Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday-Chapter 214: Tangerine

"You are looking..."

Grace’s hand stilled on its way to pick up a tangerine from the fruit basket as she heard Rune’s words. She turned her head and found him staring directly at her from where he stood merely inches away from her.

He suddenly inched his face closer, making her heart race as she started worrying that her face still gave away her energy depletion despite all the precautions she took this time.

Still, she tried her best to look normal and stared back at him, feigning ignorance. At first, he kept looking at her with a serious expression on his face, but then, a smile suddenly spread across his lips, leaving her confused and surprised.

"... beautiful. You are looking beautiful." He completed his sentence from before, making her realize that she was worrying for nothing.

Just as she began thinking that she was in the safe, Rune once again surpised her with his next words, proving her just how wrong she was to think that these men weren’t aware of what she was exactly doing when they weren’t around.

"So... how’s the barrier thing coming through?"

Her hand was once again on its way to pick up the tangerine when he ended up asking the question. This time, she just gave up on the fruit and turned to face him completely, only to see him picking up the fruit and peeling it while he waited to hear her response.

"I’m just trying to think of something to protect this place. Seeing it going down after all the work we have put into it... will be a little tiring." She was surpised that she was so against accepting the fact that she actually cared about the residents of Greenstone.

Rune nodded his head as if acknowledging her words. He then offered her neatly pealed peg and spoke, "There’s nothing wrong with the idea or trying it out... as long as you don’t hold around putting your health at risk."

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Though he used a soft tone, the warning was pretty much clear in his words. He might listen to her every word when it came to other things, but he wasn’t ready to compromise when it came to her and her well-being.

Grace accepted the peeled tangerine peg from his hand, her fingers grazing his in the process. His touch was warm, steady... almost grounding. She placed the fruit in her mouth, chewing slowly as she watched him preparing another peg for her.

While his fingers were working on cleaning the piece, his icy-blue eyes held a quiet intensity as he studied her, waiting for her to respond.

"I know," she admitted, swallowing the citrusy burst of flavor. "I have been more careful this time."

He hummed softly while his gaze remained fixed on her face. "Good."

Then, before she could react, he reached forward and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. The simple gesture made her breath hitch, but she barely had time to register it before his fingers trailed lower, tracing along her jaw.

"Rune?" she questioned softly, sounding suddenly unsure after seeing the shift in him.

"Do you ever stop thinking?" he murmured. His voice was low and rough, sending a shiver down her spine.

Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t get a chance to answer. Because he closed the remaining space between their mouths and kissed her.

There was no hesitation, no warning... just pure, burning intent as his lips crashed against hers.

A surprised gasp left her, but he swallowed the sound, deepening the kiss instantly. His free hand, the one that was not holding the tangerine, curled around the back of her neck and pulled her flush against him.

But it was when she felt his other hand settling on her waist, that she realized the tangerine was long gone from his hold. He didn’t give her more time to ponder on the whereabouts of the tangerine as the kiss consumed her completely.

He wasn’t gentle, but he wasn’t rough either. It was controlled, deliberate... something that was so like him and yet not.

She felt her mind momentarily go blank. Her hands moved instinctively, gripping the front of his shirt as she kissed him back despite the shock. Her body was reacting before her mind could catch up.

The warmth of his lips, the firm press of his body against hers - it all felt overwhelming in the best way possible.

Rune tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss further while his fingers tightened around her waist. A low sound rumbled from his chest, and the vibration sent a wave of heat through her.

When he finally pulled away, it was to rest his forehead against hers. His breath was warm against her lips as he murmured, "The only reason I’m letting you go is because the others are waiting for you. We need to join them."

Grace blinked, her breath still uneven. "The... others?"

She realized she was too occupied with the kiss, the man, and how he made her feel just now, to really focus on what he was saying.

Much to her dismay, he chose that moment to pull away and step back. He looked completely fine, even if he wasn’t in reality. And it bothered her so much.

How could he do that?

One moment he was talking to her normally, then he was kissing her like she was his favorite kind of drug, and then he was back to normal all over again.

What kind of superpower was it? Because she needed it too.

"Let’s go." He said, offering her another neatly cleaned peg of tangerine that was back in his hand.

Grace had to close her eyes and inhale deeply before she was finally able to pull herself together to some point. When she opened her eyes moments later, she looked just as calm as him.

She accepted the peg and followed after him, heading to Unit 2203 where the rest of her team was waiting to discuss an important matter they had recently started paying attention to.