Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Ordinary Smoke and Fire

Before Ethan Caldwell went on his business trip, the clarification post as well as the lawsuit announcement of the Caldwell Empire had been pushed forward by the public relations department. The correction post was published right after Ethan Caldwell and Julian Sterling arrived home. As for the lawsuit announcement, it was posted on social media platforms at eight o’clock in the evening of the same day, right at the time when people had just gotten off work and were surfing the internet for entertainment.

The atmosphere in the bedroom at this moment was extremely quiet, with only the soft sound of running water echoing from the bathroom. A moment later, the bathroom door opened, bringing with it the warm steam and the gentle fragrance of shower gel. Ethan Caldwell had just stepped out of the shower, with a few crystal-clear drops of water still lingering in his hair. He walked over, seeing Julian Sterling sprawling on the large, soft bed, the young man’s eyes glued tightly to the phone screen. The man did not say anything, merely walking closer in silence before reaching out his arms to give Julian a tight hug from behind.

“Do you want to go out for a bit?” His deep and warm voice rang out right beside Julian’s ear, shattering the tranquil atmosphere.

“Do you have another schedule tomorrow?” Julian Sterling slowly put the phone down, turning his body around to face Ethan. His eyes clearly revealed a look of wonder: “I do not think you suddenly delayed your business trip from tomorrow afternoon to the early morning of the day after that for no reason. Taking such an early flight will be extremely exhausting, and you also need time to rest.”

Ethan Caldwell smiled softly, his profound eyes looking straight at Julian: “I saw on the internet that there is a newly released movie with quite good reviews, shall we go watch it together tomorrow?”

“A date?” Julian Sterling burst into laughter, reaching out his hands to pull the tall man down to sit on the edge of the bed. Meanwhile, he knelt flat on the mattress, taking hold of the soft cotton towel and carefully starting to dry Ethan’s hair: “Tell me the truth, do you have another plan for tomorrow?”

Julian Sterling understood this man very well. Ethan was always busy with his work, so it was definitely not out of nowhere that the man would ask to go watch a movie with Julian. Thinking about the fact that he had just seen the forceful correction post from the media crisis management team on social networks, Julian Sterling curled the corners of his lips, raising his eyebrows to venture a guess: “Do you want the reporters to capture some photos, and then add a bit of material to publish an article about how much CEO Caldwell loves his husband from a commercial marriage? To prove to the public opinion that we are currently very happy?”

Ethan Caldwell did not immediately reply to Julian, simply letting the young man gently dry his wet hair. After feeling that his hair was already dry of water, the man abruptly turned his body around, stretching out his long arms to embrace Julian Sterling’s slender waist, pulling the young man tightly against his chest. He buried his head into Julian’s shoulder, and his voice came out muffled, carrying an indescribable hint of gentleness and indulgence: “Louis York said there is a cinema located very close to the central pedestrian street. Louis also mentioned that passing by there, one can find a very famous night food street with a lot of delicious dishes.”

Back when he first transmigrated here, or more accurately, when he married Ethan Caldwell , Julian Sterling really liked going to those street food stalls at night. In truth, not every stall was delicious. Some places did not guarantee hygiene, causing Julian Sterling to return home with a stomachache for the whole day. It was not out of any particular passion either; it was just that Julian Sterling wanted to experience the feeling of blending in as an ordinary person.

It brought him the sensation that he was truly alive.

During that period, occasionally Julian Sterling would jolt awake in the middle of the night, and then groggily not know who he was. Was he Julian Sterling of the other world, a lonely CEO, or the frail Julian Sterling inside some crazy novel?

Therefore, the feeling of wandering amidst the crowd, smelling all kinds of smoke, dust, and grease gave him the feeling of living, of existing.

Recalling those days and months, the corners of Julian Sterling’s lips curled up slightly. He lowered his eyes to look at the man who was burying his face into Julian’s waist, slipping his fingertips into Ethan’s still slightly damp hair, gently rubbing it: “Are you coaxing me?”

Ethan Caldwell closed his eyes to enjoy Julian’s gentle touch, his chest vibrating slightly as he let out a low “Mhm.”

This straightforward admission made Julian Sterling’s heart turn completely soft. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against the crown of Ethan’s head, whispering: “You do not need to force yourself just because you want to coax me. I know you inherently hate the suffocating smells of oily smoke at those night markets.”

Ethan Caldwell tightened his arms embracing Julian’s waist a little more: “I am not forcing myself. Occasionally tasting a bit of the smoke and fire of the mortal realm with you… is also very good.”

The words did not carry even half a point of flowery rhetoric, yet they struck hard at the softest place in Julian Sterling’s heart. He softly dropped the bath towel in his hands, resting his chin as he asked: “But will it be alright for you to spend the whole day out like that tomorrow? Does CEO Caldwell not need to go to work? After all, you have already skipped work for the entire afternoon today just to stay at home with me.”

“It is fine.” Ethan Caldwell lifted his head: “Today and all of tomorrow, my time is entirely devoted to you.”

The overflowing pampering in the depths of the man’s eyes made Julian Sterling’s breathing seem to falter for a beat. As an unconscious reward for this indulgence, he leaned forward slightly, printing a fleeting kiss upon Ethan’s thin lips.

However, right as he was about to pull back, his nape was suddenly held firmly by a large hand. Ethan Caldwell flipped his body, decisively pressing Julian down onto the soft mattress. The fleeting kiss that was like a dragonfly skimming the water from earlier was instantly transformed into a scene of storming the city and seizing the territory.

Lips and tongues intertwined and clung tightly to each other, the ambiguous sounds of water echoing wetly, leaving them breathless. Ethan Caldwell roughly yet passionately sucked on his lips, his sly tongue parting the half-closed teeth, advancing deep into the oral cavity to sweep through every corner. Their scorching breaths interlaced, and the air in the room was instantaneously scorched by the erupting flames of passion.

Julian Sterling was kissed to the point where his brain lacked oxygen, his eyes flooded in a misty layer brimming with water. Ethan Caldwell’s large hand had slipped inside Julian’s shirt at some unknown moment, bringing along a thin, rough layer of calluses to caress his slender waist, stimulating wave after wave of tremors. Julian Sterling’s throat spilled out a few broken, utterly seductive sobs. He hastily reached out his hands to push against the man’s firm chest, the final syllable carrying a coquettish pant: “Eth… don’t… I don’t want to do it…”

The man’s movements paused slightly. Ethan Caldwell took a deep breath, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down a few times as if wanting to suppress the flames of desire that were tearing through his blood vessels. Finally, the man let out a sound of agreement.

But Ethan Caldwell did not stop completely. The man’s scorching lips gradually slid down, lingeringly kissing along his jawline, before burying his head into Julian Sterling’s pristine white neck. He used strength to suck, gently biting and nibbling on the fragile skin at the collarbone, carefully leaving behind ambiguous rosy-red marks as if to declare sovereignty over his very own treasure.

After satisfyingly admiring the wet “masterpieces” scattered across Julian’s flesh, Ethan Caldwell then reached out his hand to pull the blanket up to cover Julian Sterling completely, embracing him fully in his arms. The man stroked along Julian Sterling’s spine, as if trying to soothe him. It was just that his voice still retained a slight hoarseness because he had not yet escaped from the lust: “Alright, I will listen to you, we won’t do it. A lot of things happened today and it was already too tiring. Be good, close your eyes, and go to sleep early.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep