Chapter128 – you’re really cute
“Sister,” he said with an amused curve of his lips, “why so scared?”
“I—I wasn’t scared,” Clarissa said quickly, trying to regain composure. “You came over without a sound. You startled me.”
Atticus’s smile deepened, though his tone turned cool. “Scared of me… or scared I might’ve overheard your little chat with another man?”
Clarissa’s brows furrowed. “What are you implying? I was discussing something important with William.”
“Important, huh.” His gaze darkened slightly, lips curling into a quiet, dangerous smile.
Clarissa felt uncomfortable under his stare. She turned, using the armrest to push herself up, trying to head back to her room.
But before she could take a step, Atticus caught her again.
“What are you doing?!” she gasped, reaching up to shove him away. But he was too strong—his arms wrapped around her firmly, holding her in place.
Clarissa stumbled slightly and was forced back onto the sofa. Atticus settled behind her, pulling her close, his chest pressing into her back.
His breath was hot against her neck.
“Let me go,” she said sharply, twisting in discomfort. But the air around her was thick—too warm, too charged.
She could feel his breath on her skin, feel the slight tremble in his chest as he exhaled—slow, controlled, aroused.
She stilled.
Atticus’s soft chuckle broke the silence. His voice was low, teasing, seductive. “Why’d you stop moving, sister?”
“You—!” Clarissa’s face flamed red. She tried again to wriggle forward, to escape him, but he didn’t budge. “You’re shameless.”
He dipped his head, resting it lightly on her shoulder. His voice brushed against her skin like velvet.
“I’m a man,” he murmured, his tone husky and unrepentant. “And the woman I love is squirming in my arms. If I didn’t react… wouldn’t that be insulting to your charm?”
And then—slowly, deliberately—his tongue traced the curve of her neck.
It was featherlight. Intimate. Dangerous. Like a vampire brushing his fangs along her throat, beautiful and lethal.
Clarissa’s breath caught. Her entire body trembled with a shiver, her face flushed a crimson so deep it felt like her skin might ignite.
Her fingers found his hand at her waist, trembling. “A-Atticus…” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Please… let me go…”
Atticus watched Clarissa’s trembling shoulders and pale lips with a slight frown of displeasure.
With a soft tsk, he stood up, grabbed the remote, and turned on the iPad.
“Relax, sister,” he said smoothly. “Didn’t I tell you? I won’t touch you until you want me to. I just want to watch a movie with you.”
His words made Clarissa exhale softly, her body easing just a little.
But before she could fully relax, his voice came again—low and teasing from behind her.
“Still, after hearing you laugh and chat so sweetly with William… I got jealous. I had to punish you—just a little.”
Clarissa turned her head, flustered. “I turned him down. I wasn’t calling for that kind of reason.”
“Then tell me what it was about,” he said simply. “Let me handle it.”
Unlike William, Atticus would do it ruthlessly, decisively—perfectly.
Clarissa pressed her lips together and didn’t answer. So instead, she reached for the screen and randomly tapped a movie. “Let’s just watch something.”
Atticus gave her a long look, then shrugged and turned his eyes to the screen. As the opening sequence played, his lips curled in amusement.
The movie she’d picked—without checking—was a horror flick. And not a tame one.
Within seconds, blood splattered across the screen, grotesque monsters filled the frame, and the soundtrack was a symphony of screams and tearing flesh.
Clarissa flinched.
Then came a scene where a couple hooked up in a car—graphic, raw, and loud.
Clarissa immediately fumbled for the remote. Her cheeks flushed scarlet. “Okay—this… let’s change it.”
Atticus’s tone remained calm, even amused. “Sure.”
She scrolled through, trying to find something safer—but the entire feed was unfiltered, stuffed with explicit content. Skin, sweat, moans—it was obvious what kind of site this was.
Her brows pinched. “Wait… What site is this?”
“Benedict sent it to me,” Atticus said casually. “I haven’t really checked it out. He said it was full of good stuff. If you don’t like it, I’ll close it.”
Clarissa stared at him, speechless. This was absolutely a porn site. Without another word, she exited the page and deleted the entire shortcut.
“You shouldn’t be watching that kind of thing,” she scolded.
Atticus grinned faintly, his voice laced with innocent compliance. “Okay. Don’t worry, sister… I’m not interested in that kind of stuff.”
Not when the woman he did want was sitting right next to him.
Clarissa, satisfied by his response, changed the topic. “Let’s not watch a movie. Let’s play something.”
“Whatever you want.” Atticus opened a game app with a tap.
Clarissa recognized it. It was a title from one of the most popular studios online. But as the interface loaded, she blinked at the unfamiliar characters.
“Why can’t I see the ID for this character?”
“Here,” Atticus said, adjusting a setting. The stats popped up—ID, attributes, gear, profession...
Clarissa scanned the data and caught sight of an 'x' somewhere in the string.
She turned her head, confused. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Atticus chuckled softly, eyes lighting with amusement. “What does my sister want to do?”
“I guess… start a quest?”
He couldn’t help the smirk tugging at his lips. For once, the usually sharp and capable Clarissa looked adorably lost. Clearly, gaming wasn’t her strong suit.
“I’ll walk you through it,” he said gently.
She watched attentively as he began moving the character, his fingers moving across the controls with impossible precision. Smooth, efficient—almost elegant.
Clarissa’s eyes lit up. The way the character navigated the environment, the speed, the combos—it was like watching a professional at work.
And then, the final boss collapsed. Victory.
“Whoa… that was amazing,” she breathed.
Atticus turned to look at her—and paused.
It was the first time he’d seen her look at him like that. Eyes wide. Admiring. Completely focused on him.
His heart skipped a beat. The edge of his mouth lifted into a soft smile. He leaned a little closer, his gaze warm and deep. “Want me to teach you?”
His voice was velvet—deep, low, magnetic. It wrapped around her like a warm breeze in the middle of winter.
Clarissa felt her cheeks heat up under his gaze. Her heart thudded hard against her chest, and she couldn’t look him in the eye. Instead, she lowered her head and gave the faintest nod.
“…Mhm.”
Atticus let go of her waist and instead reached for her soft, delicate hand. Gently, he guided her as he began explaining the game’s controls, his tone patient and low.
Clarissa listened intently. She’d memorized the buttons, but when monsters charged toward her character, she panicked and froze, not knowing what to press.
Atticus chuckled and reached out again, his large hands covering hers as he helped her maneuver through the screen. The moment his fingers wrapped around hers, her nerves eased slightly. With his guidance, she started to grasp the basics.
Once she managed to complete a simple dungeon quest—barely, and with only a sliver of her character’s health remaining—she collapsed back against the couch, a light sweat beading across her forehead.
Atticus couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Clarissa, you’re really…”
Her head whipped toward him, irritated. “Don’t laugh at me!”
Before he could answer, she reached out instinctively to cover his mouth—but he caught her wrist first.
Clarissa froze. Embarrassment surged through her, and she quickly turned her head away. “I know I suck at this. Just forget it. I won’t play anymore.”
Atticus didn’t let go. Instead, he said softly, “That’s not what I was going to say. I meant… you’re really cute.”