Noah buried his face on Jess's naked back. He was confused with the images that flashed in his head. But they were gone before he could make out what it was.

With his knees buckling and his breathing shaking, he held Jess in his arms as though she was a buoy in the middle of a scary ocean that could keep him afloat from drowning.

She kept on caressing his arms that were around her. She was humming a song from another Ghibli film - he thought it sounded oddly familiar. He must have heard it from Lucille.

He was grateful that she stopped asking him questions because he didn't know what he could tell her about his sudden headache.

It's something that he can't tell her yet, and right now, in their fragile relationship, he does not think Jess is ready or it could be he is not ready.

Whichever it is, he's glad she stopped asking questions because he doesn't want to be forced to lie to her.

He already steadied his breath, the headache was nothing now but a dull pain in his temple. But he doesn't want to let go of Jess just yet.

So, he kept his face buried in her naked back. Inhaling her natural scent mixed with his. And he likes that his scent is mixed with hers. It is as though he marked his territory even though the red marks decorating Jess's skin were enough of a mark.

Seeing the red bites scattered at the back of her neck, to her shoulders, and scattered around her back, he felt a tad bit sorry for her. Those teeth marks do look painful, even though he was being gentle as he could be with her, when she got greedy in her own way, he lost all the right reasons.

It was as if he had become a predator in bed and Jess was the only one who could feed off his hunger.

His fingers traced every mark and kissed them ever so gently as his form of apology. Another problem arose, for every time his lips touched her skin, Jess would flinch and gasp for air to breathe.

And her soft gentle gasp echoes in the confined space of the bathroom walls. It is doing something to his member that was under Jess's ass.

"Baby, let's get you that shower," he said, nipping the soft skin of her neck.

As she hummed her agreement, she exhaled a soft breath. She stood up from his lap and walked ahead of him to go under the shower.

Noah followed closely behind with his arms that seemed to be magnetized to her body for he found himself hugging her from behind when he stood under the shower with her.

Jess twisted her body inside Noah's arms to face him. With a bar of soap in her hands, she started soaping his broad chest. When she saw the marks her teeth made in his skin, she couldn't help but curl her lips inward.

She cleared her throat and avoided Noah's gaze. "Turn around, I'll wash your back," she ordered without meeting his eyes.

"Yes, Ma'am," he murmured in his throaty voice that easily made her knees buckle.

Under the cascading artificial shower rain that her expensive shower head manufacturer provided, she washed every inch of Noah's skin and he was eager to return the favor — to her delight.

The shower was chosen in the first place because it was supposed to be quicker than drawing a bath, and yet, the said shower took as much twice the time of a bath, maybe more.

At this time, it was confirmed without question that Jess and Noah have an insatiable hunger for each other.

The pair stepped out of the shower with Jess's skin pruned from being under the water for so long and from being thoroughly clean and scrubbed. But no ounce of regret from their faces.

Noah went out of the bathroom first for Jess has to do her nightly skincare routine.

He has to get out of her bedroom to find his shirt. In amusement, he chuckled and shook his head when he found his boxer right in her door, and the memory of Jess kneeling made his fully used body part tingle.

When surveyed the line of clothes scattered on the floor it was just like following clues for a treasure, he took his time picking up their clothes.

The location of every discarding piece of clothing indicates where it was lost and taken ...off. He chuckled while picking up his shirt in the hallway leading to the living room. It seemed, his little minx threw his shirt a bit far from the crime scene.

He put on his shirt and his eyes landed on her photo wall. He has been meaning to ask her what's her fascination with empty streets about.

Despite each photo being beautifully taken, Noah couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness as he looked over each one of them. He wondered what Jess was feeling when she took those shots.

"What are you doing?"

He was jolted from his thoughts when Jess emerged in the hallway, wearing a shirt with a familiar band. 'Franz Ferdinand, huh?'

He grinned surveying her in her oversized shirt that barely reached the middle of her thighs. He was expecting her to wear something sexy — not that she wasn't in her band t-shirt. For oh boy, there is nothing hotter than a girl wearing a baggy men's shirt. Especially if it is his shirt and she is not wearing underneath it.

A lecherous grin appeared on his lips.

"I was expecting something else," he said, holding up her satin dress in the air. "Something with a similar fabric with this one, or this one," he twirled her lace underwear in his fingers.

Jess's face flushed red in embarrassment, seeing Noah was playing her panty in his hands. She took a long stride towards him, and hastily grabbed her clothes from his arms.

"Give them to me!" she snapped at him. "And make us some coffee!" She turned on her heels to bring her clothes to the laundry room next to the power room.

"Yes ma'am." He said at her back. He cocked his head watching her long legs taking an angry stride with her clothes in her arms.

With the smile still framed on his lips, he made them a coffee, whistling.

In just a few minutes, Jess came out of the laundry room with an annoyed expression on her face. She rolled her eyes at him before she went to the living room. She waited for her coffee in one of the armchairs in her living room.

She pulled her legs up on the chair and waited for Noah. From where she was sitting, she could see him while he was whistling, pouring the steaming black coffee in a white coffee mug.

Jess propped her chin on her knees and sigh contentedly. She never knew she could be this fulfilled with just watching a man in her kitchen, making her a cup of coffee. But she knew, it's not because of any man. It's because it is Noah.

When the realization hit her mind, she took a deep breath and leaned on the backrest of the chair. 'Jessica Joy, you are in big trouble.'

"Here's your coffee," Noah put down the steaming cup in front of her with a teasing smile on his lips.

But Jess barely glanced at Noah for she was deep in thoughts of how much trouble she would be getting with her involvement with him.

"You should let me keep those clothes," he said as he sat down opposite her.

"W- what?" she met his mischievous eyes with a crease in between her brows. "What do you mean?"

"You know, in the future, you might need a change of clothes in my place."

"Why would I need a change of clothes in your place?" she smirked, picking up her cup of coffee, blowing on it before taking a small sip.

She closed her eyes, savoring the caffeine.

"Why indeed? Well, you can just wear any of my shirts or go naked. Those are both good choices too when you are staying for the night."

She narrowed her eyes on him, listening to what he had been saying, "Why would I stay in your place when your house is just next to mine. I can go home any time." She said in incredulity.

"Believe me, Jess. There would be days or nights when you won't be able to go home." he grinned, but at the back of his mind, a wary voice warned him to keep it light or Jess would freak out again.

She scoffed at him over her cup of coffee. "Oh Tiefenbacher, I know what you were thinking."

"Really?" a sly smile was on his lips. 'Careful, Noah.'

"If you think, you can stay the night. You got it all wrong. Once you are done with your coffee, go home!" she scoffed at him.

"Aww, come on, baby. Let me stay the night."

"No," she replied with a straight face. Her tone meant business.

Noah prides himself as a good businessman for there is no deal that he wanted that he didn't get. But right now, he knew he had lost one.

He leaned back on the backrest of his chair and just drank his coffee — sulking.