Living Together

Halia felt the man's soft lips press firmly against hers. They were plump, smooth and warm.

Even though she welcomed his kiss, she couldn't help but stare into the man's eyes with disbelief as he tightened his grip around her waist. She couldn't believe they were actually crossing the line like this. It felt so wrong, yet so right.

Jackson moved away a little and took a breath, breathing in the scent of coffee from Halia's lips. She must have drunk coffee before she saw him. With his lips slightly parted, he tilted his head and kissed her again...and again...and again.

Everytime his lips left hers, he was drawn back faster, forcing the woman in his arms to gasp for air. The sound of her breaths made his heart race and it made him want her even more.

The smell of coffee was alluring, but it wasn't enough for Jackson. He began to wonder how she'd taste. Unable to control himself, Jackson gently pressed Halia against the wall and forced his tongue into her mouth.

Halia felt the man's tongue against hers and it sent tingles down her spine. She gently intertwined her tongue with his and closed her eyes, enjoying the intimate moment she was sharing with this man.

Jackson's lips curved upwards slightly when he noticed Halia was finally enjoying herself, so he closed his eyes in satisfaction too.

Slowly, Jackson began to move his hands up Halia's back, his every touch sending sparks through her body, making her tremble with pleasure. She responded by hooking her arms around his neck. When Jackson felt this, he kissed her even harder. Her lips tasted sweet and the curves of her body were so enticing.

Why was this woman so addictive?

Jackson couldn't tear himself away from Halia, but he knew that if he didn't, he would lose control.

Eventually, his kisses slowed down and he moved away from her lips.

Halia blushed and looked at the man awkwardly. What just happened?

"I think we should start working on that bomb," she said.

Jackson took a deep breath and nodded.

...

Meanwhile, over at the SPU, Sean reported what Halia was doing to the Captain. The Captain praised Sean for handling the matter well and quickly organized a backup team for him.

They were officially counting down to one of the biggest arrests since Arvin Chen.

Sean left the Captain's office and returned to his desk. Since he wasn't a huge coffee drinker, he still had the coffee that Halia bought him a couple of hours ago. It had already cooled down, but he smiled as he finished it.

He then looked at a piece of paper that sat next to the cup. It was a tally of the fish that he and Halia had caught. So far, there was just a one next to Halia's name.

Just behind the coffee cup and the tally, there was a calendar on his desk. The next day was circled with a red pen; it was a special day.

With a smile, Sean picked up his phone and sent a fish emoji to Halia with the number 9 next to it. "Let's see how many fish you catch tomorrow morning," he thought. He then grabbed his things and left the headquarters. "I should reward you with a gift."

...

At that moment, Halia just so happened to check her phone. But, she quickly remembered that there was no phone signal under the karaoke bar.

What if Sean had important information to relay to her?

"You should forget about using your phone for the next few days," Jackson said as he glanced at Halia.

Halia looked at the man confusedly.

"I forgot to tell you. We won't be leaving this lab until the day of the deal," Jackson said. "It's for your safety. I have a lot of competitors. They are going to do whatever they can to stop this deal from going ahead. They would even go as far as to kill you. This is the safest place."

Halia looked at Jackson in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she complained.

"I didn't think it would matter. Don't you live in Beijing on your own?" Jackson asked.

"Yes...but I still have a dog to feed," she replied.

"Don't worry, Max will drop by with lunch soon. You can give him your keys and tell him to feed your dog."

Halia sighed. She understood why Jackson was doing this, but how was she going to communicate with Sean? How was she to tell him the time and location of the deal?

However, this was the least of her problems at that moment, because Halia suddenly froze as she realized something, "Did you say that 'we' are staying here for the next few days? Together?"

Jackson nodded his head with an amused look in his eyes.

Halia began to blush. If she had known that this was happening, she wouldn't have kissed him earlier. A man and a woman were staying alone under the same roof. What if he expected more from her? What if he crawled into her bed in the middle of the night? Wait a minute...

...what if there was only one bed???

"Where am I sleeping?" she asked in horror.