Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Say It Again: I Love You Charles

Charles closed his eyes, his voice cracking. "Did you dislike me so much that you didn’t even want to eat my food?"

Mark didn’t answer with words. Instead, his hands slid up beneath Charles’s lounge shirt, pressing against his bare chest, his fingers gently gripping and rubbing the warm skin.

He leaned down again, burying his face in Charles’s neck, sucking and kissing the sensitive skin so deeply that a sharp gasp escaped Charles’s lips. Despite the emotional pain vibrating between them, Charles could feel his body instantly reacting, growing erect under the intense touch.

Mark felt the shift and groaned softly, his lips tracing up to Charles’s jaw. "You look so good right now... I want to fuck you right here in this kitchen. What do you say?"

Mark honestly expected him to push him away after everything he had said earlier.

And truthfully, Charles knew he probably should have.

He should have stepped out of Mark’s arms. He should have remembered every cruel word Mark had thrown at him only hours ago.

But instead, Charles slowly turned around in his arms to face him.

Mark looked down at him, genuinely surprised. Without a word, Charles reached up and began slowly unbuttoning his shirt, his eyes locked onto Mark’s. "Okay," he whispered.

Mark stared at him for a long moment before leaning down to press a deep kiss against Charles’s lips. "You would still sleep with me?" he murmured against Charles’s lips, disbelief heavy in his voice. "Even after everything I said to you? After the way I treated you?"

Charles nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Yes. I will do it."

Mark pulled back slightly, cupping Charles’s face in his hands, his thumb gently wiping away a stray tear. "Why?"

"Because I love you," Charles answered simply.

Mark searched his face, his chest heaving. "Charles..."

"I truly, really love you," Charles repeated, letting all his vulnerability show.

"Do you really love me that much?" he asked quietly.

Charles nodded again. "Yes. I love you."

Mark swallowed hard before asking in a lower voice, "You won’t cheat on me? You won’t hurt me or make me look stupid while secretly being with someone else?"

Charles immediately shook his head. "I would never do that. I promise.

Mark closed his eyes briefly before resting his forehead against Charles’s. "I’m putting all my trust in you," he whispered before kissing him deeply again. "And... I love you too. More than I ever wanted to admit. More than I tried to deny..."

Charles froze, his eyes widening in complete shock. He had never expected to hear those words back.

Before Mark could even finish speaking, Charles suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around his neck and kissed him deeply. When he finally pulled back just enough to breathe, his voice came out shaky.

"What did you just say?" he whispered breathlessly. "Say it again."

Mark smiled faintly this time. "I love you, Charles," he repeated. "I really do."

Charles looked completely stunned. Both of them kissed again, slower this time, softer.

Slowly, Mark reached down and finished unbuttoning the rest of Charles’s shirt, sliding the fabric off his shoulders before leaning down to suck on his neck, pressing hot kisses down his throat and chest.

Charles’s breath hitched. Suddenly terrified of making any loud noises because of Mark’s earlier comment about him sounding like a pornstar, he tightly clamped his teeth together, trying to hold back his groans. But as Mark moved downward, putting his mouth directly over his nipple and sucking hard, Charles lost control.

"Fuck... Ah!" Charles groaned loudly. The moment the sound escaped him, panic crossed his face, and he quickly clamped his hand over his mouth.

Mark paused, looking up from his chest, his dark eyes searching Charles’s face.

"I’m sorry," Charles mumbled hastily behind his hand, his eyes wide with anxiety. "I’m sorry, it just slipped out."

Mark frowned slightly, gently pulling Charles’s hand away from his mouth. "Why are you apologizing?"

Charles looked away, his cheeks burning. "You mentioned up there... that you didn’t like the way I sound."

"I was lying," Mark said immediately, his voice thick with regret.

Charles looked up at him slowly.

Mark murmured, "I love the way you sound. It drives me insane. That’s exactly why we are going to try every different style possible, because I want to listen to every single sound you make, okay."

Mark noticed the lingering sadness in Charles’s expression, and guilt hit him even harder. He stopped his hands, holding Charles firmly by the waist.

"Listen to me, Charles. Look at me."

When Charles finally met his eyes, Mark let out a ragged sigh.

"I was so wrong to judge you," he said quietly. "I am so deeply sorry for calling you those names. I was scared... I acted out of fear because I didn’t want to get hurt or end up feeling like a fool again."

His grip tightened slightly, "I swear to you, I’ve probably cried more than you did this morning because my heart is honestly very fragile right now, I’m really, really sorry for hurting you."

Mark took a shaky breath, his voice cracking. "I was just so scared. I kept thinking... if I couldn’t make a relationship work with a woman, how could I ever succeed with men who are clearly so much smarter than me? I know that sounds stupid. I’m really sorry for hurting you."

Mark shook his head slowly. "Maybe I wasn’t a good boyfriend to my ex either. Maybe I failed in ways too... But I want to try so much harder for you. I want to be the absolute best boyfriend to you, Charles. I want us to treat each other right. I want to build a real life with you."

Mark looked down at Charles’s tear-stained face, his own eyes brimming with regret.

"I know I completely broke your heart while you were crying upstairs, but I couldn’t help it. My mind was spiraling and I just wanted to be sure. The truth is... I have liked you since the very first day I saw you with Adrian. But back then, I believed I was still with a loyal girlfriend, not knowing she was actively cheating on me behind my back. When everything fell apart, it broke me. I am so sorry for taking that out on you."

Mark took both of Charles’s hands and pressed them firmly against his own chest. "You can hurt me if you want," he said quietly. "Do whatever you need to me for what I said... for the names I called you, for lying to your face when I said I felt nothing. I deserve it. Do anything to me, because I really love you. I want you, Charles. Only you. You’re all I want."

His voice broke a little, but he didn’t look away. "I promise I’ll never hurt you again. I won’t make you regret choosing me. I will never treat you like that again. I’m a good person... just like you. So if you want to hit me, do it. I won’t stop you. I won’t fight back. Just... please forgive me, Angel. Your boyfriend is really, really sorry."

Hearing that, Charles stared at him, suddenly going shy as his heart swelled at the honesty in Mark’s eyes. Slowly, he raised his hand, pulling it back as though he might actually slap him.

Mark didn’t flinch. He simply closed his eyes, bracing for it.

But the smash never came.

Instead, Charles closed the distance and wrapped his arms tightly around Mark’s neck, hugging him close. A bright blush spread across his face as he smiled into Mark’s shoulder through his tears.

"Since when did you become my boyfriend?" he asked shyly.

Mark wrapped his arms around Charles’s waist, pulling him close and burying his face in his hair. "Since the moment I brought you to my house," he murmured. "I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t want something with you. I really adore you, Charles... I’m sorry, okay?"

Charles finally felt relieved, and the feeling was so overwhelming that he broke down crying again, burying his face deeper into Mark’s chest. "I was so scared I was going to lose you," he whispered, his voice shaking.

"I was scared too," Mark whispered back, holding him like he was something precious.

Charles pulled back just enough to look at him, his eyes fierce through his tears. "Don’t you ever talk to me like that again. Don’t ever call me those names. It hurt so badly, Mark."

"Never again, I swear," Mark promised, kissing the tears from Charles’s cheeks. "Please don’t cry anymore. I’m so sorry."

Charles sniffled and nodded. "Okay."

Mark smoothed down Charles’s hair, his expression darkening slightly as he thought about what Charles had shared upstairs.

"And about your ex... I’m so sorry for what you went through. He didn’t deserve you at all," he said softly. "But I do. I’m the right one for you, and I’m definitely going to treat you right. You’ll never regret this."

Charles smiled through his tears, nodding again. "Okay."

"And about my twin brother," Mark added, wanting to clear up any lingering fears. "You have to know... Matteo isn’t as scary as people make him out to be. Think about it, if he were really that terrifying, would it be this easy for Adrian to have so much power over him just because of love? Matteo is a soft person with a genuinely good heart. I respect him so much and I love him, not just because he’s my twin, but because he has a good soul. The world made him cold, but ever since you guys have been around him, has he ever actually hurt any of you? Has he hurt your friend Adrian, even though Adrian has a very sharp mouth sometimes?"

He gave a faint, reassuring look. "He never hurt him. In fact, he’s more scared of Adrian sometimes, not only because of love, but because Adrian can be very intense when he wants to be."

Charles chuckled softly. "I understand what you’re saying, and you’re right. Adrian has never once said Matteo hurt him, it’s always the other way around. I’ve even seen Adrian slap Matteo twice."

"Exactly," Mark smiled faintly. "The real devil wouldn’t tolerate that. It’s just the business world that calls him a monster. But my brother Matteo... he’s actually just a baby. He only becomes a ’monster’ if you trespass against him. So don’t be scared of him, okay? He’s a good man."

"Okay," Charles agreed, feeling a weight lift from his chest.

Mark looked down at him playfully, tilting his head. "So... hope I am finally forgiven?"

Charles smirked, wiping the last of his tears away. "You’ll have to earn it, because you really hurt me."

"How do I earn it?" Mark asked.