It didn’t take long for Erin Xavier to get the game pod installed.

He played with Zoe Pierce for the better part of the day, then got out of the pod and started to prepare dinner for her.

After he left the game, Zoe Pierce only played for a short while before stopping.

Compared to the game, the Erin Xavier of this moment was clearly far more intriguing to her.

She silently logged out of the game and extended her spiritual power.

The man stood in the kitchen with his back to her, wearing an apron with his sleeves rolled up.

A robot was peeling shrimp beside him, while Erin Xavier was in charge of cooking them.

The kitchen was bustling with activity.

Judging by his movements, he was clearly skilled.

He even bantered with the robot. "Have you memorized how to do it?"

The robot replied mechanically, "The recipe has been recorded."

This type of household robot had long been capable of cooking. The only difference between them and humans was creativity—the ability to innovate and create dishes that perfectly suited their master’s palate.

And Erin Xavier’s cooking, under Mrs. Lewis’s guidance, had that innovative touch.

In high spirits, he turned and glanced at the game pods outside. His gaze suddenly froze for a moment. Then, a small smile touched his lips. He washed and dried his hands before walking out of the kitchen.

To Zoe Pierce’s astonishment, he then pressed the button on the side of her game pod.

He braced a hand on the edge of the pod, his eyes meeting Zoe Pierce’s. "Do you really need to put on an act just to watch me?"

A connected pod would have a green light, but the one on Zoe’s was red.

She was clearly faking it.

Busted. Zoe Pierce couldn’t keep up the pretense and sat up inside the game pod.

"How did you know?" She was confident in her spiritual power. ’It couldn’t have been that.’

Erin Xavier leaned in close. "Kiss me, and I’ll tell you."

If she just turned her head, her lips would meet his.

Zoe Pierce’s hand gripped the pod’s handle, his soft breath brushing against her cheek.

She turned her head slightly, her lips brushing past his in a flash. She frowned in annoyance. "Now tell me."

Erin Xavier cupped the back of her head. Unlike her fleeting touch, his kiss landed deeper, grinding against her lips until he was satisfied before letting go.

Zoe Pierce stared at him, her eyes wide.

Her lips were a deep, flushed red.

He helped her up, then unhurriedly gave her the answer.

"Zoe Pierce, keep me company." Seeing she no longer wanted to play, Erin Xavier took her by the wrist and led her toward the kitchen. "I’ll cook for you, and you can watch me. Is that too much to ask?"

Zoe Pierce rubbed her nose awkwardly. Of course, it wasn’t too much to ask.

In fact, besides Erin Xavier, Zoe Pierce couldn’t think of a single other man who had ever cooked for her.

Erin Xavier had no intention of letting Zoe Pierce lift a finger. He just had her stand aside while he and the robot worked together with swift efficiency.

No matter how many times she watched, it always felt magical.

Even without turning around, Erin Xavier could feel her gaze on him. "I used to wonder..."

"What it would be like if I had a family of my own?"

If his mother’s health had been a little better, if his father had loved his mother a little more...

But there are no ’what ifs,’ so his hopes had always been pinned on his own future family.

"I imagined the lady of the house and the robot bustling about, waiting for me to come home." It was a corny, unimaginative fantasy.

He turned on the stove, then turned to look at Zoe Pierce. "But now... I think having the lady of the house watch me and the robot bustle around for her... that doesn’t seem so bad either."

He tilted his head with a smile and stepped closer to Zoe Pierce.

"And then, the lady of the house should probably reward this man, don’t you think?"

’This guy can’t go more than a few sentences without asking for a kiss.’

Zoe Pierce felt a bit helpless, but she couldn’t help being moved by his words.

’It’s really hard to be stern with someone who is constantly trying to please her.’

Besides, the two of them were already far more intimate than most.

As if to say ’what the hell,’ Zoe Pierce resignedly wrapped her arms around his neck and, for the first time, initiated a kiss.

It wasn’t a short kiss. In fact, it went a step further.

Erin Xavier could still savor the memory of her initiative, of how she’d become entangled with him.

It stirred a storm inside him.

He braced his hands on the wall behind her, pressing his hips forward to meet her.

When the kiss finally ended, both Erin Xavier and Zoe Pierce were breathing softly.

"This is the second time you’ve initiated."

"The last time, during your heat, you were just like this. You drove me insane."

Erin Xavier’s hands only dared to remain braced on the wall. He didn’t dare touch her, afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold back and would scare her again.

Heat.

Zoe Pierce suddenly thought of the mark on the back of her neck. The last time her gland acted up, Erin Xavier had been by her side.

Afterward, he had only apologized for the incident, never explaining what had actually happened. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Only now, after they had done all this while clear-headed, was he finally willing to tell her.

"What else did I do...?" Zoe Pierce’s scalp tingled. ’So, does that mean I can’t really blame Erin Xavier?’

’He was seduced by me, is that why this happened?’

Erin Xavier’s eyes flickered, and he embellished the story without a shred of guilt. "You kissed me. Begged me to mark you."

His eyes glanced down at her full chest. "You even rubbed these against me."

Zoe Pierce was completely stunned. She had no memory of any of it, of course.

"But the worst part was what you did to this." He pointed to his canines, the source of his Alpha pheromones, and flicked his tongue out to demonstrate.

His gesture was an accusation of her actions back then.

Zoe Pierce was dumbstruck. "No way..."

"You’re lying..." But with the look on Erin Xavier’s face, it was impossible to tell if he was telling the truth.

Erin Xavier snorted. "I knew you wouldn’t admit it. If I hadn’t knocked you unconscious back then, we would’ve already been together."

Together in a way that’s even more intimate, more complete, than we are now.

"I was this close," Erin Xavier said. "I honestly wanted to take you completely."

He’d wake in the middle of the night, his heart pounding at the memory of her seduction, and find himself sitting in his mecha, drenched in sweat and utterly spent, a pathetic mess.

Her body was wreathed in his scent, and she seduced him, clinging to him like a snake.

Zoe Pierce suddenly grew tense. "The temporary mark... it’s about to wear off, isn’t it?"

Erin Xavier did a quick mental calculation. It was true. "It’ll probably be gone by the time you see Miles. Do you want Miles to mark you?"

"Or..." Is there someone else you’ve set your heart on?

Zoe Pierce shot him a look. ’Can’t I just use an inhibitor?’

’Once it wears off, my pheromones should go back to normal. I won’t necessarily need an Alpha’s pheromones then, right?’

Erin Xavier whispered in Zoe Pierce’s ear, "Zoe Pierce, do you know why Chase won’t make a move on you?"

His sudden mention of Chase Shaw made Zoe Pierce fall silent.

"Because a mark is exclusive."

"I marked you. If he were to do anything to you, you would get hurt."

"Your pheromones affect me too. During this time, I can’t smell any other Omega. I can only smell you."

"Right now, I’m yours, and you’re mine."

"You have to believe me. As long as you’re not willing, I won’t do anything to you. I held back before, let alone now."

Erin Xavier’s intensity subsided, and his fingers finally dared to caress her face. "So, don’t be afraid of me, okay?"