He lowered his gaze to her. "You need time to heal. Trust me, insulting you is not what is on my mind."

"Tell me then. I'd really like to hear it," she said in a whisper.

He shook his head. What a stubborn man.

"You don't have trouble speaking what is on your mind." She scooted closer to the edge of the bed. Mo Qingchen ran a hand through is hair.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"How would telling me what is on your mind hurt me?" she looked up innocently.

"Don't play coy. It's not attractive." He moved in closer. "You want to hear the dirty things I want to do to you? All the filthy things running through my mind? We both know that would lead to more than talking."

Qian Meng snorted. "And that would be a bad thing because?" she scrunched her brows in confusion. "I honestly don't see the problem here."

Mo Qingchen released a frustrated sigh. "I'm not a gentleman. I can get rough. I'm generally in full control of myself, but it might be different with you. You are here to be protected, not to satisfy my carnal needs."

Qian Meng rolled her eyes. "Hello, Mr. Boob Muncher. Don't pretend to be a gentleman. I'm offering myself up to you even though I am painfully aware of your appetite." She leaned in a little closer. "To be honest, I'm dying to see you lose control."

"I know." He took a step back. "You've been testing my limits since the day we met." The man had the audacity to growl.

Qian Meng stretched out my legs. "It's not my fault. You make it impossible to resist." A chill shot up her spine. She wrapped her arm around her half-naked body. "It's kind of cold in here. Do you think you can control yourself enough to keep me warm?"

Mo Qingchen threw her an intense stare before dropping to his knees. "Come here," he ordered as though she were a disobedient pet.

"Why don't you come here?" she curled her finger at him, luring him to her. The challenge had been made. Would he take it, though?

"Why must you fight me on everything?" His jaw stiffened.

"The bed is more comfortable. I'm being logical. Isn't that what you like? Logical decisions?" It was the truth. She actually wasn't trying to push his buttons, that was just an added bonus.

"What on earth possessed me to propose to you?" he growled out a frustrated sigh.

"My great rack?" Qian Meng pushed out her cleavage together, holding back a laugh.

His eyes darted straight to them. Before she could tell him she was kidding, he lunged forward and scooped her up, settling them both on the bed, her sitting in his lap.

He kissed her lips once. "I've seen better."

Qian Meng's jaw dropped. "You told me they were exquisite!"

Mo Qingchen shrugged. "Do you believe everything that a man tells you?" he questioned.

"Of course not." She grasped his jaw and pulled his face to meet hers. "I believe what you tell me. I trust you." What would you say to that, Mo Qingchen?

He stared at her with a dark look. "That is a bad decision."

"Yes, because you're an awful monster. Is that what you want to tell me?" She released his jaw as they continued staring at one another.

"Trust makes you vulnerable. Little Red Riding Hood trusted the wolf and look at how that ended for her." He chomped his mouth suddenly, making her flinch.

Qian Meng gasped. Had he actually just do that?

"Wrong. She never trusted him. He was pretending to be someone he wasn't," she argued.

Mo Qingchen was talking about something entirely different. Qian Meng, though, was clueless about this fact.

"You don't think people do that?" he looked at her with concern. "You really are naïve."

"Mo Qingchen, please. I am not a little girl. I am aware people do that. Are you being someone else with me?" She watched him ponder on her question.

"Yes." His hands gripped her hips a little tighter. "I am not myself when I am with you."

"And you think that is bad?" she teased with a light smile. "Knowing a part of you that you don't show other people makes me feel special. It's not the same thing as pretending to be someone you're not." She shrugged.

"If that's what you choose to believe," he countered.

"Moreover, we signed a contract. I can hold you responsible for betraying me." She paused. "Do you trust me?" She watched as his eyes darted to the side before resting on her.

"No," he said finally.

Her brow rose. "Just no?"

"Would you rather I lie?" He pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, an intimate gesture. The man was the king of mixed signals.

"Don't ever lie to me. But why don't you trust me?" She just wanted to understand.

"I don't trust anyone," he said calmly.

"I know that, but you admitted I am different. You are marrying me."

He paused to think about this. "I think higher of your morals than others. That is true. But I can't say I trust you completely." And he stopped again. "I am highly attracted to you. Being around you doesn't repulse me. I sometimes prefer your company to being alone."

"Slow down with the sweet talk!" she gasped. She even made a show of fanning herself. "Okay, don't trust me. We have a lifetime to work on that. But know that I trust you."

He shook his head. "You lack self-control."

"What?" her voice rose. "I most certainly do not!" she protested.

He leaned down and whispered in Qian Meng's ear. "What if I told you I wanted to lick your body until you begged me to stop? And then I would turn you over…"

"Just licking? No biting?" she questioned audaciously.

"There will be biting. You're my favorite meal," he replied casually.