Chapter 6 Caught Twice

A slow grin curved Gaara’s lips when his gaze landed on her once again, unaware of her own actions, let the tip of her tongue slip over the spoon coated with cookie dough.

“There’s chocolate at the corner of your mouth,” he drawled, his grin deepening. “Here… let me clean it for you.”

Without waiting for Esther’s reply, Gaara leaned in and boldly licked the smear of cookie dough at the corner of her lips. But he didn’t stop there. His tongue traced the delicate curve of her mouth, then drifted along her jawline, before his reckless adventure finally ended in the softest of kisses pressed against her lips.

Esther gasped, the spoon she had been holding slipping from her fingers and clattering onto the floor. Her shock only fueled Gaara’s audacity. Taking advantage of her parted lips, he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding past to taste the lingering sweetness of cookie dough within her mouth. A low groan escaped him, raw and unrestrained, as if the flavor of her mingled with chocolate was far too intoxicating.

Slowly, his hand wandered to the small of her back, finding the knot of her apron strings. With practiced ease, he tugged at it, loosening the bow without ever breaking the kiss. The fabric slackened against her body, but Gaara’s lips remained pressed to hers, drawing her further into the dizzying warmth that blurred the line between impulse and inevitability.

Gaara slowly rose from his chair, pulling the girl along with him before effortlessly lifting Esther into his arms and settling her onto the kitchen table. His hand slid into her long hair, fingers tangling with deliberate firmness, and with a single, decisive motion he drew her head back, forcing her to tilt upward. Her slender neck exposed fully to him.

“Exquisite,” Gaara murmured with a smile, his voice low and reverent, before lowering his lips to the vulnerable skin.

His kisses trailed down her neck, each touch leaving a lingering spark that sent shivers rippling through Esther. His tongue brushed in teasing strokes, planting deadly tingles that stole her breath away. At times he sucked gently against her skin, at others he left playful bites, a map of fleeting marks upon her delicate flesh.

The sound of Esther’s unrestrained sighs filled the space, fragile yet intoxicating. Gaara reveled in them as though they were music crafted solely for him. To him, it was clear. This was her first time surrendering to such intimacy. And that knowledge only ignited his fervor, driving him further into the thrill of her trembling responses.

“I—I can’t, Gaara. This isn’t right…” Esther’s voice trembled, the fragile edge of reason trying desperately to resist the storm of sensations he had already awakened within her. It was her first time, and the unfamiliar, tingling pleasure both unsettled and frightened her.

But Gaara ignored her protest as if it were nothing more than a fleeting whisper. He had always believed women often said one thing while their bodies confessed another hesitation born not of rejection, but of modesty. To him, Esther was no different.

Instead of pulling back, his hand wandered forward, drawn to the very place that had tempted him from the start. A slow, knowing grin curved across his lips as he discovered the thin fabric of her shirt did little to conceal her vulnerability. His touch was deliberate, almost reverent, sending sharp waves of hunger coursing through her as though something deep within had been starved and was now awakening.

“Oh, God…” she gasped, torn between fear and a wild rush of desire. “This is madness…”

It was an intoxicating pleasure, whatever it might be called. It coursed through her like fire, sweet and dangerous all at once. Yet alongside the heady delight came fear, sharp and urgent. If she didn’t stop him now, if she didn’t push back, she knew Gaara’s passion might grow only more relentless, while her strength to resist would unravel piece by piece. This was wrong. A mistake, one that could wound her far more deeply than the stolen kiss he had taken the night before.

“I—this isn’t right! I can’t do this! We have to stop!” Esther cried, her voice breaking, breathless and uneven as she pressed her hands against his chest in a desperate attempt to push him away. But Gaara, swept up in his own desire, seemed deaf to her words. He was losing himself just as he had the night before. He ignored her protests, chasing after the sound of her gasps as though they were fuel to his fire.

Her resistance faltered when his lips found her again, igniting another trembling moan that slipped from her throat, betraying her fear with a rush of forbidden sweetness.

And then—

“GOOD LORD! LEAVE YOU ALONE FOR A MOMENT AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO? IF YOU’RE GOING TO DO THAT, AT LEAST TAKE IT TO A BEDROOM!”