Then, with her still in his embrace, he pivoted so that she was trapped between the door and his hard body.

Tang Zhengxun gazed down at her, and her breath caught at the storm that was visibly brewing in his eyes.

“Qin Yanxi,” he all but whispered, his breath brushing against her cheek. “Prepare to sue me for sexual assault of another man’s wife. I will be waiting for the court order.”

She hadn’t even fully processed his words when his mouth descended on hers. Despite her best efforts, all rational thought flew out of her head in the blink of an eye.

All she could feel was the warmth of his tongue against hers, sending all sorts of sparks and tingles throughout her body to the tips of her fingers and toes.

He pressed closer, ravishing her almost desperately, robbing her of breath.

And she melted against him, feeling like her heart and soul had broken free of their tethers and were running amok all over the place.

“Tang Zhengxun,” she gasped when she managed to pull away. But he was relentless, and in the next second his mouth was against hers again, and she welcomed his heat.

Her emotions were in shambles. There was confusion and worry, but there was gratification, too. And desire. And a myriad of others she couldn't even begin to name.

When Yanxi finally mustered some strength, she held on to it and pushed him with all of her might. “Stop messing around, Tang Zhengxun!”

Despite the newfound distance between them, she found both of her hands still clutching the lapels of his trench coat tightly, as if her life depended on him.

As for him, his face was flushed; whether it was from anger, embarrassment, or lust, she couldn’t tell. Perhaps it was all of the above.

His eyes smoldered.

And she couldn’t help but cower beneath his gaze.

He straightened, but not before looking at her lips again and swallowing a lump in his throat.

His musk mingled with the faint scent of her perfume, and for some reason, it permeated what little space they were occupying. It had a suffocating element to it, yet it was thrilling at the same time.

Tang Zhengxun smiled. He reached out and traced her moist, plump lips with his fingers, lightly at first, and then he started to stroke her lower lip over and over.

Yanxi felt his touch all over her body. She even had to resist the urge to roll her eyes back and sigh in pleasure. Her face flushed red anew.

Then the smile disappeared from his face. His jaw tightened.

At that very moment, Qin Yanxi looked like she was asking to be bitten and sucked dry.

“You little minx,” he said in a low, velvety voice. “Your body is always much more honest than your words.”

They were silent for a few beats, but then his eyes took on a sudden, sharper glint. “Did you like it when Bai Tiancheng did this to you, I wonder…”

Something in his tone sent a chill down her spine.

Yanxi took a deep breath and suppressed the ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She let go of his coat and got into his face.

“Keep this up, Tang Zhengxun, and I really will press charges against you for molestation.”

“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow. “A separate charge from the ones we’ve talked about earlier? Fine by me.”

“You scoundrel!” She pounded her fist at his chest, but he barely moved. If anything, he leaned even closer, caging her in against the door again.

“Qin Yanxi.”

There was something in his eyes when he said her name. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought it to be distress.

But he grabbed her jaw with one hand in the next instant, and she decided that she did know better!

He forced her to look straight into his eyes before saying, “Don’t you dare let Bai Tiancheng touch you again, or I swear I will defile you before his very eyes!”

She immediately paled at his warning. “You’re out of your mind, Tang Zhengxun!”

He only smirked at her.

That was all it took to trigger her rage, and she let her fists loose at him, punching and pushing him away.

“He’s still my husband! Between the two of you, he’s the only one who has the right to do these things to me! Why are you even doing this to me, what the hell are your intentions?”