Dangerous Desires: You're Mine Forever

The distant mountains were covered with snow, and the spruces stood neatly lined up.

Yet, inside the room, the atmosphere was passionate and intoxicating.

Norene Spencer got out of bed, retrieved her slip dress from the floor, and slipped it on. Approaching an old wooden table, she picked up a cigarette from the man's cigarette box, examining it closely. "Does this cigarette taste good?"

The man, just settling into an even breathing rhythm, replied with a rough, yet alluring voice, "Why not give it a try?"

Norene pondered for a moment and then shook her head.

The man was reclining casually, propping his head with one hand. Dressed only in a white bath towel around his waist, his impressive physique and defined muscles were hard for Norene to ignore. He playfully arched his eyebrows, his gaze leisurely on her. "You're hesitant to try it, aren't you?"

Norene agreed, returning the cigarette to its box. "I'm worried about getting addicted to it. Plus, buying cigarettes will cost me."

The man let out a laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Weren't you concerned about becoming addicted when you had sex with me?"

After a brief pause, Norene replied with a chuckle, "Yes, I was. But that doesn't cost me anything."

The man still maintained a lazy posture, but the smile on his face gradually faded. With an inquiry and scrutiny expression on his face, he warned her, "You're quite daring, Norene. Do you think you can just play with me?"

Norene was at a loss for words.

She acknowledged feeling a bit anxious and guilty at that moment. After all, the man before her was Carsten Hayes, the uncle of her fiancé, Dillon Hudson.

Dillon...

Thinking of Dillon, Norene's smile vanished instantly, replaced by an unusual seriousness. "I have a question for you. You knew Dillon and his so-called mother aren't actually related, right?"

Carsten appeared unsurprised by her question, his expression unchanging as he nodded slightly and said, "Of course. That woman is only Dillon's foster mother."

After a moment of dead silence, Norene said dully, "I always thought they were mother and son, until I saw them together..."

Tears filled Norene's eyes whenever she recalled that, but she managed to hold them back in front of Carsten. She sniffled and added, "It's not normal for Dillon to be intimate with his stepmother, is it? She's significantly older than him."

Carsten remained quiet for a moment before asking, "Is that why you sought me out?"

Norene felt exposed by his question. She neither confirmed nor denied it, choosing instead to sidestep his question and press on with her own. "Answer my question first."

She felt somewhat anxious and was eager to seek an explanation from Carsten. However, it was clear that he had no intention of discussing the matter with her. He responded, "I'm just his uncle. I have no idea what he's up to, and frankly, I'm not interested in it. As for having sex, everyone has different tastes. Don't you find attraction in someone younger than you?"

His implication was clear; Dillon's attraction to an older woman was normal in his eyes.

Feeling defeated, Norene's shoulders slumped, and she let out a soft sigh. But she quickly cheered herself up and gazed at Carsten with eyes brimming with emotion. "I'm not into much younger men. It's you I'm interested in."

"Ha-ha." Carsten was not interested in prolonging the conversation with someone he deemed insignificant. He calmly suggested, "Why don't you take my car for a drive, enjoy the scenery, and then fly back tomorrow? Leave the car at the airport, and I'll have someone to drive it back."

Norene felt upset, asking, "Are you sending me away?"

Carsten's eyebrows lifted indifferently. "What's the problem? You shouldn't be here, and I'm not the kind of person you can casually toy with."

His voice carried a deep, authoritative tone, filled with an implicit threat that could unsettle anyone.

"Why didn't you mention this before we shared intense passion with each other, huh? Now you're just pushing me away after you had your fill of sexual pleasure. You're such a jerk!" Her voice dropped to a whisper with her last words, but Carsten heard them clearly.

He quickly grasped her chin, looking down at her intently, and warned sternly, "Don't think of using me for your own revenge schemes. Or else..."

His intense stare sent a shiver down her spine. "What would you do, then?"

He gave a short snort, replying, "You'd find out if you dared to try."

Inwardly, Norene dismissed the threat in Carsten's words. She had come to visit him with the intention of making love. Now that it had happened once, she thought it would be no big deal to do it twice.

Remarkably, their intimate encounter brought her the most joy she'd ever felt in over two decades. She found pleasure in the experience, feeling somewhat fortunate that Dillon wasn't her first.

She made a determined decision and stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around Carsten's neck. Drawing closer to his slender lips, she boldly whispered, "I'd like to give it one more try."

For seven years, she'd loved the wrong person. For crying out loud, how many sets of seven years did one get in life, and how long did youth last?

Her tempting invitation received an immediate response from Carsten. He kissed her on the lips and was determined to teach her a lesson. Time ticked by and another round of sexual pleasure had just begun.

An hour later, Norene drifted into a weary slumber.

Carsten was about to have a cigarette after fulfilling his desires, but he discovered that the cigarettes had been crushed by Norene. He gazed at her sleeping figure, his eyes reflecting deep, dark thoughts.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

His phone, persistently flashing, showed over 20 missed calls.

There were a few messages as well.

"Uncle Carsten, Norene was upset about me and went to Erimarsh by herself. I'm quite worried about her. Since you're also there, could you look after her for me? Here's her number..."

Raising an eyebrow, Carsten noted down the number and replied nonchalantly, "You don't have to worry. I'll take good care of her."

He scrolled through more messages, pausing briefly at the first one.

After a brief pause, he switched off his phone, dressed quickly, and left into the windy, rainy night.

Norene was woken up by a phone call from Dillon.

Groggily, she answered, and upon hearing Dillon urgently request her room number, she subconsciously gave it, and then snapped to full awareness.

Damn it! She had forgotten that she was not in her room, but in Carsten's! Her room was across from Carsten's.

As Norene heard the elevator's sound through the phone, she quickly jumped out of bed, scrambling to gather her clothes. In the rush, she couldn't find her underwear. Anyway, she didn't have time to look for it and put on her slip dress and coat before running out.

She shut the door and was about to enter her own room when she realized she'd forgotten her key. At that exact moment, Dillon appeared in the hallway.

When he saw her, Dillon hurried over, setting down his suitcase and embracing her. He was full of apologies. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I got held up with work stuff yesterday and couldn't join you right away. I promise I won't let you down or upset you again."

Norene, however, stared blankly at a distant window, her mind elsewhere.

Dillon was under the impression that Norene's upset was just because of his usual deference to his mother.

He let go of her and looked up at the room number. "This is your room, right? Let's open it. I'll drop my suitcase inside, and then we can go for a meal. I've planned to have it with my uncle."

Only then did Norene blink and point to the door with a lackluster gesture. "I left my key inside."

Dillon chuckled and playfully rubbed her nose, teasing her, "You're still a bit absent-minded, huh? No problem. Let's just go. I'll leave the suitcase at the front desk."

Norene felt awkward. She was hesitant to go out, particularly without her underwear and especially not to meet Carsten.

But Dillon was already leading her downstairs before she could refuse.

Thankfully, the restaurant wasn't far. During the short car ride, Dillon didn't notice anything amiss with Norene.

Upon their arrival, Noreen found the room bustling with people.

Looking at the scene, she was dumbfounded.

She squeezed out a very low voice from her teeth and asked, "I thought you only had dinner plans with your uncle. Why are there so many people?"

Dillon smiled reassuringly, explaining, "Don't worry. They're all Uncle Carsten's colleagues. He's retiring and going back home, so his friends are here to bid him farewell. It's just a coincidence that we are also here, so we're joining them."

Left with no other option, Norene stood next to Dillon, her legs pressed together, managing a strained smile towards the unfamiliar faces scrutinizing her at the table.

"Look who's here, Dillon and Norene. Come, take a seat. We've been waiting for you." The greeting came from a dashing young man, roughly Dillon's age.

This was Alex Franics, Dillon's old college buddy. He had initially planned to work alongside Dillon here, but when Dillon backed out, Alex proceeded alone. Rumor had it that he was doing quite well career-wise.

Alex invited Norene and Dillon to join them. As Norene scanned the group, her gaze briefly locked with a pair of cold, dark eyes.

However, the man only arched an eyebrow before he looked away.

Dillon offered an apology to the group. "Sorry we're late. The traffic was insane."

Everyone responded with laughter and said it wasn't a big deal.

Alex pulled out a chair for Norene, giving her legs a quick look, and asked casually, "Feeling cold, Norene? Do you need a blanket?"

Norene shook her head and politely declined, "No. Thank you."

She felt an odd gaze and turned to look at Carsten, who was holding a teacup. He had just shifted his gaze from her legs and was calmly sipping his tea.

Norene, still in her overcoat, was aware that others might be oblivious to her situation. However, Carsten was all too aware she was still in the same outfit as when she had visited him the previous night.

This realization made Norene feel deeply self-conscious.

As she took her seat, Norene noticed that Carsten was seated to her right. She could distinctly detect the masculine aroma, a blend of his presence and the scent of the cigarettes he often indulged in. This familiar fragrance threatened to trigger memories that were best left buried, especially at such an inappropriate moment.

Alex served Dillon some wine, teasing him with a smile, "You had an early flight, but you got here so late. Did you sneak off for some alone time with Norene?"

"What are you talking about?" Dillon tried to keep calm. "It took a while to collect my luggage, and then I got stuck in traffic. It's been ages since we've seen each other. I can spend time with my girlfriend whenever. Of course I wanted to catch up with you first."

"Really?" Alex looked doubtful and continued teasing, "You both look like you've been up to something. Especially Norene, she's not even walking properly."

Upon hearing this, Dillon shifted his gaze toward Norene's legs. She instinctively clutched the hem of her overcoat, offering a polite smile, and responded, "Yes, it's a bit chilly."

As Norene felt awkward, another voice chimed in, "Dillon and Carsten are an amusing pair. One looks overindulged, and the other, quite unsatisfied."

Clearly, the initial part of the comment echoed Alex's earlier teasing about Dillon, while the latter part playfully aimed at Carsten.

Following that remark, all eyes turned to Carsten, who was intently preparing his tea.

Dillon chuckled and looked at Carsten, saying, "My uncle has always been a bit of a loner. I've never seen him with a lady ever since I was young. If anyone knows a suitable young woman, please introduce her to him. His family is keen for him to settle down soon."

"Come on, Carsten, your nephew doesn't seem to know you very well. He doesn't seem to know about your numerous romantic escapades," one of the men chimed in.

Carsten, sipping his tea, quipped, "So many dishes here, yet you choose to tease me instead of tasting them, huh?"

Norene bit her lip, trying to hold back her laughter.

The uneasy feeling inside her was alleviated a little.

"Carsten can't be unsatisfied," another man added. "I heard a woman in Carsten's room last night, and I thought I was dreaming. The noise didn't stop until well past midnight, starting around nine. I never imagined the night could seem so endlessly long."

Norene, hearing this, quietly lowered her head. She had been in Carsten's room since nine o'clock the previous night.