Define The Relationship Novel - Chapter 88

Those words made him feel even less confident. Karlyle had never really felt “fun” with anyone other than Ash.

“Do you remember what I said? Everyone’s nice, but one or two of them tend to blurt out whatever they’re thinking or don’t think deeply. So you don’t have to like everyone, even the ones you don’t care for.”

Ash had roughly described his friends to Karlyle while cooking with Natalie. Two friends he had known since childhood, and four who had become close since university, was it? Karlyle nodded.

“Understood.”

“And one more thing.”

Ash’s face came closer. Because Ash hadn’t kissed him since morning, citing an inability to stop himself, Karlyle unconsciously swallowed dry. He felt thirsty.

“You shouldn’t smile too prettily.”

“…Huh?”

“We should practice now. Come on, look at me. My friends are here. What expression will you make?”

Lips whispered in front of him. Wanting to kiss Ash so badly, Karlyle squeezed Ash’s intertwined hand and let his eyebrows droop.

“…”

His lips parted slightly. He saw Ash gazing at him. He wanted to ask if he could kiss him, even briefly. But Karlyle suppressed his desire and smiled at Ash. It wasn’t difficult to put on an expression he had practiced for a long time.

“Rejected. You shouldn’t smile that prettily.”

Saying that, Ash leaned in further. He stopped at a distance where their lips almost touched, then breathed onto Karlyle’s lips. A sweet tickle spread, making his shoulders involuntarily tremble.

“Because then I want to kiss you. I’ve been holding back since this morning, you know.”

A tempting whisper echoed, as if recognizing his desire. Soon, his lips were gently bitten. Soft flesh sucked on his lower lip. At the sensation of delicate skin stretching wetly, Karlyle squeezed his eyes shut. Heat surged up fiercely. As he unconsciously exhaled a hot breath, Ash released his hand and grabbed his waist. Their bodies pressed close as they sat facing each other. Ash’s palm on his lower back was burning hot.

Ash’s tongue slowly probed past his lips. The sharp tip of his tongue poked his own tongue, then tickled the roof of his mouth. With Ash’s tongue rummaging through his wet mouth, Karlyle collapsed helplessly. The tickling sensation spread, intensifying his excitement, and then dispersed throughout his entire body.

“Ha, h-huh.”

Their noses brushed slightly, and their tongues slowly began to intertwine. The wet, intertwining tongues tasted Karlyle as if to devour him, making squelching sounds. Undrawn breaths and saliva overflowed, pooling on his lips. Licking even the saliva that was about to drip, Ash laid Karlyle down on the bed. His hand quickly burrowed under Karlyle’s clothes.

“Smile again.”

His suit shirt was half-pulled up. Karlyle blinked, startled, and looked down. He wanted to let Ash strip off his clothes, but then he remembered that they weren’t alone in the house. Desire and reason clashed. However, as Ash stroked his waist with his fingers, desire began to gain the upper hand.

“H-how, should, I, h-huh, smile?”

Karlyle replied, his eyes distorted. His head, where a slight fever had begun to creep up, seemed to have forgotten how to make any expression other than a flushed one. It was difficult to smile. Ash, who kept kissing and stopping, mounted Karlyle. The heavy weight pressing down reminded him of a certain act. His lower abdomen tightened rigidly.

“That’s too sexy right now. You can’t.”

“Then, how… hngh!“

Still mounted, Ash buried his lips in Karlyle’s nape. A sharp, stinging sensation shot up his neck, and then the area touched by his lips began to burn. His thighs tensed tightly at the act of Ash biting and gnawing at his nape with his lips. Heat flushed around his eyes.

“Don’t smile. Not at anyone else but me.”

The whispered voice was so low it was almost inaudible. A faint metallic sound mixed in. His waist stiffened at the chilling voice. They said pleasure, like stimulation, dulls with accumulation. But Karlyle felt nothing of the sort. Far from his pleasure threshold increasing, it had lowered, and now, whenever Ash desired him and whispered, Karlyle would clench his buttocks tightly, anticipating something. He felt ashamed of such an un-Alpha-like reaction, yet at the same time, he felt an affectionate satisfaction that Ash was the one who had tamed him so.

Pale hands tightly embraced Ash’s back. He pulled Ash closer with force. His well-ironed white dress shirt wrinkled. Disregarding the wrinkled clothes, they hugged each other tightly. The sound of their beating hearts roared loudly in his ears. A surging desire to lie with Ash like this and continue what they hadn’t finished yesterday overflowed. He didn’t want to let go.

“Will you answer me, Lyle?”

Ash asked, persistently licking his nape. Karlyle barely managed to collect himself and pulled his lips away.

“Underst-stood.”

“You’re so obedient.”

The tongue tracing the bitten spot was damp and hot. Karlyle’s body trembled at the act of moistening the slightly peeled and reddened skin. Like a faint electric current, pleasure tingled up his nape.

If he had been bitten this hard, a mark would remain for over a week. Karlyle, thinking that, suddenly widened his eyes at a sudden realization. Something he had forgotten came to mind. His heart sank. He urgently grabbed Ash’s wrist, who was already skillfully unbuttoning his shirt.

“…Ash?”

“Hm? Why?”

“Did… a mark get left on my neck just now?”

Knowing it was obvious, Karlyle asked Ash as if denying reality. Ash blinked, then tilted his head. The gently drawn smile looked so affectionate that Karlyle sometimes wondered how such beautiful lips could say such lewd things. It was the same with his nonchalant act of leaving marks, like now.

“Yes. It’s a pretty one. Do you want to see it?”

Karlyle hastily shook his head. His body, which had been flushed with excitement, now turned a distinct peach color at those words. He gently released the hand that had been holding Ash and fumbled on the bed, moving back slightly.

“But… won’t your friends notice it?”

If so, it would be a huge problem. Not just Ash’s friends, but Natalie would see it right away.

Normally, it wouldn’t have mattered. Such instances had become so frequent that Karlyle had, at some point, stopped even trying to hide them from his secretary. His secretary, wisely, acted as if she saw nothing of her superior coming to work with hickeys on his neck.

Of course, when he saw Alice or had other important engagements, he would somehow cover them, but today it was awkward. He had a feeling the mark was on the very top of his neck, so it would be difficult to hide unless he wore something or put something over it.

“Of course they will. How old are they?”

“…”

Karlyle flusteredly touched his neck. He covered the faintly damp area with his palm. A burning sensation rose. While he liked it as a sign of Ash’s possession, he felt dizzy thinking about what they would think of him showing up with such a mark on their first meeting. Wouldn’t they think he was promiscuous and vulgar?

It was an uncharacteristic thought for him. While wearing marks was something his personality didn’t allow, Karlyle wasn’t someone who lived caring about others’ gazes. Confidence in his abilities and self-awareness were a few of Karlyle’s strengths. But the people he was meeting today were Ash’s friends. Karlyle wanted to make a good impression on them. He didn’t want to hear that he, an unqualified person, had snatched away someone as lovely and beautiful as Ash.

The subtly blooming excitement instantly subsided. This was not the time for this. He needed to tidy his clothes and somehow hide the mark. Moreover, to follow Ash’s words, he also had to devise a way to deal with people without smiling.

With a serious expression, Karlyle stood up. Ash looked at Karlyle, surprised by his sudden composure.

“Did I upset Lyle?”

“That’s not it.”

Karlyle quickly replied. However, it was difficult to explain to Ash why he was acting this way. How could he say that he, of all people, felt a vague burden about meeting Ash’s friends? Karlyle had lived as a businessman for nearly ten years since his mid-twenties. Wouldn’t it be rather uncool for such a person to complain about feeling intimidated by a gathering like today’s?

Karlyle, with a troubled look, rubbed his brow for a moment, then averted his gaze and said.

“Your friends will be here soon, so I’ll go change.”

“Are you okay?”

Ash gently took Karlyle’s wrist as he stood up. Karlyle looked at the tip of Ash’s round fingernails holding his wrist for a moment and thought.

Am I okay?

There was no reason not to be okay. As the time drew nearer, Karlyle realized he was more nervous than he thought, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t okay.

“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”

“Lyle.”

Ash called his name. The low call held the same concern as that morning.

“If there’s anything bothering you, tell me anytime. Okay?”

At his calm words, which seemed to embrace even his shortcomings, Karlyle felt rather embarrassed. Though only a year apart, Ash was always broad-minded and relaxed. Karlyle quietly watched him, then smiled softly. It was a smile similar to when he had followed Natalie and Ash earlier.

“I will.”

Watching Karlyle turn his back after speaking, Ash slightly frowned and stroked his chin.

Ash’s friends were diverse in their types and genders. The two who had known Ash since childhood were both Alphas: a woman with scarlet hair named Sheila and a brown-haired man named Jamie. Their professions were a middle school teacher and a tax accountant. They were also the first to arrive among the group.

Perhaps because they were Ash’s friends, Sheila and Jamie were very cheerful. They said they had often heard about Karlyle and were curious because Ash had only briefly introduced him, thus initiating the conversation.

It wasn’t just their curiosity. Ash’s university classmates, who arrived later, were not much different. This group had a more diverse composition. There was Ron, an Omega male, Johan, a Beta female named Jenna, and finally, Aaron, an Alpha male. All of them were graphic designers.

Aiden was the last to arrive. Unlike the others, who brought light gifts like wine or framed pictures, Aiden brought something eye-catching as a present. Saying he had prepared it briefly due to lack of time, he called people over. Staff carrying a box containing an espresso machine followed him in a line. Unfazed by everyone’s attention, Aiden contentedly installed a La Marzocco Linea in their kitchen.

The appearance of a professional espresso machine, the kind used in cafes or businesses, briefly created a commotion in the house. When Aiden said he was sorry the gift was too cheap, Karlyle replied that he didn’t mind. Johan, who looked up the price range of the machine, gasped.

Because of this happening, Aiden and Karlyle naturally became the most noticeable people, sticking out like sore thumbs. Moreover, their actions, gestures, and even the words and accents they used were different, so it was unavoidable. For the first time in his life, Karlyle felt a little grateful that Aiden was by his side.

“So, where did you two meet?”

The party began on the glass terrace, which was a signature feature of the mansion. Appetizers like shrimp cocktail, mini caprese, and scotch eggs were placed on the table. Amidst the people holding wine or beer, the first question popped out. It was Sheila who spoke. Everyone’s gaze turned to Ash and Karlyle.

Ash hadn’t left Karlyle’s side since coming down from the room. As soon as they saw their tightly held hands, everyone let out cheers that sounded like jeers, and Karlyle struggled to keep his expression from breaking. He was both very embarrassed and pleased.

“We met in New York on New Year’s Eve. Ah, perhaps Lyle would like to tell the story?”

Ash spoke with a rather amused expression. Gasps erupted from around them at the mention of New Year’s Eve. This was the first time Karlyle had seen Ash speak informally with others, except when he was with Natalie. Ash, with his friends, looked relaxed and seemed like a much younger man than his age. His affable smiling eyes curved even more than usual.

Karlyle, who had been quietly observing Ash’s face, a side he hadn’t witnessed before, gripped his wine glass tightly at Ash’s words. His slightly widened eyes looked at Ash with apprehension.

“You don’t want to?”

All eyes turned to Karlyle. It wasn’t that he found it difficult to speak in front of others. The problem was that he didn’t think he could convey the romantic aspects Ash wanted to hear well. Karlyle calmly selected the necessary information in his mind.

First, it would be best not to mention that he was there to deal with an Omega from a business client. Should he also mention that it was his first time meeting an Alpha? This was a bit difficult to decide.

“Ash and I…”

As Karlyle opened his mouth, silence fell. Natalie was waiting for Karlyle’s words with a very expectant expression. Aiden’s face, looking utterly amused, was also visible. Their expressions pushed Karlyle on.

“We kissed while passing through Times Square.”

His voice, as cool as his expression, stated the fact. With stiff, precise pronunciation and unsmiling eyes, the sentence that came from Karlyle’s mouth became the coldest words in the world. Even though it was far from romantic, merely conveying information, Karlyle was somewhat satisfied.