TE QUIERO means "I like you" in Spanish. SM learned this after searching on the internet to find out what Knight meant. Some articles said that it meant "I want you" as well. Te quiero is like the lighter version of te amo, an affectionate confession but not as deep as te amo.

It was as if saying "I like you" to someone, romantically speaking.

She sighed heavily. Knight could've told her that he liked her in a language she understood instead of making her research what it meant.

But why did he like her anyway? She had not done anything that would make him like her, and there was nothing special about her either. If so, then why?

He keeps on kissing me though... she thought. Does he want the same thing as other men? Sex?

She glanced at the bathroom door in her room.

Knight had cooked their dinner. He could actually cook, but only a handful of recipes; his cooking wasn't as good as his butler's, though it was acceptable. After dinner, she went to her room to rest, and he followed. To her shock, he said he was going to shower in her bathroom.

She told him there was another bathroom downstairs, but he was stubborn and insisted on taking a shower in her bathroom—in her personal bathroom! He really didn't listen.

She just shook her head and leaned back against the headboard while sitting at the head of her bed. She was reading a book, passing the time while waiting for Knight to come out of her bathroom.

She had finished reading a few pages of the book when the bathroom door opened. Her eyes instantly focused there, and she could not help but stare at Knight. He was topless and only wore a rugged pair of jeans.

"Don't do that in front of me," she complained despite his well-defined physique.

"Boss, didn't I say I'd seduce you?" he said.

SM shook her head. But when Knight walked toward his bag to get some clothes, she was taken aback—because he was facing away from her, she could clearly see his back covered with scars.

Some were old, some were new.

Her hands trembled while she looked at Knight's back. The pain he might have felt because of those scars... the pain... the pain must have been too much! she thought. The scars on his back—these must be the reason he has a high pain tolerance!

She felt pity for Knight and fury toward the person who hurt him like this. And she even punched him. I'm so sorry, Knight.

SM quickly returned her gaze to the book she was reading after Knight finished dressing up. He turned to face her, but she acted as if she didn't see anything. Surely, he wouldn't want her to see those scars just like how she wouldn't want others to see hers.

But when Knight picked up the book she had been holding and tossed it to the foot of the bed, she had no choice but to look at him.

"What are you—"

SM stopped speaking when Knight knelt beside her, his hands pressing against the headboard, caging her with his arms as his face moved closer to hers.

This closeness... this should be suffocating for her, but she was beginning to get used to it. Being cared for by Knight while she was sick had made her comfortable with him around. And she actually liked this closeness because she could smell his scent. How can he smell this good?

"You're not pushing me away," Knight observed, his eyes fixed intently on her.

She shrugged. "What's the use? With how persistent you are, we'd just end up in this same position."

"True." He chuckled sexily. "But I'm glad you're not pushing me away."

She stayed silent while looking straight into his deep eyes.

"Did you hear me earlier?" Knight asked a few seconds had passed. "Te quiero... I'm telling you I like you."

"I know. I looked it up."

"And your response?" he asked, his face drawing closer to hers.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, her forehead creased.

"Tell me you like me too."

"That's not possible."

He paused, surprised. "You don't like me? But you let me kiss you," he pointed out. "Am I misunderstanding the emotions I see on your face? You see, I'm good at reading people, and I can read that you like me too."

So much confidence, she thought, but meeting his gaze, SM answered, "I don't know you well enough, Knight. I only know a few things about you. I just assume that confessing to me that you like me means you want to have a relationship with me, but I can't right now. I have more important things to do than be in a relationship with someone—"

"I'll court you," he said, cutting her off. "Whether you like it or not, I'll court you."

"Did you hear a word I said—"

"I can hear you loud and clear, Boss, but..." He gritted his teeth. "I don't care. This is my first time being selfish, so I'm doing this all the way. I want you, and if you don't want me as much as I want you, then I'll make you want me. I won't stop until you're head over heels in love with me."

"You're joking, right?"

"Do I look like it?" Knight moved his face even closer to hers. "I'm serious, SM. I'm not letting you off the hook."

SM blinked at Knight in shock. "You like me that much?"

"Yes."

She swallowed nervously. "What if I can't reciprocate your feelings? Yes, I like you, but I think my feelings are superficial compared to yours. And I told you, I don't want to be in any relationship right now. I'm serious, Knight."

"I'm serious too," he replied with conviction. "Let's see who's more serious then."

She sighed. "Knight—"

He pressed his lips on hers, silencing her. Then he slid his tongue inside her mouth, which shocked her and gave her a tingling sensation in her belly.

What the hell!

She closed her eyes shut as she felt his hands on his waist, his kisses growing deeper with each passing second.

He was kissing her like a man thirsty for water. His tongue moved as if there were a gold mine inside her mouth and he greedily wanted it all.

SM let out a soft moan when she felt Knight's firm grasp on her chin while he sucked her tongue dry. She found herself grabbing Knight's shoulders when he bit her lower lip, and it was as if her tongue had a mind on its own when it ran after his tongue and tried to imitate its movement.

"Knight..." she pleaded when their lips briefly parted, but Knight quickly smothered her lips with deep, longing kisses.

But this time, her tongue moved together with his. This time... she was kissing him back.

Their breaths blended together as their tongues intertwined and battled for dominance, sucking each other dry.

SM was burning in desire. Her arms were wrapped around Knight's neck while she answered his kisses.

But it was Knight who pulled away first and then distanced himself from her. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hands through his hair as he tried to catch his breath, exhaling loudly numerous times while his jaw clenched. He looked like he was in pain... like he was really trying hard to control himself from doing anything more than kissing her.

Her gaze turned to his back full of scars. SM wanted to comfort him... in her own way.

She approached him, kneeling, and then sat behind him. Her arms slowly wrapped around his waist from behind before her cheek rested against his wounded back.

He held her hands and intertwined their fingers. "If you keep doing this and being sweet to me, I will never let you go. Ever."

SM tightened her embrace. "I didn't mean to, but I saw your back earlier."

Knight chuckled coldly. "It's ugly isn't it?"

She shook her head. "It's not..."

"You don't mind even if my back looks like hell?"

To this, she nodded. "I don't." Wanting to erase the pain from his voice, she decided to share one of her deepest secrets. "I have my fair share of scars as well, Knight. And they're not ugly. For me... I'd like to think that it's bravery. We're both brave enough to survive after being scarred like that."

Knight looked at her over his shoulder. "This is the reason why I like you. You always know what to say to me to make me feel better. I know this is normal for you since you are kind to everyone, but I can't help but hope that I'm special to you. But I don't really care if I'm not. I'll court you until I become special to you."

SM took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine, I like you too. Feel free to court me. I can't stop you anyway. Might as well see where it'll take us."

"Boyfriend and girlfriend, of course."

SM laughed. "How can you be so sure that we will end up together?" she asked, her brow raised. "Who knows, you might have an attitude I wouldn't like."

Knight paused and then looked away. "I'm a good guy."

"We'll see." SM released him from her embrace before sitting beside him on the edge of the bed and resting her head on his shoulder. "You should rest. I'm going to rest too."

"Can I sleep beside you?" he asked. "My insomnia doesn't act up whenever I'm with you. It's like you're my meds or something."

SM looked at Knight, skeptic of his intentions. "You just want to lie down beside me, don't you?"

"That too."

She chuckled softly. "So honest."

He held her hand once again and started playing with her fingers. "All my life, it's been nothing but lies, and I've been nothing but a liar. But I'm not gonna do that to you." He looked into her eyes and added, "I will be as honest as possible."

She lifted her other hand and gently stroked his cheek. "Okay, Mr. Honest, you can sleep beside me, but only for tonight. I know you haven't slept enough because you took care of me. Tomorrow, you should go back home."

Knight nodded happily before flopping onto her bed, making her chuckle.

SM lay down beside him and then stared at the ceiling until she felt Knight move closer, his arms wrapped around her waist.

She turned to him. "What is it?"

There was hesitation in his face, but he answered anyway. "Remember the first time I slept here? In your living room? The time I used your lap as a pillow and then carried you here to your room when I woke up?"

When she nodded, he took a deep breath. "I, uhm, I accidentally saw the scars on your back."

"Oh," SM replied, quite stunned.

"Are you mad?" he quickly asked.

SM stared at Knight. He seemed to want to be honest with her, which was nice.

"No. I'm not," she said and then turned to face him. "I tried to hide it, but it's okay if you've seen it. I saw your scars too."

Knight's jaw tightened. "I'm not you, so I'm gonna ask... who did that to you?"

SM clenched her fist at his question. It had been more than a year, but it still affected her. "I, uhm... uhm..." she mumbled. She couldn't make herself tell him what happened.

"Never mind my question," Knight said when he noticed SM struggling to find the words. "I think I have to earn your trust more before you can open up to me."

She looked away before whispering, "It's not really a secret. Almost everyone who knows me knows what happened. I, uhm..."

Her fists tightened, yet she tried her best to take a deep breath before finally saying, "I was kidnapped more than a year ago. They, uhm, held me for more than a month."

When he didn't respond, she looked at night, only to be taken aback by how dark and scary his face turned. He was gritting his teeth, and fury was visible on his sharp eyes.

"But I'm okay now," she quickly said, smiling, trying to calm him down. "I, uhm, I'll be okay."

His hand gently traced the scars on her back, his face still darkened with anger. His jaw remained tightened. "Who did this to you? Do you have a name?"

SM shook her head. "It was always dark. I-I wasn't able to see their faces, and I couldn't name them either."

She felt Knight's hands tremble on her back. He was livid—she could see it.

"Knight, it's okay. I'm okay now, I'm safe now. Calm down," she comforted, stroking his cheek and smiling at him.

Knight nodded, but she saw him grit his teeth and his hands curl into fists. His eyes were closed as his jaw clenched. He was shaking in anger.

And maybe she was a bad person for being happy that someone was mad for her. That someone cared this much.

Oh, Knight...

SM leaned forward and kissed Knight on the lips before whispering, "Calm down... I'm fine."

He opened his eyes. His lividness seemed to have faded, but she could tell and feel that he was still mad.

"I'll make them pay."

SM nodded, knowing he was saying that out of anger. "Okay... just calm down. Get some rest."

But he just stared at her.

"Knight—"

"I'll make them pay," he repeated as he gently touched the scars on her back. "I will return what they did to you tenfold."

SM nodded once again, smiling. "Thank you." She squeezed his hand. "Get some sleep. We have work in the café tomorrow, and we couldn't be late."

Finally, he smiled. "Yes, boss."

She shook her head. "Good night."

"Good night," he replied before kissing her on the lips. It was just a simple peck, but it made her smile.

"Seems like you're getting used to kissing me, huh?" she told Knight. "You're still courting me, remember that."

He grinned and winked at her before finally closing his eyes, while SM continued to look at him as he slept.

He was a member of the nobility, and being romantically involved with him wouldn't end well. She knew that much. Royalty belongs with royalty—that's how the world works. Harsh, but that's how reality is.

Someday, Knight will leave her.

It made her question herself. Why would she open her heart to someone who was bound to leave her anyway?

What am I even thinking when I agreed to let him court me? he thought. This will not end well. This won't have a happy ending. But why am I looking forward to being with him?

"WHERE IS Midnight?" Knight asked Cloud as soon as he entered his home. It was already 1:00 a.m., and he had just returned from his part-time job as a DJ in a radio station. He went straight there after dropping SM off at her house.

"In his room," Cloud replied. "Sleeping. But you do realize, my lord, that it's already one a.m."

"Then why are you still awake?" Knight asked Cloud, his forehead creased. "And why the fuck are you sucking on a lollipop?"

"It's good," Cloud answered. "It's one of the things we bought at the grocery, and I'm loving it. Actually, I'm almost finished with one pack. This flavor is nice, my lord."

Knight shook his head before leaving his butler in the living room and heading toward Midnight's room.

"Little Brother," he called out to Night, who seemed to be fast asleep. He approached his brother and placed a small package wrapped in cellophane on his cheek, causing Night to spring up from his position.

"What the fuck!" Night shouted, his palm on his cheek. "What was that?! It's cold!"

Knight laughed then handed the cellophane to Night. "I bought this for you."

Midnight took and then opened the package. His face lit up when he saw what was inside. "Ice cream!" He grinned. "Hell yeah! Thanks, Kuya!"

Kuya. It's so nice to hear that again. "Eat it before it melts."

Midnight excitedly ran out of the room and went to the kitchen, while Knight headed to his room and took a shower. When he got out of the bathroom, he was puzzled when he heard his cell phone ringing.

At 1:00 a.m.? he thought. Who would be calling me at this hour? One of the lunatics?

But when he found out who was calling, he quickly answered the phone. "Boss?" he said with a worried voice.

"Kn-Knight... h-hey... w-why are you still awake?" SM's voice was shaking.

"Boss, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Why are you still awake?"

"N-nightmare."

He froze. Was it the same nightmare she had when she had a fever? That kind of nightmare? She was trembling back then.

"I'm okay," she continued. "This happens all the time. I'm not even sure why I called you. I-I don't disturb anyone else when I get bad dreams before. M-maybe I just want to h-hear your voice, hoping i-it'll calm me down."

Worry consumed him even more. "Well? Are you calm now?"

"A bit."

He clenched his fist. "Do you want me to go there?"

"No," she quickly said. "It's too early in the morning. Just go to sleep."

"But you—"

"I'm okay," she reiterated, reassuring him, though her voice still trembled a little. "Get some rest. Good night."

"G'night."

When she hung up, he got dressed and lay down on his bed. For minutes, he was staring at the ceiling, but he still couldn't fall asleep. He even tried counting sheep in his head, but nothing.

It was his insomnia again.

He hated taking sleeping pills.

But whenever SM was with him, why was it easy for him to fall asleep? Was it because he was calm when he was with her?

At this rate, he'd be a zombie tomorrow. When was the last time he fell asleep? That was two days ago... in SM's room.

Fuck!

He reached for his phone and was about to call Valerian, but Grace crossed his mind. He would surely disturb her if he called. It was okay if it was just Val, but Grace would definitely be woken up.

Double fuck!

He got up and left his room. It was nearing 2:00 a.m., but the house was still awake. Cloud was vacuuming the living room, while Night was eating ice cream in the kitchen.

"Cloud, I'm going out," he told his butler.

Cloud nodded, still with a lollipop in his mouth, before closing the door where Knight had left.

Using his taxi, he went to SM's house.

He climbed the gate once again and went around the right side of her house, where SM's room was. Then, he sent a message to SM to check whether she was still awake.

To: Boss
I'm outside your house. Open the window in your room.

SM didn't reply, but the wide sliding glass window in her room opened. He waved at SM, who looked surprised to see him.

"Stay there. I'll come down—"

"No need," he said before effortlessly climbing to her window. He was used to climbing buildings and stuff, so this wasn't really hard to do.

Once Knight was inside her room, SM closed the window, her eyes widened as she glared at him.

"Where did you learn how to climb like that?" she asked, curious.

He promised himself that he wouldn't lie to SM. He promised not to pretend in front of the woman he liked so much.

"I learned about it," Knight confessed.

"You learned about how to climb houses?"

He chuckled softly. He then approached her and hugged her tight. "Are you okay? You still look pale."

"I'm fine," she whispered.

Her "I'm fine" was totally a lie. He could tell.

He tightened his embrace. "I know you're not fine. Stop lying to me."

SM didn't say anything. She just hugged him back silently.

They stayed that way for a few minutes of silence until SM broke it.

"I don't know why I'm being like this," she whispered while still holding him tightly around his waist. "I often have nightmares, and I'm used to having them and getting through them before. But now... why am I depending on you to make me feel better? I'm used to being alone... Why do I need you to calm down now? I have lived my life for over a year without you. This isn't fair."

Knight pulled away a little to cup SM's face and kissed her forehead. "You can depend on me anytime. I don't mind."

SM didn't respond. She just stared at him... intently... and what she did next stunned him.

She tiptoed and kissed him on the lips.

It was the first time that she had initiated the kiss.

His lips automatically moved to return her kiss. Lips to lips. Tongue to tongue. Biting each other's lips and sucking each other's tongue and groaning together pleasurably. Even his hands were squeezing and caressing her waist.

He felt his length harden, his body responding to the heat. His mind turned blank. Only he could think about now was how good SM would feel underneath him.

Knight wanted to stop. He wanted to pull away... to get his hands off SM... but he found himself falling onto the bed, with SM underneath him.

His lips seemed to have a mind of their own, kissing SM fervently, moving down to her chin, kissing her neck and nibbling her skin, and then moving down toward the valley of her breasts.

I need to stop! Fuck!

He was forcing himself to stop, but then he heard SM's soft moans, destroying the last bit of self-control he had left.