…What is this?That was my first thought. Had I somehow still been asleep? I tried to convince myself, if only for a moment, but sadly that wasn’t the case.“Wh-what’s…?”I tried to speak, but my voice cracked and failed. Grasping my throat in panic, I realized only then what a state I was in, perched on the bed in my nakedness.I wanted to cover myself, but I refused to show him my flustered embarrassment. I tugged the thin sheet draped across my thighs up and wrapped it around my waist as nonchalantly as I could. I longed to pull it all the way to my neck, but exerting such visible self-consciousness would betray me, so I forced myself to hold back—though the flush creeping up my neck was beyond my control.Nathaniel Miller surveyed me with that cool, cynical half-smile and spoke.“Drink this. It’ll help.”I took the mug wordlessly and sipped. The warm tea soothed my throat, easing my discomfort—though nothing else had changed.“…What happened?”My voice returned calm at last. I clasped the still-warm mug at my chest in a defensive posture. His gaze shifted from my arm to meet mine.“Don’t you remember?”I met his question directly.“You brought me here after I passed out?”I recalled nothing after sinking beneath the water. I’d glimpsed his cane in his hand—though not the one I’d grabbed in the pool—then returned my eyes to his face.“You stripped me…completely?”I stressed “completely,” and he narrowed his long eyes as he answered.“I don’t miss an opportunity.”His brazenness left me speechless. I resolved not to apologize for provoking him drunk last night—or for hitting him. After all, hadn’t I claimed I never missed a chance?If my shame and last night’s folly were an exchange, it was a fair one. Any resentment at my disadvantage felt unwarranted: I’d started this foolishness myself. Though I inwardly recoiled at myself, I refused to indulge in self-pity in front of him. Instead, I pointed out another fact.“You came with a partner. If you’d gone down to the pool with her as planned, none of this would’ve happened.”Perhaps he’d watched from the sidelines. I forced myself to ignore the thought that he’d laid me naked on a bed for his amusement. My tone sharpened despite myself.But Nathaniel Miller merely responded with ease.“I had more fun things to tend to.”I contorted my face in disbelief. Whatever that “fun” was, I didn’t need him to say. It could only be my drunken spectacle in the pool—or my naked sleeping form—or both.“He was furious that someone drained several bottles of the owner’s prized wine.”He delivered the news in his usual languid tone, but I sensed amusement in his words. I glared at him, as if demanding an explanation. He raised his empty hand—then, with seamless grace, plucked the mug from my grasp. I lost the only barrier between us, realizing too late. He chuckled silently, as though he saw through my pathetic attempt at modesty, then did the unexpected again.I watched as he set the mug on the side table, then his hand drifted toward me. His firm thumb pressed against my lower lip, gently closing it over his fingertip. He slowly traced the delicate flesh beneath, and a memory surfaced—my kiss with another man the night before. He sharpened his nail against my inner lip. I winced instinctively, yet felt no pain. He watched me impassively, then a slow smile curved his lips.“Next time, Chrissy Jin,”he whispered my name in a low voice, sending a shiver down my spine. His gaze dropped, and he ran his thumbnail lightly along his teeth.“I’d prefer you not roll in the gutter with worthless men just to provoke me.”As if I’d been caught wallowing in the mud with a farm pig. He presumed so much—how absurd. Instead of fuming, I stuck out my tongue. Slowly I licked the fingertip still at my lips. His brow creased—not in disgust, but something else—as he watched me, eyes fixed on the wet trail of my tongue. He continued observing as I closed my mouth around his thumb, lightly parting my lips to entertain him. Then I narrowed my eyes in a smile and murmured,“Who I roll with is none of your ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) business.”Nathaniel Miller said nothing, still watching me with his finger at my lips. I felt my heart pounding fiercely against my chest. What would he do next? I couldn’t guess. My nerves crackled at the anticipation—when, finally, he chuckled.At the unexpected sound, I flinched. He withdrew his thumb and, after a moment of confusion on my part, said:“Go ahead—try it. Let’s see what happens.”His tone was light, as though joking—but I sensed he was deadly serious. He didn’t give me a chance to respond, turning away abruptly.“Well then, Prosecutor, I’ll see you in a week.”He’d set the date on his own. Stepping back, he pivoted. For a brief instant, his eyes seemed to rest on something beyond the door. Then, with the familiar, crisp taps of his cane—each strike punctuated with precise rhythm—he walked away.

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