Slowly, the man closed in on the woman in front of him, the distance between them coming to an end, as their lips crashed against each other. While his one hand snaked around the small of her back, his other hand was holding onto her hand clutching the collar of his shirt. His grip was firm, but he was still careful to not hurt her.

No sound could be heard throughout the entire house, but that of her moans and his soft whispers audible to no one but her. Rong Xinghe was no more sure who was the Ripper anymore. It was as if something had possessed him. His oversized shirt wrapped around her body had already been partially torn apart, revealing her cleavage and bare shoulders to him.

It was now that something struck her. Eyes wide open, the girl pushed the man away, "What just happened?"

"I kissed you.", the man smirked.

"N-no, I mean...", the girl pushed back her messy black hair with the fingers of her left hand, confused, "I-I did not hurt you... That's odd."

"Xinghe, I saw the Ripper.", Xi Yuan laughed, "And I am sure, just by the looks of it, that you must be dangerously destructive in that state of yours. It just... didn't affect me the way it should've."

The girl stared at the man in front of her, placing both her hands on his shoulders, as she pulled him closer to him, "You weren't scared?"

"Nope.", the man shook his head, confidently, "Slightly stunned, yes. But I loved what I saw, actually. You are my warmest place in the world, Xinghe. I hope you know that. Not even your Ripper look can push me away from you. It was... tempting. Magnetizing. Irresistible, even. But not scary."

"Yuan..."

"Hmm?"

"I think you're my cure, my antidote."

"What does that mean?", the man asked, muddled.

Rong Xinghe brought both her hands up as she cupped the man's face, looking straight into his eyes, her expression earnest, "I can't explain this, but it is not normal for me to switch off the Ripper-ness. Not so smoothly. But with you, it was as if you were stronger than whatever had overtaken me. As if I'd never even converted into the beast."

"So you mean... I have control over your emotions more than Xaralteroide.", the man asked, readjusting the girl's shirt, "That I am capable of suppressing your demons?"

As she listened to the man's words, the girl's lips curled up into a sweet genuine smile. That was what he'd been doing since the moment they'd met; battling her pain, her dark side. Her past. Her insecurities. Her trust issues. And now, this. The Ripper.

"What?", Xi Yuan questioned, noticing the girl's change in expression.

Instead of answering him, the girl clasped her right hand around his Nordstrom's solid Blue silk tie, pulling him in for a firm wild kiss. 'Finish what you started, Mister!', she commanded internally. At that moment, between them, there was a weightless, seamless desire.

He groaned softly, low in his throat, his arms circling around her gently, gathering her against him, as the coffee cup she'd placed beside her not too long ago fell down, shattering into pieces. But that was the least of his concerns, currently. His woman was busy, after all.

It wasn't always that Rong Xinghe took the initiative, but whenever she did, everything needed to be under her control. His every moment, his every breath. Initially, the kisses had a certain softness to them, gradually turning into fierce wild ones.

As the tie, he'd been wearing all the while touched the kitchen floor, the girl's lips parted from his. Just for a short span, though. A second or two later, Xi Yuan winced in pain, as the sour taste of blood filled his mouth. She'd bit him. On the lips, hard. Such a troublesome little kitten, the man thought. But even so, he didn't bother to push her away or, take charge, for that matter.

Next, he knew, the Van Heusen regular fit white shirt was off his body too, lying over the left-over fragments of the broken coffee cup. Rong Xinghe took a moment to take in the sight of his well-built upper body, covered with nothing but his basic white undershirt. He still had bullet marks from the time he'd been shot after the International Business Summit, and although her heart ached for him, she couldn't deny how tantalizing they appeared on his body.

The man looked at the girl drooling at him, and a carefree laugh slipped his mouth. Shaking his head, the man simply stood there, looking at her as she checked him out. Such a lecherous prick.

"Strip.", the girl leaned back, as she kept staring at him, relishing the view in front of her to its best.

"What?", the man was shocked at the choice of her word, "What the hell do you think I am? A stripper!?"

"For me? Yeah. Stripper. Lover. Confidant. Partner.", the girl shrugged, "Come on."

"Who the hell is going to save you from me now, Military Chief?", the man raised his brows, reaching for the edge of the last piece of clothing he had on his upper body.

"Who says I want to be saved?", the girl laughed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. But before the two could go any further, sounds of a key being inserted into the main door's lock echoed through the empty living room. Frantically, the girl sprinted towards Xi Yuan's bedroom. How could she possibly let anyone see her like that? With yanked shirts, messed up hair, a man about to do unspeakable things to her? Besides, other than her, only the Xi trio and his parents had access to his house keys. If any of them were to be there, it'd be such an embarrassment.

::::::::::::::::::::

A moment later, when Xi Wei and Xi Ying walked into the house, and shortly after into the kitchen, they could feel the obvious tension in the air. Xi Yuan had already buttoned up his shirt and put on his tie by the time they had walked in, but his mood was still pretty off. Of all the days, they had to show up today! Bloody miscreants.

"Good morning, brother!", Xi Wei grinned magnificently, standing beside the man, looking for whatever food was ready-to-eat on the counter.

Turning around, Xi Yuan stuffed a piece of bread, bigger than the man's mouth down his throat, "Good morning, little brother.", he smiled devilishly.

The man then walked out of the kitchen so that he could check on his girl.

"What just happened?", Xi Wei glanced at his sister, frightened.

"Sister-in-law is what just happened.", Xi Ying gulped, as a chill ran down her spine, "Let's just not appear in front of him for the next few days, okay?"