Chapter 19 - Lift Your Head and Look at Me

Then, without warning, Dylan began to lengthen his strides toward Anna. Fearful of his sudden increase in pace, Anna retreated backwards until she stood flush against the wall behind her. He reached out, retrieving the book she was clutching closest to her chest. 

“Have you read this one?” he asked, lifting it to reveal its title. Yayok. 

Anna blushed furiously, embarrassment and humiliation greeting her in equal measure. Yayok started off with the heroine reminiscing about her dirt poor past. In order to escape from her terrible life, she used her beauty, charisma, and wit to acquaint herself with governmental powers, engaging in illicit affairs with them to climb the ranks. She kept each of them on a tight leash so they would always remain fixated firmly upon her. 

However, much like Icarus flying too close to the sun, her hubris got the better of her. Her life came to an end while she was having sex with a man she believed had genuinely loved her. One could claim that it was a stale old story about people paying for their bad karma, but that wasn’t why Anna was so embarrassed.

It was because every prominent sexual encounter the heroine underwent was described with explicit detail. The fact that Anna chose such a sordid novel amongst all the other books in the library she could’ve read brought a cold sweat to her forehead.

“She’s just like you,” Dylan continued. The last time they met in the library, he had told her the same thing. 

Anna shook her head in denial. “I’m not so sure about that. The main character of the book is… different from me. Very different.”

“No, you’re definitely similar.” He swiped the last two books Anna carried and placed them upon the empty shelf next to them. Then, he closed the last of the distance between them, cornering Anna as she glued herself to the wall. “Why did you run away without saying anything to me yesterday?” he asked her, running an index finger down the line of her jaw.

Anna swallowed. “I didn’t run away, I—” she began, but Dylan wrapped an arm around her hip and pulled her into an embrace. Her eyelashes trembled.

“Liar. For ages, you studied every inch of my face. Then you suddenly fled as fast as you could.”

Her eyes widened in shock. He was awake at the time!

“I—I was simply wondering whether I should wake you up or not…”

“That room was dead quiet, you know. Even without opening my eyes, I could tell. I could tell how hard you were staring at me; I could hear every heated breath that escaped your lips.”

Anna’s entire body was wrought with jitters. Dylan pushed his hips forward, prompting her to feel the firm press of his hardness against her.

“I’m sure you weren’t aware of this, but I knew just what you wanted, the things going through your head upon every inhale. It made me end up…” he trailed off, allowing his lower half to speak for him. He pressed even harder against her and the rigid outline of his manhood atop her stomach felt impossibly clear to her; they may as well have foregone clothing entirely. Anna gasped loudly and shivered, causing friction to ride against his rod. The jolt of feeling caused him to furrow a brow. “You wanted me that night as well,” he said.

Hidden in the farthest section of the library, Anna and Dylan stood in a dizzying embrace, their heated bodies held tight together, lingering between the bookshelves. She knew nothing beyond him. He consumed her senses. Even the smell of old books that usually perfumed the library, which she adored so much, evaporated from her mind, driven away by the force of the warmth between them.

“I—I…”

Anna struggled to speak. Before she could confirm or deny his claim, he dipped his head, enveloping her lips in a kiss. His lips felt smooth against hers, yet he kissed her with an insatiable urgency. Anna’s hands, which had been flailing through the air, settled at last onto grabbing his shirt. She could sense the power in his form, the strength lying in wait within the muscles beneath his skin, and the thought shot anticipation through her gut.

The solemn library’s quiet atmosphere was broken by their hurried gasps of air. They kissed so deeply it was difficult to determine whose lips belonged to who. The wet sounds of their mouths meeting filled the room, their tongues clashing between them. This was by no means an illusion, but Anna felt as if she were in a dream.

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