My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 91: Limited-Time Hot Kiss

This was clearly a proposal that took Celia Sterling by surprise:

"Why?"

According to the plan, they were to get their marriage certificate a week before the wedding. With Silas Norwood now pushing to move it up so significantly, she couldn’t help but wonder:

"Has our marriage alliance been compromised by some outside factor? Is something wrong?"

His upbringing prevented Silas Norwood from saying something as crass as wanting to fast-track things to the bedroom. But indecisiveness wasn’t his style, so he hinted obliquely:

"Cece, your boyfriend is turning thirty-one after the New Year..."

Celia didn’t quite catch his meaning. "Silas, I don’t think you’re old."

Silas sighed and spoke more plainly. "If Cece keeps teasing a man my age a few more times, he’s liable to... malfunction."

"When did I ever tease you?" Celia finally understood his meaning, and her face grew hot.

Silas Norwood lowered his head, his gaze so intense it felt tangible. It slowly traced her form from the ground up: from her sexy, delicate toes curled into the carpet, to her luminous legs, then to her slender, supple waist, and finally, to the plunging line of her dress with its subtle cutouts...

Celia’s face flushed crimson.

Silas Norwood’s cool, clear voice was tinged with a slight hoarseness. "If that’s not teasing, then what is?"

"You’re the one who picked it out, Silas."

"Yes, I did."

’The dress, yes. But more importantly, the woman wearing it.’

"So, Cece, are you willing to get our marriage certificate a little sooner?" His gentle exterior concealed a forceful will, patiently guiding her toward his ultimate goal. "As for me... I’d say I’m a dish with decent presentation. And I imagine I taste pretty good, too."

’What does he mean, "tastes pretty good"?’

"Who compares themself to a dish..." Celia mumbled, her head hung low in embarrassment. "I... I’m okay with getting the certificate early, but my brother has to agree to it."

Silas naturally knew he couldn’t get this past Kian Sterling. The pad of his finger gently grazed her cheek. "I’ll go talk to him right now."

He paused. "Your brother is a formidable man. Before I go see him, can I get a little courage from you, Cece?"

Celia looked up at him, her eyes misty. "What kind of courage?"

Silas didn’t say a word. Instead, the pad of his finger slowly traced a path from her cheek to her lips.

Celia’s heart suddenly began to race. In the next instant, the lights in the room dimmed. The man lowered his head gently, his cool, elegant aura, like ice and snow, slowly enveloping her. But the moment his lips met hers, that coolness erupted into a scorching, decadent heat.

Celia grabbed his shirt by reflex. Beneath the thin fabric, she could feel his body tensed to its absolute limit. On top of that, what began as a restrained, forbearing kiss was gradually spiraling into a feverish, devouring one...

It slowly dawned on her that beneath his prim and placid exterior, he had already lost control completely.

This was nothing like their previous, fleeting kisses.

It was a long kiss, so long that Celia found herself breathless several times.

It was the first time she had so clearly felt a man’s dominant presence, and a slight shiver ran through her.

"Cece..." he murmured hoarsely in a brief pause. "Can we... make this a daily perk?"

Celia’s eyes were glistening as she looked at him, so enveloped in his presence she couldn’t form a word.

Silas sighed, his voice growing even huskier.

"What kind of self-respecting, soon-to-be-married couple is like us? Where I have to treat getting a kiss like some rare holiday bonus..."

The man’s eyes shimmered. His usual cool, ascetic demeanor was gone, as if he’d been yanked from his pedestal and plunged into the mortal torrent of desire, his mind consumed with the "candy" he so desperately craved. He was already famous in their circle for his stunning looks, and now, with him purposefully trying to seduce her, Celia’s mind went blank. Before she could think, she was on her tiptoes, tangling with him once more.

"From now on, the candy supply is unlimited."

Half an hour later, Silas Norwood emerged from Celia Sterling’s room. His amber eyes were slightly unfocused, and his collar was in disarray as he headed for the bathroom.

He needed to get an express pass from Kian Sterling.

It took a full hour under a cold shower before he regained his cool, aristocratic composure and knocked on the door to Kian Sterling’s bedroom.

Kian Sterling seemed to have been expecting him. He had already let the liquor breathe, filling two exquisite, small amber cups. He shot Silas a placid glance.

"Do you drink baijiu? ’92 Han Di Maotai. Shall we have a couple of glasses?"

Silas Norwood sat opposite him with practiced grace. "I’ll drink."

His slender fingers closed around one of the cups. He took a small, deliberate sip, not forgetting his main purpose. "Kade, I have something to discuss with you."

"As long as you’re not here to move up the wedding date, we can talk." Kian Sterling gave him a look that said he saw right through him, cutting him off at the pass without mercy.

Silas pressed on, calm and composed. "Given our families’ situations, this marriage is bound to be a permanent alliance. Kade, why quibble over two months, sooner or later?"

"If it’s going to happen sooner or later anyway, then why are you in such a rush for these two months?"

"We’re both men, Kade. You’re asking a question you already know the answer to." Silas lowered his gaze, slowly straightening his bathrobe. Beneath it, his skin was ice-cold—a testament to the long, cold shower he’d taken—but the fire in his gut still hadn’t been fully extinguished.

"All these years, every time I’ve seen you, you’ve had the air of an ascetic," Kian scoffed. "I never thought your self-control would be this pathetic when it comes to Cece."

Silas gave a faint hum of acknowledgment, not bothering to deny it.

For a moment, Kian was silent, slowly turning the exquisite, beautiful cup over in his palm.

After a long moment, he let out a cold laugh. "If it were Declan Norwood making this request, I would’ve thrown this drink in his face already."

Silas waited quietly for him to continue.

"And if I refuse, Silas Norwood, what will you do?" Kian’s tone was cold and laced with dominance.

Silas’s tone was even, his gaze meeting Kian’s calmly. "Ultimately, this marriage is between Cece and me. You’re overstepping, Kade. As the man who will be her most intimate companion, I feel it’s necessary for us to have a talk about what constitutes personal boundaries."

Kian laughed, a sound devoid of humor. "You’re not even trying to hide how eager you are. It’s not a good look."

’Not a good look?’

’Actually getting to eat is more important than how it looks.’

Silas laid his cards on the table. "The Metropia South District project—all eight great families have their eye on it. I can help you secure it, Kade. I’ve also heard rumblings from overseas. If there’s ever internal strife within the Sterlings, I guarantee I will stand with you and you alone. Furthermore, since it was my impetuous request to change the date, I will double the original betrothal gifts. What do you say, Kade?"

"I say no." Kian’s tone grew colder, sharpened with a severe edge. "As far as I’m concerned, Cece has never been, and will never be, a bargaining chip for securing advantages."

Silas looked at Kian intently. "I have never seen her as a bargaining chip."

Kian downed his drink in one go. A faint heat spread from his throat through his body. His scrutinizing gaze remained fixed on Silas’s face for a long, heavy moment.

"When you proposed switching places with Declan for this marriage... did you want to marry Cece the person, or her status as the heiress of the Sterlings?"