A warm presence pressed against her back, and a strong arm pulled her close to a chest.
"Ah—" Mia Moore drew in a sharp breath; her whole body was achingly sore in ways she couldn't quite describe, leaving her completely at a loss.
No matter how brash she seemed on the outside, at moments like these, she was still just a delicate girl.
Charles Chase hadn't even opened his eyes yet. His long lashes cast shadows as he reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Cold? Want to sleep a bit more?"
He tugged up the thin blanket to cover them both. Mia Moore swallowed hard—whatever medicine she'd taken last night had clearly messed with her; her mind was foggy and wild, and she’d been incredibly daring.
Now, pressed skin-to-skin with Charles Chase in the morning light, goosebumps prickled all down her body.
Her brain was a mess of question marks and exclamation points?!?!
Wait—I actually have a boyfriend now?!!
And not just that: on the very first day, things already went all the way.
Back in the art studio, when the girls chatted, everyone used to say—the easier it is to get, the less guys value you. Other girls would wait ages before so much as holding hands with their boyfriends.
So that must mean... Charles Chase definitely won't treasure me.
And last night he was so experienced... what, has he had a ton of girlfriends before? Hmph, scumbag!!
Caught up in her wild, racing thoughts, Mia Moore froze. Charles Chase noticed something strange in the way she went still against him and finally opened his eyes.
Without his glasses, there was a lazy, blissful look on his face—satisfied from a good night’s sleep, and even the corners of his lips curved up in a faint smile.
Soft chestnut hair flopped sleepily on his brow, and his eyes were a gentle shade of amber. He glanced down at the small woman in his arms.
Her long, wavy hair was still spread over his arm, carrying a delicate, sweet scent. Her skin was pale and smooth, and her lips seemed almost bitten raw—swollen and red, making her even more tempting.
"What are you thinking about?"
Charles Chase reached out and gently touched her lips.
Mia Moore snapped back to herself and glared fiercely up at him, blurting out, "Scumbag!!"
"..."
Honestly, Charles Chase had been expecting to bask in some sweet morning afterglow, not get called a scumbag right out of the gate. He was left speechless.
"Huh? What makes me a scumbag?"
Mia Moore grilled him, "You—you must have had tons of girlfriends before, right?"
"...No," Charles Chase seemed reminded of something, and bowed his head with a suppressed laugh. It started out low but he just couldn’t help himself—before long, he was chuckling so much he pulled Mia Moore tightly into his embrace.
With how close they were, Mia Moore didn’t dare move at all. She could still feel his warmth against her.
"Quit laughing, Charles Chase," she said, blushing furiously—she really didn’t know what was so funny.
"No, haha, I’ll stop, I’m just really happy." He managed to sober up a bit, then leaned closer to her ear, murmuring, "So, darling, are you saying I was impressive?"
"..."
What the heck is with this ‘impressive’ stuff? Mia Moore clenched her fist and punched his chest.
"Okay, okay—kidding, just messing around with you," he rubbed his chest and gave her a quick peck.
Mia Moore’s cheeks burned. She muttered dryly, "Y-you… don’t just kiss me whenever you want…"
Right! She had to resist! Had to play it cool!
"Hmm? You don’t like it?"
"It’s not that… It’s just, they say the easier it is to get something, the less you’ll cherish it." Her wide, worried eyes met his. "Is that true?"
Charles Chase looked deeply into her eyes, suddenly turning serious. He tapped the tip of her nose with a light kiss. "No. What I promised you—I mean it, and I won’t change."
"So… you’ll like me best?"
"I will."
Mia Moore finally let out a breath—fine, she’d believe him just this once. Besides, if anything went wrong, she could always run to Cecilia to complain.
"My back aches, massage it for me."
Feeling secure, she made herself comfortable in his arms and promptly started bossing him around again.
——
By lunchtime, Cecilia still hadn’t heard a peep from Mia Moore, and she couldn’t help but feel worried.
"If you’re worried, just call her. Maybe something came up and she got delayed."
Xavier Fostern picked the bones out of a piece of fish for her, placing the meat in her bowl before going to pour her soup.
"Mm, I’ll call her in a bit." She ate the tender fish, then looked up at Xavier Fostern. "But why isn’t my brother answering the phone, either?"
After the meal, Cecilia tried ringing Mia Moore again.
Back in the hotel, the two had just showered together. One phone was dead and powered off, the other hadn’t even been taken out of its bag since last night.
Mia Moore changed into her own clothes—her off-shoulder red dress was basically useless now. Her neck and shoulders were covered in little marks left by Charles Chase.
Mortified and annoyed, she stomped her foot. "Charles Chase, look at this!!"
"..."
Charles Chase stepped up to inspect her, then draped his suit jacket over her shoulders. His voice was gentle: "I was a little too rough. Let’s go buy you some new clothes later, okay?"
"..."
Too rough, huh? He always said the most outrageous things. Like a kitten whose power button had just been pressed, Mia Moore immediately zipped her mouth shut.
She grabbed her purse from the table and pulled out her phone. One look and—"Oh no…"
Cecilia had called six or seven times, and Mia Moore hadn’t answered a single one. Right—they’d agreed to visit her today!
She shot Charles Chase a pleading look. "I totally flaked on Cecilia."
Just then, the phone rang again. Charles Chase picked it up before Mia Moore could react.
"Hello, Yaoyao, why did you—"
Before Cecilia could finish, her brother’s voice sounded on the other end. "Cecilia."
She paused, checking the screen. It was definitely Yaoyao’s number.
Mia Moore hurried to get her phone back, pawing at Charles Chase’s arm. But he easily held her hands with one of his, bending down to give her another peck with a look that clearly told her to settle down.
So many kisses! Mia Moore wanted to bite him. She wasn’t ready to tell Cecilia yet—she hadn’t even fully processed having a boyfriend herself.
"Bro, why do you have Yaoyao’s phone? Are you two together?" Cecilia asked, clearly puzzled.
"Mm, she’s with me. She can’t come visit you today," Charles Chase replied, totally calm. "I’m taking your sister-in-law home to rest."
"Cough... cough, cough—"
Mia Moore’s coughing could be heard from the other end, leaving Cecilia utterly stunned.
"Cecilia, we’ll come visit you tomorrow. Take care of yourself, okay?"
And with that, Charles Chase hung up, then looked down at the girl still struggling in his arms.
"You—Charles Chase, aren’t you being way too overbearing? You didn’t even get my permission!"
He handed her phone back, then sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto his lap.
"Didn’t you say you worried I didn’t mean what I said? Now Cecilia knows—she’s family. Letting them know just proves how serious I am about you."
He’d never dated before, but he figured relationships were like any other connection—be sincere, be honest.
This thoughtful Charles Chase caught Mia Moore off guard. "I—I just haven’t wrapped my head around being with you yet, so I wanted to tell Cecilia slowly."
"That’s fine, take all the time you need. No rush."
Charles Chase gently touched the red marks on her neck. "But let’s get you home first. Are you feeling okay?"