Chapter 65: Chapter 54: A Smooch Isn’t Enough (2)

When Lex Cross called out "Flora," Flora Bloom’s knees went weak, and she nearly stumbled. She glared up at him and shouted, "Who said you could call me that! Shut up!" It seemed Lex Cross could easily get under her skin, an influence she found unfamiliar and unsettling.

Lex Cross watched her, his smile deepening. He seemed thoroughly amused by her flustered anger.

"Hey, your father mentioned you’re going to Morhaven to find your brother. Said you need a car." His words snapped Flora Bloom back to her original purpose.

"I’ve done the math. Getting to Morhaven from here would take four or five hours by plane. If you drive, given the conditions out there, it’ll take half a month at the very least. Haven’t you considered that?"

"What’s your point?" Flora Bloom paused, her eyes fixed on Lex Cross.

"Without a tough, reliable vehicle, I’d say you’d be lucky to reach Morhaven in a month. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Flora Bloom breathed a sigh of relief. ’So he knows I need a car and is ready to make a deal. Good. That saves me the trouble of beating around the bush with him.’

Flora Bloom’s eyes swept over the military-grade SUV before her, and she was thoroughly impressed. ’If we had this vehicle, our trip to Morhaven to find my brother would be that much safer.’

"Alright, name your price. What will it take for you to lend me the car?" She used the word "lend," but in these times, there was no guarantee of "return."

The words had barely left her mouth when she saw Lex Cross’s eyes darken as he leaned closer and closer.

"Getting you to come with me is probably impossible. However, I am very interested in that spiritual water you gave us last night."

’His power was too suppressed right now; he couldn’t even open his own internal space. If he had Flora Bloom’s Space Spirit Water, it would be a much better guarantee for his and his brothers’ safety.’

Flora Bloom stiffened, her gaze turning wary. She was about to feign ignorance, but Lex Cross cut her off.

"Don’t look at me like that. I’m not going to eat you. It’s just... we have a long road to Argent, and your spiritual water would be a good precaution to have."

Hearing this, Flora Bloom relaxed. "That’s it? It’s that simple?"

Lex Cross’s gaze deepened as he watched her. He leaned close to her cheek and said, "Of course it’s not that simple. In addition to that... well."

"Spit it out," Flora said, turning her face away in feigned disgust. It was hard to hide the wild hammering of her heart as Lex Cross’s face drew ever closer.

"And... one more thing. You give me a kiss, and the car is yours."

A blush instantly spread across Flora Bloom’s fair cheeks. She glared at him, but Lex Cross continued, "I’d say you’re not getting the short end of the stick on this deal, hmm?"

Flora Bloom stared at his handsome face, a face so good-looking it was impossible to punch. ’He has the bone structure of a tough guy but the face of a pretty boy,’ she thought. ’And I’m already carrying his daughter. Kissing him is hardly a challenge.’

’My bottom line now is my own benefit and my family’s safety. It’s just a kiss. I’m not losing out on this.’ And so, catching him off guard, she rose onto her tiptoes, planted a loud SMOOCH on his cheek, and quickly pulled back.

Lex Cross watched her hasty retreat, his eyes narrowing. The light in his gaze seemed to outshine the sun that was just about to crest the mountains. Just as Flora realized his intent and tried to flee, he cupped the back of her head, his cool lips pressing down on hers.

’He never knew that a simple touch of her lips would be so intoxicating. He started to regret not persuading her to leave with him last night.’

"I regret it."

Lex Cross murmured against her lips, giving her a brief moment to breathe between their kisses.

"Hm?"

"Wait for me. Once I’ve settled things in Argent, I’ll come find you." With that, he once again devoured her breath, his hands cupping her face, unwilling to let go.

’Even before they parted, he found himself already cherishing the taste that lingered on his lips. It was a little sweet, a feeling he’d never experienced before.’

After her initial shock, Flora Bloom hammered on Lex Cross’s chest a few times. It felt as hard as a rock, and he didn’t even flinch, simply continuing to kiss her with intense focus.

’This man seemed to be showcasing his possessiveness, his kiss domineering and rushed, claiming her lips and breath. He had no concept of how to be gentle with a woman.’

Flora Bloom tried to speak, but the moment a sound escaped her, it was swallowed by his kiss.

"I—" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Le—"

Sensing a long series of footsteps approaching from behind, Flora Bloom knew without looking that a group of people was coming. She grew anxious and tried to break free from his embrace.

Lex Cross merely cracked open his eyes. A cold gleam flashed in their hawk-like depths, and the footsteps behind them abruptly vanished.

"Scram." The word had barely left his lips when the hurried footsteps started up again, quickly fading into the distance.

Flora Bloom seized the opportunity, cupping Lex’s face to stop him and finally taking a desperate gasp of air.

A corner of Lex Cross’s mouth quirked up in amusement as he watched the woman before him. Her eyes darted about, clearly looking for a way to put some distance between them.

"Now *that* counts as a kiss," he said. "What you did earlier doesn’t."

Flora Bloom glared at him, wishing she could burn a hole through his face with her stare. ’But we kissed, and it’s not like I can ask him to take it back, can I?’ she thought. So, she feigned composure and said...

"We kissed. So the car’s mine now, right?"

Lex Cross held out a set of car keys to her, a wave of defeat washing over him. ’If I could, I’d love to crack open this woman’s skull just to see what’s going on in there.’

’Was his kiss really worth less than a set of car keys?’

What he didn’t know was that Flora Bloom’s heart was hammering so hard she thought it might leap out of her throat. She could only focus on other things to hide her inner turmoil and embarrassment.

"Flora, believe it or not, you will be my woman," Lex Cross declared, his eyes burning with a possessive fire, as if making a solemn vow.

Flora Bloom, however, paid no mind to the conviction in his tone. She was ecstatic about getting her hands on a tough, reliable vehicle. His promise to come back and find her was instantly thrown to the furthest corner of her mind.

A short while later, thirteen special forces soldiers lined up and went out with Flora Bloom. When they returned, each was carrying a new backpack, filled, of course, with the Space Spirit Water she had given them.

Furthermore, the twelve men—everyone except Lex Cross—now looked at Flora Bloom with expressions of deep respect.

’They had thought their boss had won the girl over in less than a day. They never expected that it was this young woman who had effortlessly wrapped their boss around her little finger.’

’From the looks of it, the boss was the one getting the cold shoulder.’

’This new sister-in-law is a total badass! An absolute legend! When we get back, we have to tell the guys in the squad all about this.’

’When have they ever seen the Living Yama lose to a woman? She yelled at him, pounded on him, even slapped him! And in the end, their boss was still lost in her tender embrace, completely captivated.’

When Flora Bloom returned home with the thirteen special forces soldiers, Tianna Bloom and her family were already in the living room, their luggage packed and ready to go.