Benjamin tried to peel her arms off his body gently so that they could walk together, but she refused to budge even a single inch, her grip remaining firm and unshakable.

"No! Absolutely not! I am giving you the accumulated hugs, and the stored embraces, of all those days and nights that you were away from me!" Tamar nagged at him, her cheeks flushing as she tightened her embrace around his body even further, squeezing him with all of her strength. "T... Tremble before my fearsome and inescapable death hug, Benjamin! You have no hope of escaping until I decide to release you!"

"..."

The comfortable and easy silence that settled between them, the quiet understanding that needed no words to fill every moment, contrasted sharply with the still lively and active Spire that continued moving and buzzing around them.

The people going about their evening business while these two stood frozen in their embrace.

"I... I love you, Benjamin..." Tamar muttered the words in a very small and hesitant voice, so quiet that it was almost lost beneath the ambient sounds of the night.

It was almost as if she did not want him to hear her confession at all, as if she were speaking only to herself, or to the darkness surrounding them.

But Benjamin heard it clearly despite the softness of her delivery, and he smiled a warm and genuine smile.

And the environment around them suddenly began to twist and distort, the familiar shapes and colors of the walkway blurring and melting away as something else took their place.

They had suddenly teleported directly into Tamar’s private room, the trees and the lanterns and the distant sounds of the Spire replaced by the enclosed and intimate space of her personal quarters.

Everything there was neat and tidy, meticulously arranged, without a single thing out of place or sitting where it did not belong;

The vine curtains covering the treehouse window had been neatly arranged in even rows that hung straight and parallel.

There were small statues of the goddess Artemis in different poses and different sizes, displayed on a small wooden table near the wall, each one dusted and cared for with visible devotion.

The bed, made of a frame of sturdy wood and a mattress of dried straw and soft, sweet-smelling flowers that gave the whole room a pleasant and gentle fragrance, was also there in the corner, covered with blankets and pillows that had been smoothed and arranged with care.

The overall decoration of the room was that of a tidy and well organized woman, someone who valued order and cleanliness, and took pride in her personal space.

Whereas Tamar herself seemed to give the opposite expression and the contrary impression in her attitude and her rough way of speaking to others.

However, here, in this room, the truth of who she was beneath the sharp exterior was displayed clearly for anyone who had eyes to see.

Tamar was visibly confused for a brief moment, her silver eyes blinking rapidly in surprise as she suddenly found herself standing inside her own room.

The teleportation had happened so fast, so seamless that her mind needed a second to fully register the abrupt change in location.

The world around her shifted in an instant from the open night air of Verdant Spire to the cozy, enclosed space of her personal quarters.

But the instant Benjamin gently took her hand and dragged her toward the bed, all traces of confusion vanished from her face.

Her focus snapped back entirely to him, her attention narrowing until nothing else in the world existed except the man standing before her.

"If I just say I love you too," Benjamin began, his voice dropping into a low, teasing tone filled with warmth as he reached down and stripped off his shirt in one smooth, fluid motion.

The fabric slid away to reveal his toned chest, the faint, yet defined lines of his abs catching the soft filtered light coming through the neatly arranged vine curtains.

He continued; "It might be too bland... Why don’t I show you exactly how much I love you, Tamar?"

Lying on the bed and looking up at the stripping Benjamin, Tamar blushed furiously.

A deep, burning crimson flush spread rapidly across her cheeks and traveled down her neck, coloring her smooth tanned skin as her heart pounded visibly in her chest.

She gave a small, almost shy nod, her short raven-black hair shifting softly against the sweet-smelling flowers scattered across the bedding beneath her.

Benjamin leaned forward and hooked his fingers into the waistband of her tight spat-like outfit.

With deliberate slowness, he slid the clinging material down her strong, muscular legs, watching as the fabric peeled away to reveal the small, neat patch of dark hair crowning the sensitive place between her thighs.

Her powerful legs flexed instinctively under his heated gaze, the toned muscles tensing with a mixture of nervousness and rising anticipation.

He then moved to the top portion of her light armor, carefully peeling it away piece by piece until her ample breasts were fully exposed to the cool air of the room.

Her dark nipples had already stiffened noticeably, hardening into tight, erect peaks that stood out prominently against the soft curves of her chest.

Tamar’s breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling in shallow, visible rhythms as she lay completely bare beneath him.

They gazed at each other for a long, heavy moment charged with tension.

Benjamin hovered directly above her, his body casting a warm shadow over her frame, while Tamar lay flat on her back, staring up at him with wide, shimmering silver eyes that brimmed with barely contained emotion and raw desire.

[Ohhhh, I love him. I love him, I love him, I love him so much!!!] Tamar shrieked wildly inside her own head, her thoughts spiraling chaotically even as her physical mouth stayed tightly shut, barely managing to hold back the flood of words fighting to escape.

"Hahaha! You’re so dishonest, Tamar," Benjamin laughed suddenly, the rich, warm sound bursting out and startling her out of her frantic internal monologue. "You don’t have to think it; say it to my face. I’ll like to hear it."

Tamar’s eyes flew wide open in pure shock.

"E-Eh?! Benjamin can read minds now?! P-P-Pervert!" she shrieked loudly, immediately shoving his face repeatedly with both hands in a flustered panic, her palms pressing firmly against his cheeks and forehead as she tried to push him away.