Tasting

53–The Slow Seduction 

Nora: 

We opted to wrap up our breakfast in my bedroom, and afterward, I instructed the guard to drop her back to her hostel. I couldn’t shake off this heavy feeling that had settled over me after Cain and Natalya’s interaction. It was like I was not happy about something. 

The rest of the brothers weren’t home that afternoon. It was just me, Dad, and Cain. 

“Cain! The warriors have been tracking down rogues and other creatures around the mansion,” Dad addressed Cain, who was engrossed in reading the reports brought to his attention. 

Lord Atwood asked me to join them in his library, which essentially doubled as his study. 

“Ryker, Silas, and Nash are handling it today. I spoke to them; they reported the same thing. It seems like there’s been someone lurking around the mansion a lot lately,” Cain’s voice took on a deep timbre when discussing pack matters. The seriousness in his tone and expressions made him look so attractive, and it made me feel like a desperate admirer. 

I shook my head and continued browsing to find a book of interest. 

“And that’s why I want you to stay in the mansion tonight,” Lord Atwood advised. 

“I don’t go out anyways. I have some projects to work on,” Cain cleared his throat, closing the file and leaving the pack matters beli 

53 The Slow Seduction 

I found myself constantly stealing glances at him from the corner of my eye. I even tried to resist, but he looked so incredibly handsome in that black shirt and pants. 

I couldn’t help but think that if anyone deserved to have a portrait painted of them in the nude, it should be him. 

What the heck is wrong with me? 

“And, umm, take care of Nora tonight,” Lord Atwood’s words sent a shiver down my spine as they reached my ears. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip, quickly turning away to pretend to grab a book from the shelf. 

I half–expected Cain to argue or throw a tantrum, but instead, in a very mild tone, he simply said, “Okay!” 

“You’re not planning to have any models over tonight, are you? I don’t want any influence on her. She’s quite innocent, and I think it would be awkward for her to stand in the studio and watch her stepbrother paint a n*ked she–wolf,” I felt like sticking a hot rod in my ears when I heard my stepfather depict me as this fragile and decent girl, while I was having such wild thoughts about my stepbrother. 

Not to mention, Lord Atwood did make me realize how inappropriate it would be for a stepsister to witness her stepbrother engaging in such matters, let alone be a part of it. 

“No, I’m just finishing up some old work,” Cain replied. 

I lingered near the shelf, grabbing one book and pretending to read the summary before reaching for another. 

As the silence enveloped the room, I wondered if they had already left. I did hear them rise from their chairs. 

“Haven’t picked a book yet?” My heart sank in my chest when I caug Cain’s scent behind me. He always smelled like a fresh shower. His body was broad, and whenever he came close, I felt like there was n space left between us. 

“No, I’m a bit confused,” I awkwardly replied, still avoiding making contact by not turning around. 

“Fan of erotica?” As soon as he asked that, I yelped. Lord Atwood ha just instructed him not to engage in activities or conversations like th with me. 

“I have some in my studio. You can read them tonight,” I bit my botto lip as he deliberately leaned over my ear from behind and whispered. There was no way he didn’t know what he was doing. But before long he had already pulled away and left the study. 

It was a strange day altogether. It seemed the lurking danger was something they were genuinely worried about. The brothers never returned the entire day. There were loud howls and growls from the woods around the mansion every few hours. 

It was truly unsettling. 

Then Dad had to depart to accompany his sons on a mission. 

“Be good to her,” Lord Atwood told Cain as they faced each other. I stood atop the staircase, observing the interaction unfold. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t eat her alive,” the exhaustion in Cain’s voice at his father’s constant reminder to be nice to me was evident. 

As soon as Lord Atwood walked out of the mansion and Cain turned around, I hurried to my bedroom. I didn’t know why I did that, but I felt like if Cain caught me overhearing their conversation, he would get 

53 The Slow Seduction 

mad. 

I hadn’t changed into my nightdress. There was a brief moment when I considered changing until I recalled his words. He wanted to know if the silk would be transparent underwater. Just remembering it made my cheeks turn red. 

I was wearing cotton shorts and a white tank top. At that point, I didn’t know how I would walk back to his studio and invite myself in. What would be the right way to enter his studio? 

And that’s when I heard a knock on my bedroom door. 

Of course, it had to be him as there was no one else in the mansion tonight. I opened the door to find him leaning against it, his arm lifted and resting on top of the door frame. 

“So, do you want an invitation to come to my studio?” he tilted his head, still sporting that black shirt. 

“I was just grabbing my notebook. I thought I’d do my assignment while I’m in the studio,” I murmured, but before I could finish, he grabbed my top’s strap and pulled me out with him. I followed him foolishly until we were in his studio. 

“I don’t like people who make excuses,” he commented after he had already shoved me into his dark studio. I gulped and quickly looked away, pretending to have no idea what he was talking about. 

“You wouldn’t mind if I took off my shirt, would you?” His deep, husky voice made me shrink into myself, and I shook my head dryly, still pretending to examine the walls. 

“If you want, you can take off your top as well,” the moment he suggested that, my heart sank in my chest, and I turned to face him. 

11:28 

The sight I beheld was the most thrilling I’d ever seen. 

He held a brush in his mouth, his head lowered, and his eyes peered at me through his eyebrows as he steadily unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his chiseled abs.