She turned to face him and saw him smiling down at her.

  "And now, it's gone!" he said resolutely.

  "Yeah." Qian Meng smiled in satisfaction.

  "It really is. The two people who sat on opposite sides of the desk and made that agreement? They are not us anymore."

  Qian Meng sighed happily as she stretched to wrap her arm around his neck. "Yes, now we sit on the same side and sign documents," she agreed softly.

  His jaw hardened and he looked serious for a moment. "This relationship hasn't come easily. It is not easy, but it is real."

  Her eyes locked on his and they were both aware of the implication. She bit her lip and her fingers caressed the back of his neck.

  "Things that don't come easily have the highest reward. It feels sweeter in the end," she whispered. She inhaled deeply, breathing her in.

  "I love you."

  He exhaled slowly and she could see him melting as she looked into his eyes. He moved closer to her and touched his forehead with hers. She saw the conflict on his face.

  "Qian Meng…" he breathed.

  She knew what he was thinking. He didn't have to say it.

  He didn't like saying he loved her. And it didn't offend her. He believed his feelings weren't so simple. And she understood the sentiment. And after everything he had said and done to reaffirm his feelings for her, she knew where his heart was even without hearing those three generalized words.

  They weren't the kind of people who said those words when they felt comfortable or happy. In an effort to preserve the meaning, Qian Meng had decided to say those words only in moments she felt hopelessly and blissfully in love with it.

  There was no obligation to say it out loud.

  "I know," she soothed him immediately.

  So, Mo Qingchen didn't say anything. He just kissed her. He kissed her softly but with the dominant edge, she was always aware of. She gave into him and followed his lead as he pressed her into the seat. His tongue pushed past to caress hers. She moaned into his mouth and his resulting grunt made her nipples stiffen.

  "Qingchen," she sighed when he barely pulled away to take a deep breath.

  He caressed her sides and she shivered. It meant a lot to her when he did those small gestures. It made her feel so fragile yet cherished at the same time.

  "I keep waiting for the moment when this feeling will wear off," he choked, his forehead against her again.

  "What?"

  "The novelty of you," he explained. "I have never craved anything the way I crave you. I don't even like food as much. The first time I saw you in this life, my attraction to you was intense, but it's been so many months since. This ache that I feel for you just keep getting stronger."

  She exhaled a shaky breath. "I know."

  He stared into her eyes for a moment before pulling away. He looked over the space contemplatively. Then, he looked back at her.

  "Here?" she said breathily, guessing what he was thinking.

  "No," he said eventually. "No, I don't want to fuck you. That's not what I want right now."

  She nodded slightly, disappointed but glad. If they had sex on the private jet, it would be disastrous.

  "Okay." She nodded, rubbing her hand on her neck in comfort.

  "Tonight, though," he vowed, his nose brushing against her cheek.

  "I want you," Qian Meng whined, wriggling impatiently in her seat.

  Why did they have to be a couple of masochists? Because after that, Mo Qingchen and she decided to have a kissing session. At other times, she would say it was time well spent.

  But it proved to be a recipe for sexual frustration. The fact Mo Qingchen had picked her up and pulled her legs around his waist so she could feel his erection nestled right where she needed him didn't help.

  He hummed before pulling his lips away from his. "All right. No more kissing," he teased breathlessly. "We're getting frisky."

  "What do you expect when you kiss me like that?" she answered. "I still want you."

  "I know you do," he said as he pushed her hair from her face. "But we can't. We're on the jet."

  "Screw that. We just humped each other on it, anyway. Let's just go to the room and screw each other," she said with a crude smile. "This is so stupid."

  He smiled knowingly at her as she pouted. "It's not stupid," he argued.

  She sighed and leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder. "Okay, let's talk about something serious so that I can stop thinking about sex."

  "Fine. You start talking," he said. She felt his chest vibrate against her as he laughed.

  "Alright, I'll talk about something important then," she answered eventually. Indeed, she had something to tell him.

  "Go ahead," he smiled.

  "I want to marry you." She straightened herself to look at him and she found him looking at her with a baffled expression.

  "You are married to me, silly." He laughed as he ran his hands over the tip of her hair.

  "I know. But I am telling you how I am feeling right now." Their eyes locked on each other and she stared at him for a long time, trying to mull over how she would express what she was feeling. She had been thinking about marrying him since the option was set on the table by Ma Qui. And it had stuck in her head. She wasn't asking him about his opinion. She felt the need to tell him she wanted to marry him.

  Because she really wanted to marry him.

  "Are you saying that if you weren't married to me already, you would want to marry me now?" Qingchen supplied helpfully.

  She swallowed. "Yes." She paused. "But there is something else I want to add too."

  "That's a big thing to say," he muttered.