The wedding was set for the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

By the time the whirlwind of ceremonies and receptions finally wrapped up and we got back home, I was practically liquefied, collapsing face-first onto the living room sofa.

Sheng Yang settled down right beside me, his hands gently kneading my aching waist to help me unwind as a wicked, knowing smirk touched his lips.

“Babe, exhausted?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, giving a sluggish nod. “Mhm, practically dead…”

Before I could even catch my breath, those wandering hands of his grew bold, sliding lower and lower.

He leaned down, his voice dropping into a tone of suspicion-inducing gentleness:

“Come on, get up. Time for a bath.”

I groaned in protest. “No way, just let me sleep for a minute…”

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Need some help with that?”

I blinked, my brain foggy. “Help… help with what?”

“Undressing. Bathing.”

Before I could process the warning, the delicate ribbon tied at the back of my dress was smoothly unfastened.

Goosebumps rippled instantly across my skin.

Moments later, I found myself swept right off my feet and carried straight into the bathroom.

The moment the warm shower spray hit the tiles, my drowsiness vanished, replaced entirely by an acute, high-alert sense of danger.

Sheng Yang perched on the edge of the large porcelain tub, his dark gaze radiating a naked, unfiltered hunger.

“Babe, are you seriously planning to kick me out?”

I instinctively shrunk back. “I can take a bath by myself…”

He stood up directly in front of me without answering a word, slowly untying his silk tie before popping open the buttons of his black dress shirt one by one. The movements were deliberate, unhurried, yet thick with heavy, mounting pressure. The faint friction of fabric echoing in the quiet room made me instinctively take a half-step back until my spine hit the cool, tiled wall.

“What… what are you doing?” I asked, my throat painfully dry, my heart hammering like a war drum against my ribs.

He raised his eyes to mine, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile that was equal parts dangerous and devastatingly tender.

“Joining you, obviously…”

Before I could even react, his hand settled firmly onto my waist, his palm sliding down the soft curve of my hips to haul me flush against his scorching body. The thin layer of fabric I was wearing felt utterly useless as his bare chest pressed against mine, his sculpted, rock-hard muscles radiating a heat that seared straight through my skin. A violent shiver racked my frame, a jolt of pure electricity sparking straight down my spine.

“Wrap your arms around me,” his voice dropped to a rough, gravelly register, loaded with an absolute, undeniable authority.

My face flared crimson. With trembling fingers, I raised my hands to rest on his shoulders, looping them around his neck as I heard my own voice breathlessly yield: “Mhm…”

He didn’t waste another breath. With a smooth, effortless lift, he hoisted me up, setting me right onto the wide marble ledge lining the wall. The hot water cascaded down my back, mingling with the heated, ragged cadence of his breath right against my ear, stretching every single nerve ending in my body to its absolute limit.

His lips descended—first pressing against my cheek, trailing softly over the shell of my ear, and then sliding slowly down the delicate column of my throat. Everywhere his mouth touched felt like it had been licked by fire. I bit down hard on my lower lip, my fingers instinctively digging into the solid flesh of his shoulders.

“Sheng Yang…” I whimpered, my voice trembling as his name slipped out like a plea for mercy.

A low chuckle rumbled from deep in his throat, vibrating straight against me in a way that sent a delicious, agonizing shiver straight to my heart:

“Keep saying my name. Let me hear how completely you belong to me.”

His kisses grew deeper, hotter, entirely stripped of restraint. I tipped my head back, pressing my spine flush against the wall as he systematically plundered every last ounce of breath from my lungs. His large hand clamped firmly around my waist to keep me anchored, then slid slowly downward—cupping the soft, yielding curve of my hip and claiming it entirely.

“Please… go easy…” I managed a breathless moan, my hands sliding from his shoulders down across his back, feeling the dense cords of muscle bunching tightly beneath his skin under the strain.

He offered no verbal reply, answering instead with a kiss so wild and frantic it felt as though he wanted to dissolve me right into his skin. The rush of falling water and our ragged, synchronized gasps blended together, every stray droplet of heat on my skin feeling like liquid flame.

Shifting slightly, he hooked one of my legs, lifting it to rest loosely over his hip. The sudden change in posture wrung a soft gasp from my lips as my body instinctively clung tighter to his shoulders. He murmured against my skin, his voice thick and gravelly with heavy, pent-up desire:

“Don’t be scared… I’ve got you.”

Every movement he made was powerful yet unhurried, carrying an intensity of possession that was as wild as it was tender. I felt every single cell in my body reawaken, stretching and trembling under the onslaught. My breathing shattered completely, soft, involuntary cries slipping past my lips—initially held back by shyness, but soon completely impossible to contain.

“Mhm… Sheng Yang… too fast…” My voice cracked, raw and feverish with heat.

He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead, his eyes dark as an abyss:

“No… don’t hold back. Let it all out, babe…”

He lifted me completely, pivoting us into the center of the spacious shower enclosure. The hot water poured down like a heavy mist, enveloping us entirely. His body stayed locked against mine, every shift in weight forcing me to wrap my arms tighter around his neck, my fingers digging deep into his shoulders as my arms trembled with every beat.

The room was reduced entirely to the sound of rushing water, ragged breathing, and the frantic cadence of my own voice calling his name, dissolving like mist into the steam. I felt completely swept away, wave after wave of intense, overwhelming sensation crashing over me until I had no choice but to bury my face deep in the crook of his neck, clutching onto him like a lifeline to keep from shattering completely.

“Sheng Yang… I can’t… I can’t take much more…” My voice broke into fragments, choked whispers swallowed entirely by the air.

A soft laugh escaped him. One hand locked securely around my waist while the other reached up to cup my chin, forcing me to meet his intensely burning gaze:

“Look at me… babe, look right at me…”

I forced my eyes open. In that blinding, hazy instant, I saw my own reflection trapped in the dark depths of his eyes—flushed, trembling, and entirely consumed by him. Then he leaned down, capturing my lips in a deep, devouring kiss that swallowed the very last of my broken sounds.

As the crest approached, blinding and absolute, the rest of the world fell away. All that remained was the roar of the water, the frantic pounding of my heart, and his low, gravelly whisper right against my ear:

“Mine… completely mine, babe…”

…………………

I had no idea how much time had slipped away by the time the steam finally cleared from the bathroom. I leaned limply against his shoulder, panting softly: “I… I’m not taking another bath…”

He scooped me up, wrapped me in a plush towel, dried me off, slipped me into my pajamas, and carefully dried my hair with the meticulous care one might give a priceless artifact.

The second my head hit the mattress, I was out like a light.

When Sheng Yang finally finished tidying up the bathroom and crawled back into bed to find me sleeping soundly, a look of profound disbelief crossed his face. He gritted his teeth: “Most people get a wedding night; I get a team-building exercise in the shower!”

With a frustrated huff, he hauled me into his arms, peppering a flurry of kisses across my face. Startled awake, I groggily shoved at his chest: “What are you doing… I’m exhausted…”

He leaned down, his voice raspy and trembling with a dangerous edge:

“It’s our wedding night and you’re just going to sleep? How could you be so cruel?”

Before I could string a sentence together, my lips were captured. The kiss was so deep, so thorough, I felt completely drained of air. His tongue swept masterfully past my lips, claiming every breath.

Weakly, I pressed my palms against his chest: “Stop… we already did that in the shower…”

A wicked, teasing smile curved his lips as his hand slipped beneath the hem of my pajama top:

“Babe, the real celebration hasn’t even started yet.”

My eyes widened in horror: “Was that not it?!”

He shrugged innocently. “That was just the warm-up.”

I scrambled to bolt upright and escape, but he reeled me back in with effortless ease. Locking his rock-hard arm securely around my waist, he reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a small, unassuming velvet box:

“Babe, how about… you take the lead this time?”

…………………

The next morning, I woke up in the guest bedroom. My body felt thoroughly scrubbed and cared for, but every single muscle in my waist ached as if I’d run a marathon.

Dragging myself into the bathroom, I froze dead in my tracks.

Sheng Yang was standing there shirtless, earnestly scrubbing… my undergarments by hand, looking entirely too pleased with himself, like he had just won the Husband of the Year award.

Leaning against the doorframe with my arms crossed, I narrowed my eyes:

“I seriously suspect you’ve been plotting against me since day one.”

He looked up over his shoulder, flashing a thoroughly unapologetic, devastating grin:

“Babe, you’re only just figuring that out now?”

THE END