Tell Me You Like It [R19]

Chapter 6.2: An Impure Intention

Cover

 ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ: ᴀᴛʜᴀɴᴀꜱɪᴀ

Luciano chuckled as he mimicked closing and opening his eyes.

“You have an interesting way of expressing it.”

The croquette, which is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, had a fantastic taste with salty jamon. The soup with chickpeas was just average, but the freshly fried croquette washed away the disappointing taste of the soup.

She wasn’t very hungry, but when the food came, it seemed to bring about hunger. She hastily ate the croquettes, and as there was one left, Luciano gestured to Anna.

“You should eat it, Anna.”

“Oh, no. You should have it, Luciano.”

“Why are you being this way again?”

He once again offered it to Anna. Using another unused fork and spoon, he scooped a croquette onto her plate. It was with an attitude of course.

“Why…”

“Yes?”

“Why do you… treat me so well?”

Anna couldn’t hold back her impulse. It seemed like an unsophisticated question, but she couldn’t help asking. Even if it made her look foolish, she had to ask.

With everything that was happening with him, it all felt like a dream, and she suddenly felt anxious. She had an impulse to just break it all apart because she couldn’t believe in this luck. She was afraid that his warm gaze would be cooled by a gust of wind.

She felt like she already knew why he treated her well, but she still had to ask. Even though she didn’t even know what she wanted to hear, she asked.

Luciano stumbled for a moment, unable to answer immediately. He seemed caught off-guard by such a question.

“I didn’t expect to hear that I’m treating you well just because of a single croquette.”

“You know what I mean. From the moment we first met, you’ve been kind to me, Luciano. You proposed traveling together and even lent me money.”

“Because I wanted to.”

“…”

Anna couldn’t think of a response to his explanation that he did it because he wanted to treat her well. It felt like her mind had gone blank.

“Is it wrong to treat Anna well?”

“It’s not that, but…”

She had always been the troublemaker among her family. She was the parasite that leeched off her brother, Min-seok. She couldn’t believe that she was getting attention from a handsome man while watching the night view in such a cool place.

She didn’t realize it herself, but her inner self-esteem had crumbled significantly due to her family. That’s why Anna kept getting confused, unsure whether all of this was a dream or reality.

“I did it because I wanted to treat you well. Because I like it when you smile, Anna.”

“You like it when I smile? Why?”

No one had ever shown interest in her smile before.

“I don’t really know. I just…”

“Just…?”

“I just feel happy when you smile.”

Anna was a little disappointed at the answer. After hearing Luciano’s answer, she realized that all she wanted him to say was, “I fell in love at first sight.”

But this was enough. They hadn’t known each other for long, and if he had been too aggressive in his approach, Anna might have felt guarded and overwhelmed.

The human heart was truly peculiar. Although she was a bit disappointed for not hearing words of affection, she also felt satisfied because she understood.

A moment of silence passed between them. They stared at each other without saying a word until the waiter cleared the empty plates.

“Did I, uh, come across as pressuring you, Anna?”

He hesitated to speak in a different manner. For some reason Luciano looked perplexed. It was the first time for him to express that expression and hesitation.

“What do you mean by pressuring?”

Anna didn’t properly understand his intention and asked back.

“Anna.”

“Yes?”

“I hope you didn’t misunderstand what I said. I have no desire to compel you to do anything. I didn’t suggest traveling together with any impure intentions. So, don’t feel burdened. Instead of overthinking, let’s enjoy everything and have fun. After all, we came here to enjoy ourselves. So, Anna, you don’t have to feel obliged to repay me or anything like that. Absolutely not! There’s no need for that at all. I’m not someone who forces others to do something they dislike, so don’t misunderstand.”

He said it indirectly, but he was talking about sex. He was saying that he wouldn’t force Anna into a physical relationship. He was saying that if she didn’t want to do it, she didn’t have to, and that he would respect her wishes and follow her lead in everything.

Luciano seemed to understand that Anna’s sudden question of why she was good to her meant that she wanted a price.

It seemed that Luciano understood the question of why he was being so kind suddenly as implying that he expected something in return. He appeared worried that he might come across as self-serving. Deep wrinkles formed on his forehead, and his tone was the most serious it had been so far. The man who had been articulate and confident seemed to have disappeared, replaced by someone fidgeting with his hands clasped together, anxiously shaking them back and forth while speaking in a verbose manner.

That’s how sudden Anna’s question was.

Strangely enough, his flustered demeanor made Anna like him even more. His previously confident attitude had vanished, and it was endearing to see Luciano unsure of what to do. It was charming to witness a big man becoming flustered by a single word from her.

Using distinct gestures that she had only seen Italians use on television, he seemed to emphasize his point. It appeared that he was greatly taken aback.

Anna wanted to make it clear to Luciano, who said that he felt happy when she smiled, her choice.

“Really?”

“Yes. Think of it as pure goodwill.”

Luciano nodded with a look of injustice.

Luciano nodded with a look of injustice in his eyes.

“Anna, if, by any chance, traveling with me becomes uncomfortable for you or if I cause any unpleasant feelings, then we can stop traveling together…”

“It’s okay to feel that way…”

Anna murmured, cutting off Luciano’s words. It was a quiet voice, but it was loud enough for Luciano to hear.

“…but it’s fine.”

After finishing his sentence, Luciano’s eyes momentarily flickered before settling down. His expression was quite different from the relaxed demeanor of the man who would joke about everything.

“What? Anna, what did you just…”

He even stumbled over his words.

“I think it’s okay if Luciano is impure.”

His mouth gaped open as if his jaw had dropped. He seemed surprised by her honesty.

“You don’t want to be impure?”

Anna confidently challenged him. She may have had low self-esteem, but she was a courageous person.

Ever since she imagined kissing Luciano, she had a desire to be close to him. It felt like with this man, anything was possible, and she wanted it to become a reality, regardless of the type of physical contact involved.

Even if it meant becoming a moth consumed by the flame and burning to death, she was prepared to sacrifice herself willingly. She was ready to let herself burn.

“No!”

He answered immediately, but quickly added on.

“I mean, if I were to say that I didn’t desire it at all, it would be a blatant lie, but I never want to do anything that Anna dislikes.”

“Yes.”

Blushing, Anna smiled.

“I just didn’t want you to misunderstand me. Like… thinking that I’m promiscuous.”

Upon hearing her words, he didn’t show it, but she knew he was still thinking about their conversation earlier in the day.

“I understand.”

The waiter brought the main dish, steak and lamb stew. The two of them began eating without saying a word. However, an invisible tension filled the air between them.

Anna, feeling too tense, gulped down her wine as if it were water.

“Anna.”

His voice was low, and his deep, gravelly tone carried desire.

“Yes?”

The end of her trembling response was unintentional.

“Don’t drink too much.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to do this while you’re intoxicated.”

His voice was filled with impure intentions, just as Anna desired.

Anna’s hand that held the wine glass shook slightly. The blush on her face began to spread to her neck.

His bold statement, unexpected from a gentleman-like man, made her heart flutter. The gap between them felt surprising, yet not discomforting. It felt sexy.

Afraid that she might let go of the wine glass, Anna hurriedly placed it back onto the table.

“…Yes.”

As Anna cautiously nibbled on her food, he spoke.

“Eat more. It might be inconvenient later if you get hungry.”

His deep voice, resonating with a husky tone, was as if he had played a saxophone.

Luciano, who was looking at her, made her feel so self-conscious that she couldn’t feel anything. Sweat formed in the hand holding the fork. Even though she was just sitting there, her heart pounded and she felt heat rising from head to toe.

The color of his tender gaze had drastically changed. The seemingly cold blue iris was now scorching hot, as if it wanted to devour her. Within the gentle and affectionate emerald color, she could see flames igniting.

He was eating food. What he had in his mouth was food, and what touched the tip of his tongue was the fork. However, Anna felt as if she was being consumed and rapidly devoured by him.

Perhaps because Luciano saw her as a woman, because he desired her, even just sitting still, she felt a strange sensation emanating from her lower region. It felt like her inner thighs were throbbing, and heat was pooling in the depths.

Due to the accumulating heat, she could feel something trickling down from within. The firmness of her breasts, contained within her bra cups, was keenly felt. Her body became so sensitive that she could feel everything.

Even though he hadn’t done anything, just the fact that his blue eyes were consistently focused on her caused her underwear to become damp.

Anna felt flustered by the sensation of wetness below, but oddly enough, it only made her more excited. It felt like she was secretly in heat, despite appearing perfectly put together in the restaurant. She felt a sense of recklessness, as if no one could detect the squirming between her legs, but at the same time, she felt embarrassed due to the public setting.

It was a heat she had never experienced before. Even though her mind was blurred with intense sexual impulse, she couldn’t help but think that it was possible for a person to feel this way.

Even though he hadn’t touched her, her mind was in disarray due to the pleasure building up in her body and the tension in the air.

And then, Anna’s eyes widened.

“Oh…!”

Suddenly, something lightly tapped against her toes.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

A deep, sweet tone echoed as if it would melt her eardrums. He was apologizing with a face that showed no remorse whatsoever.

“It’s okay… Ah…!”

She tried to say it was okay, but Anna couldn’t finish her sentence and instead let out a very soft moan.

Something was slowly and steadily moving up her calf.

Without even looking under the table, she could tell that what brushed against her calves was Luciano’s firm and solid leg.

As Anna slowly chewed her food, his extended leg brushed against her calf. He continued to move his leg, never breaking eye contact, staring at her intensely.

His strength gradually pressed deeper into the depths of her thighs, and Anna had no choice but to press her thighs closer together. However, she couldn’t move the leg that was in contact with his leg to the side. Like a trapped deer, she couldn’t budge. Her legs felt as if they were tightly bound by invisible strings, unable to move at all.

Unlike Anna, who was flushed with embarrassment, he ate food and sipped his wine with a nonchalant expression.

Anna found that fiery blue eyes were also as excited as she was.

The lust lurking in his large eyes seemed precarious and threatening, as if to devour her.

Anna couldn’t taste the food properly and mechanically filled her stomach. She couldn’t even fully appreciate the fragrance of the wine. The view outside the window and the romantic music playing in the background no longer registered with her senses. Instead, she was immersed in the illusion that she could hear the sound of fabric rustling whenever it brushed against her.

It was only after tasting the saffron ice cream that came out as dessert that the meal finally came to an end.

“Anna.”

“Yes?”

He reached out his hand to her as she stood up from her seat. Anna willingly took his hand. The moment their hands touched, a hot shiver spread throughout her entire body, starting from the tip of the hand that was held. She involuntarily trembled at the tingling sensation that flowed down her spine.

“Shall we spend the night here at this hotel?”

“Sounds good.”

She couldn’t resist the tender yet passionate blue gaze he directed towards her.

She didn’t care about the hostel she had booked.