Chapter 513: I don’t mind blood, I don’t mind messy.

Getting Penny a tampon wasn’t as shameful as she had made it seem. Even so, Zoren was curious. Once she was done washing up and had gotten over her embarrassment, he was ready to question her. Glancing at the bathroom door where she had emerged, he patted the space beside him on the couch.

"Hah..." she sighed heavily, dragging herself over to him. But instead of sitting beside him, she plopped down onto his lap.

His brows shot up in surprise, only to hear her playful laugh.

"I know what you’re about to do," she said proudly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I’m saving myself from the shock."

"Haha," he chuckled. "What a quick learner."

Penny lifted her chin and pouted. "Was it embarrassing to buy me a tampon?"

"No, why would it be? You needed it."

"But I’ve heard men hate doing that."

"I’m not that kind of man, perhaps," he shrugged. "Though I did ask Butler Hubert some questions."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing special," Zoren shrugged again. "He just said it’s a shame that your ’time of the month’ came today."

Penny’s face scrunched up, imagining Butler Hubert sighing in disappointment. Although Butler Hubert was as reliable as Butler Jen, he had a more mischievous side.

"I don’t understand, though," Zoren continued, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Why is it a shame that your period came?"

Penny pouted. "Because it means we can’t... you know, do it anymore."

"And why not?"

"Because I’m bleeding."

"Would it hurt if we did?"

"Well, no..."

"Then I don’t see the problem," he said, blinking. As usual, he displayed his characteristic determination and resilience. "I don’t mind the blood—I’ve seen plenty."

"It’s going to be messy."

"And I don’t mind messy."

Penny pressed her hands against his chest and tugged him slightly. "No. That’s enough for now. This story needs to progress."

"Fine," he said, raising his brows briefly. "But after that?"

"Renren, is that all you can think about?" she asked in disbelief, surprised by his line of questioning.

Zoren nodded and sighed. "For some reason, it’s all I can think of. I feel like I’m going to lose my mind." He fluttered his eyelashes at her, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. "How am I supposed to function when all I can think about is you?"

In the past, she would constantly run through his mind. Her scent, her voice, her very presence—it was all time consuming. But after what they had shared, there was so much more about her to think about.

"My goodness." Penny blushed, flattered by his honesty. "Come here, you."

She pulled him closer, hugging him while still on his lap. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she smiled in appreciation. His arms carefully wrapped around her, holding her securely, as if he never wanted to let go.

"Renren, you promised me you’d live a long life, and I’m holding you to that," she said with a smile. "Don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of time ahead. We’ll not only have fun, but we’ll also make love as many times as we want—until we get tired of it."

His lips curled up as he brushed her back with his fingertips. "As many times as we can?"

"Mhm." She pulled back slightly, smiling brightly—almost innocently. "As many as we can, but not today."

"Okay. Though I don’t think I’d ever get tired of it." He smiled back, nodding in understanding. "For some reason, that calms me down."

After all, his body felt like it was running out of time, which was why he felt such an urgency to be with her as much as possible. He gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, staring deep into her eyes. They shared a smile, the silence between them comfortable and warm.

After a moment, his lips parted once more. "Are you sure we can’t do it one last time?"

"Nope!" she slapped his chest playfully, and he laughed.

"Go take a shower now, okay?"

Zoren laughed heartily, tilting his head back. His unrestrained laughter was infectious, making Penny laugh as well.

"I just told you—geez!" she exclaimed between giggles.

"I’m sorry," he said, regaining his composure and facing her again. "I just can’t help it."

Although her words of reassurance had calmed the beast within him, it didn’t mean he wasn’t hungry for more. They shared a playful exchange before she moved off his lap and he stood up.

"I’ll be quick," he said, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "Feel free to join me."

"I can handle showering twice in a row, but if I keep pushing myself, I might catch a cold."

"I’m not kidding, but I understand," he chuckled. "I’ll be back."

"Mhm."

With that, Zoren headed off to the bathroom. Penny’s gaze followed him, and she furrowed her brows as she noticed faint scars on his back. She hadn’t paid attention to them before, but now she could see that Zoren’s body was marked with scars—one particularly large one on his side abdomen.

’I’m the worst. How could I miss that?’she thought, blinking as the bathroom door closed, leaving it slightly ajar. She heard the sound of the shower starting and pursed her lips, mentally scolding herself for considering following him just to watch.

Shaking her head, she snapped her eyes open, recalling the scars she had seen. The largest one was on his back. As her tensed, excited body relaxed a bit, her shoulders slumped.

"Right," she whispered. "He did have quite a few accidents back then."

Her heart softened as she thought about the scars. Just as she was lost in thought, her phone pinged, pulling her back to the present. She furrowed her brows and looked around to find her phone, spotting it on the side table.

"I need to let Mom know I can’t go home today," she muttered, pushing herself off the couch to grab her phone. But instead of a message from her parents or one of her brothers, she saw a message from someone else.

[From: Dean Pierson

Where are you?]