Chapter 259: Did That Man Just....

Chapter 259

Early the next day, Alex woke up slowly, the way a man does after just having one of the best sleep of his entire life.

He yawned so wide that his jaw practically popped, then stretched his long powerful arms over his head and let out a long happy groan full of satisfaction. Pale morning light slipped through the gap in the curtains and painted a thin gold line across the room. For a few seconds he just lay there, staring at the ceiling and smiling like an idiot.

Last night had been one of the best nights of his entire life. For once, he hadn’t needed to hold anything back. Every time he had been with someone before, there had always been a small voice in his head telling him to be careful, to stay gentle and not risk injuring one of his women. Even with people like Doris, Jade, Annie and Celine he always suppressed himself subconsciously.

But since Claire was an Ascendant Realm Awakened, and her body could take far more than a normal woman’s. He could finally let himself go, and boy, had it felt good.

He turned his head to the side where Claire was sleeping right next to him, with one arm and one leg thrown over his body like a very satisfied octopus. Her red hair was a wild mess spread all over the pillow, and a few strands of it stuck to her cheek. Her lips were slightly open, and she was breathing slow and deep, with her face tucked against his shoulder.

Alex looked at her for a long time.

She looked so peaceful that it was hard to believe she was the same woman who had once slapped him in a convenience store and threatened to burn his hand into ash. There was no frown on her face or fierce fire in her eyes. She looked soft, almost like a beautiful lady. Nobody who saw her right now would ever guess that she could be as fierce and fiery as a spicy bell pepper.

’She’s actually really pretty when she isn’t yelling,’ he thought.

He gently pushed a strand of hair off her face with one finger which caused Claire to make a small noise in her sleep and snuggled closer, causing Alex to almost laugh. Almost!

"Well," he whispered at last, "I can’t stay here all day, can I?"

[Oh, so you finally woke up, sleeping beauty?]

The chibi popped into the air above his chest, with her little legs crossed and a huge smirk on her face. She was holding a tiny pair of imaginary binoculars and pointing them at him.

[Ooooh, look at that face. I haven’t seen that goofy smile since you ate the first bite of your ice cream. Did somebody have a good night?]

’Keep your voice down,’ Alex thought, glancing at Claire. ’She’s still asleep.’

[She can’t hear me, remember? Only you can.] The chibi snapped her fingers. [And since you’re so happy, let’s make it even better.]

A blue translucent panel appeared in front of his eyes, one he had seen so many times that it almost felt like an old friend.

[Ding! Claire is now eligible to be a potential harem member.]

[Do you want to add her?]

Alex looked at the sleeping woman in his arms. He had just slept with her and felt sort of responsible for her. Besides, he needed more and more women to join his harem slot. So there was no way he was going to leave her behind. Not after all that.

’Add her,’ he said silently.

[Ding! Claire has now been successfully added to your harem.]

[Bond Established.]

[Harem Slot Usage: 8/∞]

[+100 Desire Points added for successfully adding an Awakened woman.]

[Congratulations! Host has achieved the Fifth conquest of an Awakened!]

The chibi clapped her hands and did a flip in the air.

[Fifth Awakened already! At this rate you’ll probably have about a hundred by next year. Okay, now let’s get to the good part. Your rewards for last night are...]

’Wait, wait, hold on,’ Alex cut in quickly. ’Can you hold off on the rest of the rewards until I get back somewhere safe?’

The chibi stopped in the middle of her flip.

[Huh? Why?]

’Because I’m pretty sure I have enough Desire Energy now to break through. If I level up to Master Realm right here, it’s going to affect the whole building. Maybe even the area around it. I don’t want to blow up a hotel full of sleeping people. Or wake up this hot tempered woman right here with a power surge.’

[Ohhh. That makes sense.] The chibi put a finger on her chin and nodded. [Good thinking, big guy. You’re getting smarter every day. Fine, I’ll hold on to everything until you’re somewhere safe. Okey dokey!]

’Thanks. I owe you one.’

[You owe me a lot of things. Don’t get me started.] She tilted her head. [Hmm... Wait a second. Aren’t you forgetting something?]

Alex frowned. "Forgetting something?"

[Yes. Something important. Something you promised. Something involving a food.]

’What are you talking about...’

Then it hit him like a truck. Dinner! He had promised Celine that he would cook dinner last night. A real meal, no takeout or anything. That had been the deal for the Rocky Road ice cream. And instead of going home, he had spent the whole night in bed with Claire. Celine must probably have been waiting at home with an empty kitchen and an empty stomach.

All of the color drained from Alex’s face.

"Shit," he whispered.

[Shit is right, She is going to be bonkers. I think I can already hear the cold threats from here.]

Alex sat up so fast that Claire’s arm slid off his body. He froze, afraid she would wake up, but she only mumbled something and rolled over onto her stomach, hugging a pillow. Her bare back rose and fell with each slow breath, and the white sheet slipped down to her waist.

He let out a quiet breath of relief and slid off the bed on his tiptoes.

’Okay. Okay. Think. Celine is going to be furious, but if I get home fast, maybe I can fix this. I’ll make her breakfast. A really good breakfast.’ He rubbed his forehead. ’One that’ll have her not wanting to kill me.’

[That’s the spirit! Suffering is good for the soul.]

He hurried into the bathroom and took the fastest shower of his life, just a couple of minutes under the hot water to wash away the sweat and the smell of perfume. When he came out, he found his clothes scattered all over the floor. His shirt was hanging off a lamp. One sock was on the broken TV. He still had no idea how his belt had ended up on top of the curtain rod.

He pulled everything on as fast as he could. Then, with his jacket in one hand, he walked back to the bed and looked at Claire one last time.

She was still sound asleep. Her face was turned toward him, her lips slightly parted, her red hair spilling everywhere. For a moment he almost stayed.

He bent down and gently kissed her forehead.

"Thanks for last night," he whispered.

Then he went to the phone on the nightstand and called the front desk. He asked them to send up a big breakfast for the lady in room 1806, with coffee, eggs, pancakes, fruit, and whatever else they had, and to charge it to the room. He hung up, took one more look at the sleeping woman, and quietly walked out of the room.

The door closed behind him with a soft click. Inside the room, everything went silent for a few seconds. Then Claire’s eyes snapped wide open.

She stared at the door for a long time without moving. Her mind was still foggy, but she already knew. She could feel the cold space in the bed next to her. She could hear the empty silence where there should have been another person breathing. He was gone. Just like that. No note, no goodbye, nothing.

A strange, heavy feeling pressed against her chest, and she was shocked to realize it was disappointment.

’He left so fast...’

She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest, and her face burned. What was she thinking? Why should she care? It was one night. She was the one who had said it herself. One night, just to get it out of her system, and then they could go their separate ways. That was the whole point.

"Stupid," she muttered, slapping her own cheeks with both hands. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. You’re a grown woman, Claire. Get a grip!"

She took a deep breath, then another, and finally let her eyes wander around the room for the first time that morning.

Then she gasped.

The room looked like a war zone. The king-sized bed was broken in the middle, with one side sunk down to the floor like a collapsed bridge. The mattress was tilted at a crazy angle. A lamp lay shattered by the wall, and the curtain rod was bent. There was a long crack running down the wall near the window, and she could swear the chandelier was hanging a little crooked. The whole place looked like a small tornado had come through it.

"Oh no," Claire whispered. "Oh, no, no, no."

She remembered all of the noises they made yesterday night. She also remembered how the entire building had shaken. And, with a face that went from pink to deep red, exactly how and why it had happened.

’We really did trash this place.’

Her eyes fell on the empty spot next to her, then on the door, then on the destroyed bed. Slowly, a terrible thought crept into her mind. The way he had run away so quickly before she even woke up.

Her eye started to twitch.

’Wait a second. Did that man just run away to escape paying for the damages?!’

She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white. Then her Aura flared, Causing the entire room temperature to climb up like a rocket on steroids.

"That damned man!" she hissed through her teeth. "I’m going to burn him alive the second I get a hold of him!"