In the dimly lit room, two figures were tangled together.

The man with sharp, well-defined features had his head lowered, long lashes casting faint shadows under his eyes. He stared at the girl beneath him, voice low and hoarse. “Lauren, tell me—who am I?”

Her thick lashes brushed lightly against his skin. She lifted a pale, slender arm and lazily hooked it around his neck. Her warm breath, mixed with strong hints of alcohol, lingered between them and reached his nose.

To keep her from falling, Emmanuel instinctively placed his hand on her waist.

That little waist fit perfectly in his palm—almost too perfect.

His hand paused for a second, just enough for her to lean in closer. Her porcelain-like arm wrapped around him as she naturally inched toward him.

Even through the fabric, her warmth came searing through—almost too warm.

When Emmanuel looked down, he spotted a faint red lipstick mark stained on his otherwise crisp white shirt.

And of course, the culprit didn’t even notice what she’d done.

Her eyes curved into a crescent shape, and her sugary-sweet voice just oozed charm. “You’re... Emmanuel Thompson…”

His eyes suddenly darkened, swirling with something unreadable.

—

Morning light began to creep over the horizon, golden beams slipping through the clouds.

Lauren felt like her head had been split open. She groaned and rubbed her sore eyes, not fully opened yet, but flashes of last night’s memories were already hitting her like a tidal wave.

[Just the adopted girl. You think I’d really care about her? Families like ours need to stick to our own kind.]

Her hand froze mid-rub.

She and Aaron had grown up together. She’d been trailing behind him for what felt like forever. No matter where or when, if Aaron turned around, she’d always be there. But last night, she heard him say it—those cold words—“just the adopted girl.”

Over the years, she’d gone wherever he went. Back in school, she ran errands for him, covered for him, even helped with his homework. After graduation, she handled business matters for him.

Everyone knew she liked Aaron. Everyone—except Aaron himself.

Or maybe he just acted like he didn’t know.

To him, that’s all she was—“the adopted girl.”

The bitterness welled up uncontrollably in her throat. Along with the sound of laughter from the group he was with yesterday, it all came flooding back, stinging like hell.Her thoughts were a mess, completely tangled up like a ball of string, waves of them crashing over until she could hardly breathe.

Lauren buried herself in the pillow, feeling like the whole room was pressing down on her, suffocating.

Her head spun, and it was hard to catch her breath.

Then the thin curtains were pulled open, letting sunlight pour in through the window. In an instant, the air finally felt breathable.

A lazy, smooth voice cut through the silence—

"You awake?"

Lauren snapped her eyes open and was greeted by a face that could’ve come straight out of a dream.

He stood at the edge of the bed, arms crossed, looking down at her. That stunning face paused for a beat before he said,

"Lauren, you’re the one who took advantage of me last night. Shouldn’t I be the one feeling upset?"

Lauren gripped the edge of the blanket tightly—what? Took advantage?

Bits and pieces of memories came back like a broken film reel—dim streetlights, vodka mixed with orange juice, her arms hooked around his neck, refusing to let go, and…

And she’d leaned in and…bit him?

Tears still clung to her lashes. Her heartbroken expression turned into pure panic, a faint blush rushing up to her cheeks.

Her round black eyes darted to his neck.

There, on the side of his pale skin, was a faint pink bite mark.

Lauren's gaze zeroed in on it. That part of his throat, usually looking like a sculpted artwork, now had a strangely suggestive feel thanks to that mark.

She clenched the blanket tighter, pupils dilating slightly.

She’d done that.

Last night, she really bit him.

God help her… this was beyond embarrassing.

The man by the bed noticed the flicker of realization in her face, and his lips curled into a small smirk.

"Lauren."

Her head jerked up, right into those narrow dark eyes.

The way he looked at her made her heart skip like crazy. She flinched instinctively under his gaze.

As she stared back at him, her mind scrambled—other than wrapping herself around his neck, biting his throat, kissing his face…

Did she... do anything else even more ridiculous?

-

New book on the way!

It’s a short one, around 200k to 300k words. From the female lead’s point of view: marrying first, falling later; the male lead always loved her in secret; and the second male lead chasing love too late. Pretty much a sweet fluff.

‘Soft Temptation’ — ingredients:

25% vodka

75% orange juice

"A lonely girl finally gets the love that’s just for her."