"How long have you been watching me?" Llisa's voice trembled, her fingers digging into the edge of the velvet curtain she'd just drawn shut. Her heart was pounding so loud she was sure Tyeheun could hear it.
From the shadows of the balcony, he smirked, his silhouette framed by the faint glow of the streetlights below, "Long enough." His voice was low, smooth, and dangerous, like the first sip of forbidden whiskey. He stepped closer, the leather of his jacket creaking softly. "Long enough to know you weren't just reading that book in the window. You were waiting. For someone."
Llisa's breath caught. "You're wrong," she lied, her voice barely above a whisper. But the way her pulse quickened betrayed her. She'd been perched there for an hour, pretending to read, but her eyes kept darting to the street below, searching for him.
Tyeheun tilted his head, his dark eyes catching hers. "Am I?" He moved closer, the space between them shrinking until she could feel the heat radiating off him. "You're not exactly subtle, Llisa. The way you bite your lip when you're nervous. The way your hand shakes when you turn the page. You're not just some bored housewife reading romance novels.
You're itching for something more."
Her cheeks burned, but she didn't step back. "You don't know me," she snapped, though her voice lacked conviction.
"Don't I?" He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face, his touch feather-light but electric. "I know you're married. I know you're lonely. And I know you're curious"
She swallowed hard, her mind racing. "This is crazy. I shouldn't-" "But you want to," he interrupted, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down her spine. "You want to feel something real. Something raw. Something that'll make you forget about the life you're pretending to live."
Llisa's chest tightened. He's right.
She hated how right he was. She'd spent years playing the perfect wife, the perfect friend, the perfect everything. But beneath the surface, there was a hunger she couldn't ignore. A hunger he had awakened.
She glanced toward the bedroom door, where her husband lay sleeping soundly, oblivious. "What do you want from me?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
Tyeheun's lips curved into a wicked smile. "Everything."
Two weeks earlier, Llisa had first noticed him.
It was a Tuesday, her usual day to herself. Her husband was at work, the house was quiet, and she'd decided to take a walk to clear her head. She'd stopped at a café, her favorite spot with the corner booth and the large windows that overlooked the bustling street.
That's when she saw him.
Tyeheun was sitting at a table across the room, his dark hair tousled, his leather jacket slung over the back of his chair. He was reading a book, his brow furrowed in concentration, but every so often, his eyes would flick up, meeting hers for a split second before returning to the page.
At first, she told herself it was a coincidence. She was overthinking it. But as the days turned into weeks, she kept seeing him on her walks, at the park, even outside her favorite bookstore. And every time, he'd glance at her, that same knowing smirk playing on his lips.
It wasn't until that night in the window that he finally approached her. She'd been perched there, pretending to read, but really, she was waiting. Hoping. Praying he'd show up.
And he did.
Now, standing in the dim light of her living room, Llisa felt the weight of his gaze like a physical touch. "You're playing a dangerous game," she said, her voice trembling. "So are you," he replied, stepping closer. "But isn't that what makes it exciting?"
She shook her head, though her body betrayed her, leaning slightly toward him. "I can't. I shouldn't."
"But you will," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Because you're tired of pretending. Because you want to feel alive."
Llisa's heart raced as he reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek. "This is wrong," she whispered, though she didn't pull away,
"Is it?" he murmured, his lips inches from hers. "Or is it the first real thing you've felt in years?"
She didn't answer. She couldn't.
Instead, she closed the distance between them, her lips crashing into his with a hunger she hadn't known she possessed. He groaned, his hands tangling in her hair as he kissed her back with equal fervor.
It was reckless. It was insane. It was everything.
As they stumbled toward the couch, Llisa's mind was a whirlwind of guilt and desire. What am I doing? But the thought was fleeting, drowned out by the feel of his hands on her skin, his lips on her neck.
"You're so fucking beautiful," Tyeheun murmured, his voice rough with need.
She shivered, her hands fumbling with the zipper of his jacket. "This can't happen," she gasped, though her body was already arching toward him.
"It already is," he replied, his lips
trailing down her collarbone.
She moaned softly, her fingers digging into his shoulders. "Someone could see us."
"Let them," he growled, his hands
sliding under her shirt. "Let them see how much you want this."
Llisa's breath hitched as he pushed her shirt up, his mouth finding her bare skin. She knew she should stop. She knew this was wrong. But the thrill of it-the dangerous, intoxicating thrill-was too much to resist.
"Ty-" she started, but his lips silenced her, his kiss hungry and demanding.
She melted into him, her mind spinning, her body alive in ways
she'd forgotten were possible. This is insane. This is reckless. This is...Perfect.
As his hands roamed her body, she gave in completely, losing herself in the heat of the moment, in the raw, unbridled passion that had been missing from her life for so long. She didn't care about the consequences. She didn't care about the risk. All she cared about was this.
