CHAPTER 23

JI-HOO'S POV:

When I feel her next to me and open my eyes, I'm surprised to see her looking at me with such clarity. Even when she woke up in my arms this morning, she still didn't really look at me. Her eyes have been clouded with uncertainty and distance since she woke up in the hospital. I'm even more surprised when she hugs me but I'm grateful. I've missed holding her.

"Saia?" I ask, wondering what brought on this sudden display of affection.

"Oh god Ji-Hoo…" she gasps. "I thought I would never see you again." Her voice breaks and she starts sobbing in my arms. I have never heard such devastated sobs in my entire life. She holds on to me as if her very life depends on it. I caress her back, letting her cry it out. She needs this but my heart aches at her pain. She cries for a long time, gripping me tightly until her sobs finally quiet down to hiccups. Her body begins to lean heavily against mine and her soft, even breathing tickles my neck. Lifting her sleeping form in my arms, I carry her to my bed and lay her down.

Sitting beside her, I watch her sleep and hope that maybe now things will start to get better. She has already been through so much… What happened to her? I know that what Serena told us wasn't all of it. She wasn't always with Saia. And what happened in the car? It's almost as if she gave up… But she wouldn't do that… would she? Did she honestly think I would let her go so easily? Does she have so little faith in me that she didn't think I would look for her? Why? Why would you give up on all that you love like that? Unless… you lost all hope… Had it really come to that?

I help her change her clothes and she groggily complies. After getting ready for bed myself, I settle down beside her and pull her close. She is already in a deep sleep but I hope that the simple act of holding her will give her reassurance.

(^_^)

I'm beginning to worry. She has hardly done anything but sleep the past two days. I've had to practically force her to eat. She's seems so exhausted she can barely hold her head up. Even though I know she won't be happy with me for not going to work, I've stayed home to watch over her. A lot of my work from the Foundation can be done at home anyways.

Taking my glasses off, I rub my tired eyes. Sitting at my desk in front of my computer for the past few hours has taken its toll. I've done enough work for one night. I should go to bed. I don't hear her behind me but I feel her arms slide around my shoulders and she rests her chin on top of my head.

"It's late. What are you still doing up? Work?"

"Yeah. I'm almost done." I turn my head to look at her and my heart skips a beat. Her eyes are clear and focused as she studies the screen in front of me.

"You aren't skipping out on work because of me are you?"

Pulling her arms off my neck, I turn my chair and pull her down to sit in my lap. "Ani. I'm taking a few days off for me. I need to be near you." Resting my forehead on hers, I look into her eyes. She holds my gaze for the first time in weeks.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"Better. Everything is still a little fuzzy though."

"…What happened?"

Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath. She explains to me what happened at the Zoo and I have to fight my anger. He had been so close! If only I had known… But her only concern had been protecting me and the twins. Everything she went through at her father's hands only fuels my anger. I want nothing more than the son-of-a-bitch to be alive so that I can rip him apart myself. She hesitates when she tells me about Su-Jeong dragging her to the car. She had seen me! And yet she still let him take her away… When she tells me about trying to stop her father, my heart almost stops. Why couldn't I have been a little quicker? Run a little faster? Swam a little harder? She had been all alone in that car, believing she was going to die. She had resigned herself to her fate. My heart aches and I clench my jaw in frustration.

"It isn't your fault Ji-Hoo-ah. It's nobody's fault but my father's." She cups my face in her hands. "I just wish you hadn't been dragged into this. If you had never met me-"

"Ani. I don't even want to think about that. I will never regret having you in my life or being a part of yours. Didn't I tell you that you are my heart's song? You are my air, my life. I can't even imagine being without you." As I look into her eyes, I watch them grow warm at my words. She leans forward and presses her lips to mine.

It's like heaven having her in my arms with her lips pressed against mine again. Following her lead, I don't want to rush her, even though I ache to make love with her again. She wraps her arms around me and presses her body close as her mouth begs for entrance into mine. Her soft moan when our tongues meet, fuels my growing desire and I desperately try to keep a grip on my control.

She breaks away to pull her tank top over her head and tosses it aside, her bare breasts open to my hungry gaze. Mesmerized, I palm her left breast with my hand. She is the perfect size. It fills my hand and I squeeze it, loving the satin texture of her skin. I brush my thumb over her nipple and hear her sharp intake of breath. Looking up into her eyes, I see the desire burning in them and her pupils dilate as I twist her nipple with my fingers.

Her hands slide into my hair as I lower my head and take her nipple into my mouth. So sweet! She tastes so good! I suckle hard on her breast, eliciting moans and sighs from the gorgeous creature in my arms. Running my tongue over her nipple one last time, I break away to let her pull my shirt over my head before I turn to her other breast to show it the same attention. She can't keep still and I love how she responds to me. I bite the top of her breast and run my tongue over the wound. She gasps and crashes her lips to mine. I hungrily devour her mouth as I help her shift in my lap till her knees are on either side of my hips so that I can pull her closer. I can feel her burning heat through our clothes and grabbing her hips I grind her against me and groan into her mouth. It's taking every ounce of my self-control not to rip her clothes off and bury myself inside of her.

Tearing her mouth away from mine, she nibbles on my chin and throat. Her velvety lips brushing against my skin is making my heart hammer in my chest. I slide one of my hands into her shorts to grip one of her firm butt cheeks as I caress her lower back with the other. Her teasing hands slide down my chest to stroke my hard cock through my pajama pants and I groan. Squeezing my eyes shut, I let my head fall to her shoulder. Her hands are making it hard for me to breathe and her shorts are frustrating me. They are in my way and I tug on them, wanting them off of her so that all I feel beneath my hands is her glowing skin. She helps me out of my pants while I yank off her shorts along with her underwear.

In the back of my head I know that we should at least try to make it to the bed so that I can make love to her properly but her impatience is driving me wild as she pushes me back down into the chair. My eyes feast on her gorgeous, naked body and narrow as she steps away.

"Don't move." She says and disappears into my bathroom. When she comes back, she grips the condom foil with her teeth so that she can straddle me again, sliding as close to me as she can. My cock brushes her belly and I feel my desire going into overdrive as I watch her roll the condom on me. Her gentle hands and the bright blush on her cheeks break me. I crush her mouth beneath mine and guide my throbbing cock to her soft folds. She whimpers with need as I rub the tip against her wet heat before impaling her on me. God, she feels so good! She fits me unlike any other and my body shakes with excitement.

I greedily suck on her throat as her head falls back in pleasure, our hips rocking hard against each other in a perfect rhythm. Our hearts beat to the same song. It's hard for me to tell where I end and she begins. Such perfect harmony…Our climax is already so close. Our arms tightly wrapped around each other, I place my forehead against hers so that I can look into her hazel eyes.

"You're mine." I pant. "And I am yours."

Her eyes widen at my words before she gasps in pleasure and I feel her tight walls clench around me.

"Ji-Hoo-ah!" she cries out as she arches against me. My climax slams into me seconds later and I fight to keep my eyes locked with hers as a deep groan rumbles through my chest in pleasure. My hands slide down to her hips and grip her tightly against me, burying myself as deeply into her as I can. She gasps at my deep intrusion as her body continues to be rocked with spasms. The pleasure is almost too much. It's blinding. Her head falls to my shoulder and I nibble on the back of her neck, making her shiver.

Finally coming down off our high, I lean back into the chair pulling her with me. She nuzzles my neck as we try to catch our breath. I kiss the top of her head and she looks up at me. Perspiration dots her skin like jewels, her lips are swollen, bruises are already forming on her body from my possessive mouth, and she looks so amazing that I feel a jolt in my chest.

"God, you are so sexy Saia." I breathe as I caress her cheek with the back of my hand. A blush creeps up her face and she nervously bites her lips, looking away to watch her finger draw circles on my chest. Sliding my hand under her chin, I tug her face back towards mine. "Come here." I smile playfully at her and press my lips to hers for a deep, languid kiss. After a few minutes she pulls away and I murmur my disapproval. Her eyes are serious as she looks at me and she cups my face with her hands. Placing my hands over hers, I turn my head to kiss her palm.

"What is it?" I ask.

"I love you Yoon Ji-Hoo."

My heart skips a beat at her simple and sincere words.

"Nado salanghae(I love you too). We are one…and I'm never letting go."

(^_^)

Half asleep, I feel her naked warmth pull away from me in bed and I growl in protest. Looping my arm around her waist, I pull her back towards me and entangle my legs with hers. Her body shakes with laughter as her palms push against my shoulders.

"Someone is at your door."

"So?" I groan, burying my face into her chest. "They can go away." She nods and relaxes against me with a smile. As I start drifting back to sleep, she tries to pull away again. "Ani." I mumble, holding her tighter.

"Ji-Hoo… They're not leaving. It might be important!"

Prying an eye open to look up at her exasperated face, I grit my teeth in irritation at the intruder. "…Can't they just call and leave a message?" I grumble.

"Ji-Hoo!" she says sternly.

"Fine!" I groan, releasing her and burying my face into my pillow. Who the fuck could possibly be here at the butt-crack of dawn? ...Okay, so maybe it's not THAT early, but still… I'm not happy that I've been disrupted from the best sleep I've had in weeks with the woman I love in my arms.

Giving a resigned sigh, I pry one eye open again and roll out of bed to put some clothes on. Might as well follow Saia and see what asshole is at the door. If it's Jun Pyo I'll kill him… I really will… I stumble groggily down the hallway towards the front door, unable to open my other eye just yet. Scratching my head in frustration, I step behind Saia to look out the open door and freeze in shock. Feeling like ice water just got splashed in my face, I am suddenly very much awake.

"S-Seo Hyun?"

A/N: Thanks again to my amazing readers! I feel like I can never thank you enough! ^_^