Chapter 29 Bake

<Mia>

I felt his hand caress my shoulder, moving up and down, sending shivers down my spine with each touch.

His breath was heavy, and I couldn't help but gaze at him.

His nose had a perfect shape, and my eyes inadvertently landed on his Adam's apple. It was so prominent.

And his arms were so muscular and strong.

I was startled when I realized he was looking at me, and I couldn't move as he leaned closer to me.

We had kissed many times before.

His lips touched mine, and he kissed me passionately, pulling me closer to him.

I responded to his kisses. I had kissed many men before, so I knew how to kiss.

He kissed me with hunger, and I matched each of his kisses. He bit my lower lip and his tongue entered my mouth. Our tongues danced together like swords in battle.

I placed my hands on his neck to find support while his hand found its way inside my clothes.

I moaned when he cupped my right breast. I pressed my body against his.

I moaned again as he squeezed it, feeling a surge of heat throughout my body. Meanwhile, he continued devouring my lips.

Then I felt his palms on both of my breasts. He laid me down on the sofa, never breaking our kisses. He straddled me, but he didn't put all his weight on me.

Someone knocked on the door, but we ignored it.

"Ethan? Mia?!"

It was Ate Ann!

"Mia? Is your husband there?!" she shouted at the door.

I pushed Ethan away abruptly. I didn't want his sister to catch us in such an intimate moment.

"Yes, Ate! He's here!" I stammered, trying to compose myself.

I stood up and went to the door to let her in, feeling awkward as I glanced at Ethan.

She peeked through the door, and I looked at what she was looking at. Ethan, with a scowl on his face and furrowed brows. His hair was disheveled, and his black shirt was slightly wrinkled.

"They're looking for you downstairs. You're the only one missing," his sister said.

"Are they starting to drink?" I asked her.

She nodded, "Yes, they're waiting for him because he left. He needs to come down." She looked at me with a strange expression.

Did she notice that we were kissing based on our faces?

I went to Ethan, who was still scowling.

"Let's continue our unfinished business," he grumbled, pulling me by the hand, but I didn't budge.

"They're already drinking, and you have to ask for permission to leave? What about joining them first?"

His brow furrowed even more, "I left them when they were starting to set everything. I haven't had a drink yet. I'll stay here, and let's continue our unfinished business."

He pulled me back onto his lap.

"Have some shame, they might think something," I said, adjusting his messy hair. It had grown quite long and had a slight curl to it.

"We're married. There's nothing wrong with it. They're expecting a child from us, so they shouldn't disturb us," he said, his brows still furrowed.

I got up from his lap and faced him.

I playfully pinched his cheeks.

"Let's just cuddle instead," I suggested.

"Come on, hubby," I tried to sweeten my voice.

"Don't you want to be with me?" he said, sounding a bit hurt.

"It's not like that, they're expecting you, and they're waiting for you," I explained.

"Then come with me," he insisted, standing up and pulling me along.

"No, please," I protested. I wasn't close to the people here.

"I'll talk to my sister to accompany you if you don't want to be with me," he grumbled.

"I'll just go to sleep, Ethan," I declined.

He opened the door.

"No, have a bonding moment with my family," he urged.

"And I'll watch over you, okay? I won't drink that much," he reassured me.

I didn't argue any further, as I made my way downstairs.

"Oh, there you are. Come here, Mia, join us in baking," one of the doctors, I think she's a medical doctor, invited me.

"You see, they want to bond with you," Ethan whispered to me.

I think he noticed that I wasn't engaging much with his family.

He escorted me to the kitchen, where all the women, including his aunts and female cousins, were gathered. Some of his cousins were already older.

"Take care of my wife, okay?" he told them, and I blushed at his words. We were still holding hands.

"Yes, boss, as if you're going to a different country, you're just in the backyard," Ate Ann teased while mixing something.

"I'll just be in the backyard. Come find me if you need anything, okay?"

I nodded, feeling shy as they all looked at me.

"Let's sleep together, wait for me," he said.

I nodded again, and he suddenly kissed me on the lips, causing everyone around us to cheer.

My face turned red.

Ethan left me with.

Hearing their conversation, I couldn't help but eavesdrop. I pretended to grab something nearby to get closer to them. Ate Ann had asked me to assist her, but I took the opportunity to listen.

"I heard that the woman Ethan was supposed to marry is coming here," one of their aunts whispered. It was actually a bit loud.

"I heard that too," another one chimed in.

"Auntie, here's the flour," their cousin approached them, and I continued with my task of mixing.

"What happened that Ethan ended up marrying someone else?" their maroon-haired aunt asked.

"I don't know about that old man, he's the parents of those kids. I just found out that our nephew is getting married," one of them explained.

I stopped what I was doing and approached them, trying to get closer to hear better. They were whispering among themselves, a bit distant from where I was.

I pretended to grab something so that I could be closer to them. Ate Ann had given me a task, so it wasn't intentional for me to hear that.

"Uh, are you talking about Ethan?" their cousin asked, and the two of them nodded.

They started placing the finished products in the large oven.

"Just be quiet, they might hear you, Ethan's wife," their aunt with shoulder-length hair reminded them.

"Ethan's wife is fine, she's beautiful even if she's short," one of their cousins commented.

Me? Short? I'm not short at 4'11

"They look cute together because of their big height difference," she added.

"That woman is supposed to visit tomorrow, but I think she's coming tonight. Maybe it will be tomorrow since it's already late," the maroon-haired aunt said.

"Well, maybe that's what Ethan wanted, and the old man just forced our nephew to marry his current wife. She's beautiful, tall, and slightly tanned. I also heard that she's a doctor," the maroon-haired aunt shrugged.

"Have you seen her? Do you have a picture? I want to see her. I've never heard about her," said the cousin.

Ethan is supposed to marry her, not me? Why do I feel a pang in my heart?

It hurts to hear that.

She's a doctor, while I haven't pursued my own career. I wish I hadn't listened to their conversation.

"She's a dermatologist. She even has her own clinic. Do you want to pretend to have a dermatology appointment just to see her?" their excited aunt suggested.

I returned to my seat and stopped listening to them.

If she was the one Ethan was supposed to marry, what happened? Why did it end up being me?

"Mia, are you done there?"

I looked at her. She left her task for me to complete. She must have done something.

"I'm done, Ate."

She smiled at me and took it from me.

"This should be good enough," she commented as she examined it.

"Don't we want to have a barbecue? The marinated meat has been in the fridge for so long, it might reach a year there," the cousin suggested.

"Aunt Aurora, is this ready?" Ate Ann asked.

Ah, so the name of one of them is Aurora.

"They're already being cooked," Ate Ann replied to her female cousin.

"This should be fine. Maira, you finished all the cookies you baked, right?" Aunt Aurora said.

"If I can't finish them, I'll just give them to the nurses at the hospital," she responded.

"Don't you want barbecue? My husband is cooking," another one of their relatives suddenly entered the kitchen, holding a large skewer.

"Save me plenty! That's my favorite!" Maira exclaimed loudly and ran out.

"Let's go outside, Mia," Ate Ann invited me.

I followed her as we went to their backyard where the barbecue was being cooked. I glanced at Ethan, who was happily engaging with his uncles. He didn't notice me because he was busy.

"I saw it there too," I heard Ethan say, his eyes shining with a smile.

"It's weird."

"Do you still have barbecue over there?!" Ate Ann asked the men who were drinking.

Ethan accidentally looked at me and his eyes sparkled when he saw me. He looked like he was in love. But with whom? The woman he was supposed to marry?

He stood up and excused himself from his conversation. I didn't take my eyes off him, and he did the same to me.

"Hey, babe," I blinked when he was in front of me. He kissed my forehead.

"How's your baking session with them?" he asked, checking up on me.

I felt breathless because he was so close. I could smell his cologne. I glanced at his wristwatch, which suited him perfectly. His long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the veins on his hand. God! His fingers were so long.

"Wife?" He lightly flicked my forehead. I didn't realize that I was already staring blankly.

"Come here to the table. Let's eat!" Ate Ann invited us, carrying a plate of barbecue they cooked.

Silently, Ethan pulled me to their table and took a seat. I noticed that the other female cousins were also present, busy eating beside their respective husbands. That's why they weren't in the kitchen earlier.

"Eat," Ethan handed me several barbecue sticks, and I didn't realize that his twin brother was watching us.

"Hey, Tor, is your friend right? I saw him earlier at the hospital," I overheard their uncle saying.

"You guys are so slow in cooking! Where's our barbecue?!" Mark shouted from a distance.

"Just wait! Why don't you cook it yourself?!" His cousin replied, seemingly annoyed with him.

"What was he doing at the hospital?" Nathan asked.

"He had a check-up. He was coughing and asking for a discount," their cousin jokingly recounted.

Ethan put his hand on my leg. Let's just eat.

He took a sip from his glass.

"Are you okay?" he whispered huskily in my ear. I simply nodded in response.

He moved closer to me.

"How's your business, Nathan? I'm planning to expand mine," their cousin said.

"It was good," Nathan replied briefly.

I could feel Ethan smelling my hair.