Ling pulled Rhea more closer by the waist, half-laughing, half-challenging.
"Your turn," she said. "Don't tell me you don't have anything."
Rhea immediately shook her head. "I don't."
Ling raised a brow, clearly unconvinced. "Liar."
Rhea scoffed, trying to pull away, but Ling's arm tightened just enough to keep her there. "I'm serious."
Ling leaned in, voice low and teasing. "You hesitate before you answer. That's a tell."
Rhea rolled her eyes, then stopped fighting it. She leaned forward instead, close enough that Ling could feel her breath. "Fine," she said quietly. "But don't laugh."
Ling grinned. "No promises."
Rhea tilted her head, lips brushing Ling's cheek as she spoke, words deliberate, measured.
"Pinching your waist… right there," she said, fingers hovering but not touching, "while kissing you. Feeling you tense, but not letting you make a sound. Just—" she paused, "—kissing me back instead."
Ling froze for half a second.
Then she laughed, short and breathless, more flustered than amused. "That's unfair."
Rhea pulled back slightly, smug. "You laughed."
"Because," Ling said, shaking her head, "you said you had nothing."
Rhea shrugged. "I lied."
Ling slid her hand to Rhea's side, not pinching, just resting there, thumb warm through the fabric. "You're dangerous when you're honest."
Rhea's confidence faltered for a heartbeat. "You started it."
Ling leaned in again, forehead touching Rhea's. "Next round," she murmured, "no denying."
Rhea swallowed, then nodded once.
"Deal."
Ling's expression changed instantly—not teasing now, but focused, intent.
She shifted, gripping Rhea's waist and smoothly pulling her over, guiding her until Rhea was straddling her. Ling leaned back against the pillows, completely relaxed, eyes dark with challenge.
"Go on," Ling said softly. "Complete it."
Rhea froze for half a second, breath catching. "You're serious?"
Ling nodded once. "I said I'd let you."
Rhea swallowed, hands resting on Ling's shoulders, feeling the warmth beneath her palms. "Then don't regret it."
Ling smirked. "I won't."
Rhea leaned down just enough for their faces to be close, her hair falling like a curtain around them. "I'll pinch harder," she said quietly, voice steady but low. "And I won't let you make a sound. Not even a breath you can't control. Think again before saying yes."
Ling's smile faltered—just slightly.
"That confident, huh?" Ling murmured, though her voice wasn't as light anymore.
Rhea nodded, eyes locked onto hers. "You laugh too easily. I'd make you bite it back."
Ling exhaled, a slow breath through her nose. "You talk like you already know how."
"I do," Rhea replied simply.
Ling's hands moved to Rhea's waist, thumbs pressing lightly—not doing what Rhea described, just enough to acknowledge it. "Careful," she said. "You're enjoying this."
Rhea leaned closer, their foreheads almost touching. "You asked."
Ling let out a quiet laugh, softer now, almost undone. "I said fantasy," she said. "Not execution."
Rhea straightened slightly, easing the tension just enough to tease. "Then stop provoking me."
Ling looked up at her, eyes bright, voice honest for once. "I like it when you don't back down."
Rhea shifted her weight, still above her, and smirked. "Then don't challenge me unless you're ready."
Ling closed her eyes for a second, then opened them again, smiling—slow, dangerous.
"Do it," Ling said again—quiet, deliberate.
Rhea hesitated only a heartbeat.
"Don't move," Rhea warned softly.
Ling's lips curved. "I won't."
Rhea leaned in, closing the space between them. Her hand slid to Ling's side, fingers firm, confident. Ling sucked in a sharp breath—
—but Rhea kissed her instantly, deep and unyielding, stealing the sound before it could escape.
Ling stiffened under her, eyes widening. She tried to laugh it off, tried to exhale through it—
Rhea didn't let her.
Her kiss stayed there, steady, controlled, like a promise she was determined to keep. Her other hand held Ling exactly where she wanted, grip precise, unrelenting.
Ling's hands fisted in the bedsheet.
Rhea broke the kiss just enough to murmur, "I said no sound."
Ling nodded quickly, jaw tight, eyes burning. "You're cruel," she mouthed.
Rhea smirked and kissed her again, slower now, just as intense but deliberate, as if reminding her who had the upper hand. Ling's shoulders shook with a silent laugh she swallowed immediately.
When Rhea finally eased back, Ling was staring at the ceiling, chest rising and falling.
"Well?" Rhea asked, pretending calm though her own pulse was racing. "Still think I was bluffing?"
Ling turned her head slowly, eyes dark, impressed—and very undone.
"…I regret nothing," Ling said hoarsely.
"Don't stop," she said, voice low but steady, almost daring. "I won't regret it."
Rhea paused just enough to meet her eyes. "You remember what I told you, right? This was start."
Ling's lips curved. "Your fantasy," she said softly. "I remember."
Rhea leaned in, close enough that Ling could feel her breath. "Then don't laugh," Rhea warned. "And don't make a sound."
Ling tried to look serious. Tried.
Rhea's hand slid to Ling's waist, fingers finding the line of her abs with deliberate intent—not rough, not rushed, just precise. She twisted skin there hard. She leaned in and kissed Ling at the same moment, slow and claiming, as if the kiss itself was a lock.
Ling did laugh—but it was trapped, cut off instantly by Rhea's mouth.
Her shoulders jerked in a small wince, more surprise than pain, eyes squeezing shut for half a second. She pressed her lips harder into the kiss, trying to breathe through it without giving herself away.
Rhea felt it. The tension. The way Ling's body reacted despite herself.
"That," Rhea murmured against her lips, barely audible, "is exactly what I meant."
Ling opened her eyes, amused and affected at the same time. "You're enjoying this way too much."
Rhea smiled, unapologetic. "You said you wouldn't regret it."
Ling swallowed, then laughed quietly, the sound muffled against Rhea's shoulder as she leaned in closer. "I don't," she admitted. "I really don't."
Rhea eased back just enough to look at her, thumb brushing Ling's side in a gentler motion now. "Good," she said. "Because fantasies aren't meant to be rushed."
Ling reached for her, pulling her in again, forehead touching Rhea's.
"Then don't rush," Ling whispered. "Stay."