HIS PRINCESS | K.TH

Empty Touches

AERI

The kisses feel cold.

And it does nothing to distract me, at all.

"Noona." I hear him murmur, and his voice is sweet. His touches are soft, like the warm rays of the spring sun. The light locks of his hair smell faintly of fresh linen.

But it isn't what I want.

Even when he kisses me, I can't think of anything else but V. It's pathetic— ridiculous. That I can only think of him even with another man holding me.

That I can only think of him, even after saying those things.

I hush a bitter laugh bubbling up my throat.

He would be an absolute fool if he didn't hate me after that. Maybe this would be my last day in the Skygrounds after all.

His lips touch mine again.

And as I kiss back, I wonder how his would taste, against my skin. How he might handle me in a way no one else could.

I sigh breathlessly.

Shin Aeri. You must have finally lost your mind.

I had called him killer. I had called him that, and my voice had been sharper than a knife. It had ripped through the air like the coldest winds.

And I hadn't seen his expression after, in such a hurry to get away from him as fast as possible.

Then a voice jerks my thoughts back.

"Noona."

Oh.

Baekhan is staring at me. And I force a smile, my fingers grazing his arms around my waist. He blinks slowly, head tilting to the side. His amber eyes glow warmly.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," I whisper. Then I press another kiss onto his soft lips, and the slight expression of hurt he'd had instantly disappears as he returns the kiss.

Men were easy. They had no idea how easily they could be manipulated, with just a subtle wink or a seductive touch.

They were easy like that.

And this was the response that I would normally expect.

But him.

Again and again.

My jaw tightens as I remember him pushing me away, his expression set. His eyes had been narrow, shadowed with a disappointment.

He had been disappointed in me.

Fucker.

The anger burns. The fire makes my kisses rougher, and I take pleasure when I hear Baekhan murmur out a breathless noise. I only press harder, pinning his back to the wall behind him.

How I wish he was here, to watch me do this.

To hear me. See me.

For who was he, to tell me to stop?

________________________________

RIN

I'm not giving up.

One thing I'd really learned from the Underground was perseverance. Persevere, and I would get what I want. It might take a little time, and it might piss him off a whole lot than he'd like, but I would get him to agree in the end.