The afternoon sun shone brightly in the living room.
On the sofa, Huo Xingye wrapped an arm around Nan Zhou's waist and pulled him onto his lap.
Up close, those beautiful, clear eyes held traces of a smile that made his heart flutter uncontrollably.
"I didn't say that just to treat my illness," Nan Zhou said softly.
The hand around his waist tightened. Huo Xingye caught his chin and kissed him.
Nan Zhou wrapped his arms around the Alpha's shoulders and wholeheartedly welcomed the forceful kiss, brimming with tender affection.
Slender fingers gently stroked his neck.
A warm, dry scent mingled with the sweet scent of chestnuts in the air.
Suddenly, Huo Xingye's kiss paused.
Nan Zhou chuckled softly. The next second, Huo Xingye kissed him even harder, and only when his lips had gone numb did that long, sweet kiss finally come to an end.
They held each other, sweetness and warmth filling every breath between them.
Nan Zhou buried his face in Huo Xingye's neck, greedily breathing in his pleasant, dry scent.
Huo Xingye's slender fingers continued to stroke his neck, as though soothing him, or hinting at something.
"Does your right leg still hurt when it rains?" he asked.
"Not anymore." Nan Zhou nuzzled his neck and answered without thinking.
"That's good." Huo Xingye kissed the back of his neck.
The next second-
The pain in his neck made Nan Zhou's eyes fly wide, just as they had on the night they first met.
Gradually, the scent of roasted chestnuts filled the air, dry and sweet, like the warm, lovely fragrance an exhausted traveler caught after settling down on the ground on a winter night.
"Would you like to stay here, or go back to the bedroom?" Huo Xingye asked.
Nan Zhou hugged him tightly. "Right here."