Zi Mei has agreed to dating Thorin Loong for three months as a trial period.

"Okay, maybe we try dating for three months?" she had told him.

Thorin Loong looked more than happy with her reply. He looked as if he wanted to sweep her off her feet in a hug and kiss her but he held himself back. Instead, he took a step towards her and offered his hand.

"Let\'s shake on it then," he said, grinning at her. Zi Mei took his hand tentatively and shook it. It felt so strange. It was as if they had signed a business deal and are shaking hands over it.

"So, I do have conditions," she said.

"Can we maybe talk this over inside? We are standing outside in the middle of the street," Thorin pointed out. He gestured at his driver in his car and the driver drove off with the car, leaving them standing there.

"Right, uh, okay," she mumbled. She has never had a boyfriend before, she doesn\'t even know how this works. She took out her key and unlocked her door, letting herself in and then waiting for Thorin Loong to enter before locking the door behind him.

"I suppose we can talk in my living room," she said, leading him inside. It\'s not as if he has not been here before but she suddenly felt awkward. She doesn\'t know what to say or how to behave with him.

How does one behave with a man you just agreed to date for three months? They weren\'t exactly strangers, since she did kiss him and they even made out in the living room of his home. Her face reddened when she remembered how she had given in to her desires with him in his living room when he was injured.

Stop thinking such lewd thoughts, she told herself.

She took a seat at the lounge chair and gestured for him to take a seat in any of the chairs there. Thorin Loong chose one across from her, sat down comfortably and regarded her, his expression mysteriously closed.

"So what conditions?" he asked after a few minutes of pregnant silence.

Zi Mei tried to gather her thoughts and come up conditions that she thinks will be fair for both of them.

"Okay, so, uh, this is only for three months," she said.

Thorin Loong nodded without saying anything, waiting for her to continue.

"No sex," she blurted out. She doesn\'t want to complicate things. She needs to know that what they have is not purely physical. A relationship based on primal sexual desire doesn\'t mean anything.

"Are you sure?" he lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. "You thoroughly enjoyed our last encounter," he murmured.

Zi Mei blushed. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Well, that was a mistake…let\'s keep it PG-rated," she said.

"What does that mean?" he frowned, perplexed. "Can I even touch you? I need you to be more specific,"

"It means there can be hand holding, hugging, kissing but nothing more than that," she said.

Thorin Loong seemed unconcerned by that. He shrugged.

"Sure, your loss," he muttered. "Don\'t come begging me for it," he drawled, giving her a cheeky wink.

She lifted her chin and glared at him.

"I will not beg you for anything!" she said firmly.

At this, Thorin Loong stood up, went to her and leaned over her, his face only a mere few inches away from hers. He bent to whisper into her ears.

"I hope you know what you are saying," he said and blew ever so lightly into her ears. She shivered as arousal raced through her veins. She shifted away from him but he took this opportunity to sit next to her and lean on the lounge chair, barely touching her.

"Can you…uhh…please go sit over there…" she stammered. Her blood is now gushing in her head and she can\'t think clearly with him so near her.

Thorin Loong gave her a grin but made no move to get up. He leaned back, placing a hand under his nape and unbuttoning a few buttons of his shirt.

"Come on, you didn\'t say I can\'t sit here with you…I am not even touching you…very PG-rated," he said.

Zi Mei finds it so hard to tear her eyes away from the bare flesh his unbuttoned shirt revealed. She swallowed uncomfortably and forced her eyes to look away.

"So, um, as I was saying, no…uh…sex," she repeated. What was she about to say after this?

"Yes, so you mentioned…although it would be such a waste of opportunity…" Thorin Loong said. He undid another button, revealing a wider expanse of his smooth, firm muscled chest. Zi Mei quickly averted her eyes.

She is certain he is doing this to distract her. Well, two can play the same game, she thought. She is also wearing a button down blouse today. She unbuttoned the top three buttons, revealing the tops of her lacy bra and her cleavage. She leaned back on the other side of the lounge, letting the open collar fall open wider. She noticed Thorin Loong\'s eyes darkened but he didn\'t say anything.

"We decide on dates together," she said.

"Of course, that is a given," he replied conciliatory. He flicked a glance down her cleavage. "Tell me, is touching allowed?" he asked. His eyes are slowly running down her body and she could almost feel the heat from his hungry stare.

She swallowed. She is feeling so flushed and hot right now.

"Um...touching…only…um…" she stammered, thinking of the last time he touched her and how it ended. Her face turned red at the thought. "No, no touching!" she exclaimed.

Thorin Loong frowned. "Hmmm..you said we can hold hands, kiss and hug but no touching?"

"Right," she conceded. She did say that. "So, we keep to hugs, holding hands and kissing, that\'s all, you don\'t ah…cannot…touch here or here," she said gesturing to her breasts and her lower body.

"Hmmm…are we even dating then?" he asked. "It sounds like I\'m dating a nun at this rate,"

"Well, if….if…you don\'t like it…we can call this off," she stammered.

Thorin Loong shrugged. He unbuttoned the rest of the buttons on his shirt and left it hanging open, revealing his smooth firm chest and abs. There was no sign of his wound. It

"I suppose it\'s your loss then because I don\'t have such rules…you are most welcomed to touch me anywhere," he said.

Zi Mei swallowed nervously. "I…uh…thank you but…uh…no…thanks," she said.

"Well, anything more?" Thorin asked.

"We call this whole thing off the moment I feel uncomfortable about it or if there are problems like the demons attacking and whatnots," she said.

This time Thorin sat up and frowned.

"Did another demon come after you?" he asked.

"No, no, it\'s not that….I am just saying in case it happens again, I am out of this," she said.

"I see," he said, looking relieved. He leaned back on the lounge, looking so gorgeous in his pose that Zi Mei was tempted to lean over on him and cuddle close to him.

She snapped herself out of that line of thought.

"Please don\'t show up outside my college like you did today and get into this whole macho contest with my classmate," she added.

"What do you mean? If we are together, the least I could do is to come take you from college every day isn\'t it?" he said. "Isn\'t that what most women like?" his brow creased in confusion.

"Well, I am not most women!" Zi Mei retorted.

Inwardly, she did like the thought of him picking her from college but she didn\'t like how this seem to create unwanted attention on her. She doesn\'t even know how she\'s going to faced all the gossiping in college tomorrow.

"I have rules too," Thorin Loong spoke up.

Zi Mei stared at him in surprise. That was unexpected.

"Stay away from that Damon King," he said.

"He\'s my classmate, it\'s not easy to stay away from him," she told him. She didn\'t take him for the jealous type but it seemed that he was jealous.

"Just don\'t talk to him, he\'s bad news," Thorin Loong said firmly.

"Ugh. You don\'t have to tell me twice…he is annoying," she agreed. Zi Mei realised that they have been talking terms but she forgot to ask him one main thing. She looked him deep in his eyes.

"Tell me, why are you so keen on dating me?" she asked. "What do you like about me anyway?"

This time, Thorin Loong looked uncomfortable. He shifted and broke eye contact. This raised several red flags. What is he hiding from her?

"I like you Lil Zi," he turned to look at her. This time, he lean over and took her hands in his. "You are beautiful, you are gentle, you are sweet and despite what you faced at home, you are strong," he said, sounding genuinely honest.

Zi Mei found herself drowning in the deep pools of his warm dark eyes while her heart tripped and thumped at his words.. She has no words to reply him.