Elise agreed with what Ian had concluded she saw him staring back at her and find his gaze were between gentle and fierce at the same time. Ian noticed how she knew his eyes were on her and deliberately took his time to lower it down, getting lower to the column of her neck and even below to her bosom.

Even though Ian hadn't done anything to her, Elise felt her heart begin to race with expectation. A hunger she never knew existed in her spread from the bottom of her stomach and her toes curled. Flustered, Elise said, "I-I will go back to my room now," she knew how Ian had been holding back on her. The past few times when their body touched and what happened where she took Ian inside her mouth, she knew he was barely holding his reason.

Sometimes when Elise caught the fierceness of his gaze that grew sharper upon looking at her, she could tell his desire, reminding her of the young deer and tiger they saw earlier this afternoon in the forest.

Elise was about to stand up when Ian raised his hand and caught her by her waist, placing her back to the sofa. "That hurts me," he said, sounding amused as he feigned a sad expression, "Are you going to run now? Our marriage is near in the corner, surely you won't run on our first night will you?"

"I wasn't going to run," Elise answered, meeting his eyes to prove her point but didn't stay for too long as his gaze tickle a part in her that make her want to borrow Maroon's shovel to dig a hole and bury herself inside it. "I was going to wash myself. I feel sweaty, smelly, and dirty."

"That can't be helped then," Ian said and Elise felt both relieved and slightly disappointed but she didn't want to urge Ian toward the tip and thought to wait until the marriage. It reminded Elise of her mother, Mrs. Scott's nighttime story. The story was about a wolf who was restricted from eating for a past few days. The bad humans who had caught the wolf thought that the wolf would die soon out of hunger or perhaps feel less hungry which was wrong as once the cell the wolf was kept in broke, it went all over the village and ate the humans who had once locked him inside

She wondered if instead of helping Ian from curbing his desire she only did the opposite and fan the flame higher?

Elise was about to stand again but she realized how Ian's hand around her waist didn't leave, "Are you thinking to help me so I won't lose my restrain and break my promise with you?" Ian asked and Elise blinked at him who had read her mind. "Don't worry that won't happen. I am a man of my words and truth to be told, I may be enjoying the neglecting play right now," his breathy voice tickled her ears as his lips settled on the crook of her shoulders.

Elise could feel her body boiling and so was her head and to keep herself occupied, "When will we be holding our marriage?" she asked.

"In three weeks," Ian answered with a smile. "I thought we can hold it in the next two months but I would like you to enjoy your wedding day forever so that when you look back at it, you will smile wide, happy that you chose me," he said with a smirk that pulled a soft giggle from Elise, "My mother told me that marriage is the most important event for women."

"It is also a very important moment for men," Elise answered, speaking fondly about the marriage that soon would come. "I would also want you to look back at the memory about our marriage and find that memory as the most dear one for you."

"Silly puppy," Ian flicked her forehead with barely pressure on his fingertips, "Every memories I have with you is the dearest one for me. So dear that I don't mind loosing other memories. In the next three days, the seamstress for the wedding gown will visit the castle. You can see whether you like the gown and if you don't we can't find a new one that would suit you."

Elise was a simple woman, she didn't mind if her marriage would be hold small or for a brief time. She didn't stress in what gown she wanted to wear, or the attendance. She only wish for that day to go smoothly and for them to be together without any problem.

Three weeks didn't sound like a very much time to prepare but considering how things would process smoothly, she agreed that three weeks might be more than enough. If two people had decided to marry each other, she didn't see why they needed to wait. 

"Let's get you wash up," Ian said and before Elise could see he stood up, he had picked her up from the sofa, carrying her on his arm. "Unlike before, this time there is the soap bar that you need which I can promise you is new."

Being reminded of the soap bar, Elise recalled the first time she had borrowed Ian's bathroom. A light frown appear on her brows, "I knew it, you did it on purpose."

"I wanted to admire what I can admire," Ian smiled, kissing her forehead and they vacate to the bathroom.

The golden faucet ran warm water inside the oval bathtub, causing the fluffy white mists all over the room. Elise didn't immediately entered the bathtub as she was pressed on the wall. Ian opened her lips with his mouth, pushing his tongue inside to intertwine with hers in a sultry movements that melted Elise's mind further in lust.

"Raise your hands," Ian whispered and Elise raised her hand, having him helped her to take off the clothes she wore which consist of upper clothes and the pants.

Shy that she was the only one who would be naked, her fingers tugged lightly over the buttons of his shirt, "I will help you too."

Ian quirked his lips while watching how Elise had grew in term of sexual pleasure. He leaned beside her ears, kissing the shell of her ears and took a light nibble, "I will leave that to you."