She sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her. Mio blushed as he walked over.


    "Reba, are you sure you want me to sleep with you?"


    "I''m used to holding something when I sleep," Reba said, her big blue eyes gazing at him quietly.


    "Alright, then I''ll turn off the lights." Mio walked to the side, turned off the lights, and cautiouslyy down beside her.


    The moment he got into bed, Reba''s body moved closer to his. His body stiffened, and he struggled to suppress the restlessness in his heart.


    Reba leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Mio, I''m not satisfied."


    "Hm? Not satisfied with what?" Mio tried to ignore the sensation of her breath tickling his ear.


    "That kiss. I washed it away," Reba said suddenly, then gently bit his earlobe. Even Mio, who could be slow at times, understood what she meant.


    "Reba, you..."


    In the darkness, Reba''s fingers slid into his pajamas, her touch sending shivers across his skin.


    Being touched by the woman he loved, especially in the dark, made his heartbeat race uncontrobly.


    "Take me," Reba said suddenly. "I want to be your woman."


    Her straightforward words struck Mio''s heart. Many times, he had responded to Reba''s kisses with desire. It wasn''t that he didn''t want her-it was that he respected her.


    "Reba, I never thought about marriage before. But after meeting you, I started dreaming of having a home. I want to give you a home. I want to marry you. So, Reba, I want to wait until we''re married..."


    "Mio, are you secretly so traditional?" Reba was surprised. She had thought Mio was holding back because he feared she might reject him.


    Now that she had made the first move, he should agree, right? But to her surprise, Mio had always nned to wait until their wedding night.


    "Because I want to be responsible for you."


    "Don''t you want me?" Reba asked, suddenly feeling a little sorry for this serious


    man.


    "I do. But it''s okay-I can control myself. I..." Before he could finish, Reba kissed him, silencing all his words in that kiss.


    She had assumed Mio was a rogue, but she hadn''t expected him to have such firm principles and such an adorably genuine side.


    "Reba, I won''t take the final step tonight, but I can make you feel good in other ways. Do you want to try?" Mio''s voice drifted over.


    "What ways?" Now it was Reba''s turn to be surprised.


    "You''ll know soon enough," Mio said softly.


    By the time they stopped, Reba''s face was flushed, and her body was limp as shey in Mio''s arms.


    "Mio, you... you''re awful," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.


    "Do you like it?" he asked.


    "Hmph... I won''t say."


    "Not saying means you liked it. Reba, in a few days, can I visit your parents?" Mio kissed her hair.


    "Pfft, what you just said sounds like something from centuries ago."


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    "Our family has always been strict with its children, so I guess I''m traditional deep down. But I''m worried-what if your parents don''t like me?"


    Reba could hear the concern in his voice. "Don''t worry. My parents are very open- minded. As long as we''re happy, they won''t say anything. Now I sud nly want to marry you sooner."


    "Really?" Mio''s eyes lit up. "You want to have a home with me sooner?"


    "No, I want to have you sooner." Reba was blunt. The strange feeling Mio had given


    her earlier was something she had never experienced before.


    "You... I don''t even know what to say. Let''s get some rest. We have work tomorrow." Mio was overjoyed that Reba didn''t reject his actions but instead liked them.


    "Mm." Reba hugged him around the neck and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, my


    Mio."


    "Goodnight, my love."


    Reba slept soundly in Mio''s arms, but Mio spent half the night restless. The woman he loved was right beside him, yet he couldn''t do anything. It was pure torture.


    The next morning, Reba woke up suddenly from a dream. She instinctively reached for the person beside her, only to find Mio gone.


    "Mio..." She rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked to the living room, but it was empty. Hearing noises from the kitchen, she followed the sound and found Mio frying eggs. "You''re awake? Go wash your face ande have breakfast," Mio said, holding a spat and expertly flipping the eggs.


    The warm morning sunlight streamed into the kitchen. The sizzling of oil filled the air, and Mio stood by the stove, an apron tied around his waist, spat in hand.


    Reba felt a warmth in her heart and hugged him from behind. "Mio, I suddenly feel so lucky."


    "Hm?" Mio was already used to Reba''s asional bouts of affection and loved this side of her.


    Reba nuzzled the back of his neck. "Because so many women used to like you, but none of them ever saw the real you. None of them knew how wonderful you are. But I get to see what they couldn''t and have what they never will."


    "Reba, you''re wrong. Meeting you is the greatest luck of my life." Mio put down the spat and turned to embrace her.


    Their eyes were filled with love for each other. Reba, still wearing only his oversized pajama shirt, revealed faint glimpses of her curves.


    "You little vixen, tempting me so early in the morning. Are you trying to torture me?" Mio sighed.


    "I wanted to test your self-control, Mr. Walsh," Reba teased with a yful smile.


    "Mr. Walsh''s self-control isn''t as good as you think. Go change your clothes, or I might actually eat you up."


    "Go ahead. I''d like to see you try," Reba said boldly.


    "You troublemaker. Look, the eggs are burnt." Mio sighed helplessly as he scraped the burnt eggs out of the pan and cracked another egg into it with practiced ease. Watching his fluid movements, Reba looked amazed. "Mio, you can cook?" "Yeah. I learned when I was a kid. My parents passed away early, and an old nanny took care of me. She was elderly, so I didn''t want her to work too hard, and I learned to cook with her.


    Later, when I had money, I picked up some bad habits. I didn''t like having people in my house. Except for social events, I always cooked at home. I''m no chef, but it''s edible."


    "I just discovered another one of your talents. How can you be this amazing?" Reba looked at him as if she''d found a treasure.


    "For you, I''ll learn even more. Now, stop distracting me, or this egg will burn too." Mio smiled helplessly.


    Only then did Reba leave the kitchen, her face glowing with the joy of a woman in love.