Page 122 of Embriagado

But instead of asking him about it, I just watched as he walked to the cabinet and took two teacups out. To no surprise, even his cups were fancy, if you could even call them cups. They looked like they were taken straight out of a china shop. And if I thought making tea was just pouring hot water over some dried leaves, Ariyan proved me wrong, as for the next few minutes, I watched how he made tea. From scaling the herbs to putting them in small bags to slowly adding the water, each action was premeditated. Calculated even, the same way he did everything else.

Watching him was like watching paint dry, and my body basically throbbed from boredom. So when he was finally done, I moved fast.

“Don’t.” He slapped my hand after I reached to take one of the teacups.

“But I thought you said we’ll drink tea⁠—”

“It needs to brew for six minutes.”

The fuck?

“It’s just tea,” I murmured, still looking at him, even though he’d turned around to wash the dishes. While he did, I focused on his nape. I’d thought about it before, but he had such a pretty neck. He was also so pale, on the verge of looking sick, and yet I found it oddly attractive. Enough to make me willing to wait six more minutes for his stupid tea.

After he was done in the kitchen, we moved back to sit on the couch, the tea placed on the small table before us. We sat in complete silence, and it was extremely awkward, especially since we were so close to one another our knees nearly touched.

“Eh… how much more time?” I asked.

“Two minutes.”

“Do you often treat your hookups to tea?”

“What I do or do not do with my hookups has nothing to do with you—” He crossed his legs, causing his robe to slide just a bit and exposing more of his thigh. “—as you’re not one.”

Forcing my eyes away from his stunning legs, I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He leaned forward and whisked the tea with a spoon. “We’re not hooking up.”

My brows drew inward. “But I thought⁠—”

“You’re here because I need to fulfill my side of the agreement,” he cut me off, taking the teaspoon out of the teacup and placing it on the saucer. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

I also leaned forward, my stare locked on his profile. “Maybe if you were less formal, this could be more than just that.”

“That will never happen.”

It wasn’t a question but a coldhearted statement. I wanted to say something in response when the timer on his phone went off, and he pointed at my cup.

“Go ahead, drink your tea.”

This short exchange was enough to fill my mouth with a bitter taste, so I hurried to do as he said while he turned off the timer. No wonder a man who counted the seconds to make a cup of tea was this cold.

Bringing the drink to my lips, I half wondered if he was about to poison me. But then again, I’d watched him make it, and he just took a sip himself, so…

“It’s good,” I said, surprised after taking a sip. The temperature was perfect for drinking, too, so I guess the wait was worth it. Wanting to have more, I took another gulp, then another, and before I realized it, I’d finished my tea.

“Let’s go,” he said the second I placed my empty cup on the saucer, already up on his feet.

Wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I also got up, ready to follow him, when I noticed his cup was left almost full.

“Don’t you want to finish your tea⁠—”

“Come before I change my mind.”

Not about to argue, I shut my mouth and followed him into the bedroom, the same room where he’d previously tied me to the bed. From a quick glance, it seemed like he’d replaced the bed with a new one. I would have thrown some comments about it if he hadn’t just sat on the edge of the mattress and leaned back on his hands.

“What are you waiting for?” he snarled, crossing one leg over the other. “Get your ass over here.”

“Look who’s being so eager all of a sudden.” I smirked when he rolled his eyes.