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Startled, Jiyu quickly tried to pull the front closed, but Hunter grabbed and pulled them wide open at the same time.
[Wha—what are you doing!]
Clutching the chest of her robe, Jiyu instinctively slapped the back of Hunter's hand several times.
[Hic!]
Immediately after, she froze, startled by her own actions.
[Uh... um, sorry. You did that so suddenly, I just got surprised...]
Jiyu squeezed her eyes shut, then cautiously opened them a crack to gauge his reaction.
Staring back at her, Hunter let out a short, incredulous laugh and stepped forward with a threatening stride.
[You asked me to hold you. Are you kidding me?]
Jiyu shook her head and stepped backward.
[That's not what I meant, it was just too sudden—ah!]
The moment the mattress touched the back of her thighs, she lost her balance and flailed her arms. Hunter grabbed the front of her robe with both hands. Thanks to that, she didn't fall onto the bed, but her body, clad in a turquoise string bikini, was revealed completely through the wide-open robe.
A dense, heavy gaze drifted downward and then crawled back up with an agonizing slowness.
When she was in the pool, she hadn't felt it because the surroundings were dark and she was half-submerged, but exposing herself like this under the bright lights was unbearably embarrassing. She was confused as to why she felt this way, considering it wasn't the first time she had shown him her naked body.
A burning heat started from her cheeks, traveled down her neck, and spread to her chest. Even without looking down, she knew she must be flushed red.
Hunter tightened his grip on the robe and pulled. As soon as Jiyu stood straight, he stripped the robe off her and threw it far away.
Standing before Hunter in only her bikini, Jiyu lowered her head and bit her lip. She tentatively raised her arms in an awkward gesture to cover herself, but Hunter grabbed her arms and pulled them away.
[Don't cover yourself.]
Then, he ran his palm down her back. Finding the ribbon-shaped knot in the center of her back, he tugged on the string. Because she had tied it in a double knot for fear of it coming loose, it only stretched and wouldn't undo.
Letting out a boiling, dissatisfied sound, Hunter withdrew his hand from her back and glanced down at the front. He had used that exact same look the last time he ripped her bra.
The moment Hunter moistened his dry lips and reached for her breast, Jiyu grabbed his hand with both of hers.
Their eyes met. Jiyu shook her head, but he brushed her hands away with a stubborn expression.
[Let go.]
[I—I'll take it off!]
She couldn't let the only pretty swimsuit Ae-jeong had bought her by spending every cent of her weekly pay be ruined like that. Jiyu reached behind her back to untie the knot. Her fingers were trembling, making it difficult.
When the knot finally gave way, the bikini top loosened. The tiny scrap of fabric rested precariously over her breasts.
At the sound of a loud swallow, Jiyu looked up.
Hunter's gaze was fixed, as if possessed, on her heaving chest. His Adam's apple bobbed deeply once more, and a hot finger pushed the string down off her shoulder.
One breast was revealed. This time, it was Jiyu who swallowed hard.
He ruthlessly stripped away the small piece of fabric covering the other breast. Slap—the wet bikini fell to the floor.
Jiyu clenched her fists, fighting the urge to cover her chest. Her ears were throbbing, and her cheeks and forehead felt hot, as if she had the flu.
Hunter placed his hand on her waist. Jiyu flinched and gripped his forearm. However, he didn't hesitate as he pulled the strings of the bikini bottoms down to her thighs. The bottoms lingered for a moment before sliding smoothly down her sleek legs.
Now completely naked under his gaze, Jiyu squeezed her eyes shut.
She wanted to ask him to turn off the lights, but her throat felt tight, and no sound came out. Her heart was pounding wildly, and she could feel the pulse in every capillary across her entire body. She was already out of breath.
[Ha...]
Hunter gripped Jiyu's shoulders, leaned down, and buried his nose in the crook of her soft neck. He exhaled hot breath against her delicate collarbone to steady his breathing.
He didn't want to repeat the mistake of that night—the one that happened too hastily, unexpectedly, and without any preparation. That was why he had prepared in his own way, so that he wouldn't be flustered no matter when this moment arrived.
Though it was the first time for both of them, he knew he had to lead this shy girl. Actually, that wasn't the main problem; what bothered him was the fact that the process inevitably involved physical pain.
Moreover, it wasn't pain inflicted on him, who was tough, but on this frail woman who felt like she might break if touched the wrong way.
The plan he had stored in his head was now rolling around on the floor along with Jiyu's bikini.
Now that the moment had actually arrived, he felt a sudden urge to corner her like prey. The instinct to blindly dive into her, bury himself deep inside, and release everything made him feel like a fool.
'Think back, Hunter Hamilton. First time sex: six ways to minimize the partner's physical pain.'
He closed his eyes tight and inhaled the scent of Jiyu's skin. His engorged penis throbbed painfully inside his non-stretch swim shorts.
'Fuck. Calm down.'
He clenched his teeth, his muscles tensing tight. Then, he stepped back slightly from her. Burying his nose in her neck and smelling her wasn't helping him think at all.
As soon as he let go, she dropped her head and wrapped her arms around her chest.
Hunter fixed his gaze on the ceiling and recalled the things he had to do, one by one.
'If she's cold, cover her with the sheet. If she's shy, dim the lights. If she's scared, make her feel pleasure first to relax her. Use a condom for safety. Then what was it? Ah, right. If it hurts during insertion, stop for a moment and hug her, and when moving again, kiss her here and there and say sweet things, blah blah. Dammit. Why is there so much to do?'
Cold, shy, scared, in pain.
Jiyu would undoubtedly fit all of those. So, he decided to throw everything from his plan at her. Having made his decision, Hunter swept her up into his arms. She seemed to eat well, but it bothered him how light she felt, as if she were hollow inside.
If Jiyu Parker had been built a bit sturdier, he would have chewed her up, bones and all, a long time ago.
[Ah...!]
Startled by the sudden movement, Jiyu flailed her arms and legs. Hunter laid her gently in the center of the bed.
[Cover yourself.]
He pulled the sheet he had pushed aside and covered her body. A glimpse of her nakedness made the back of his neck tingle. He wanted to pounce on her right now, but he had to turn off the lights and get the condoms.
Jiyu quickly pulled the sheet up to her neck, clutching it desperately as if it were a shield.
Hunter walked toward the wide-open bedroom door.
Is he leaving me here? It's not that I don't want this, I'm just a little embarrassed.
She suddenly feared that he might misunderstand her reaction, get angry, and walk out.
[...Where are you going, Hunter?]
She asked in an anxious voice.
[This is my room, where would I go?]
Having closed the door and locked it securely, he answered brusquely and turned off the light switches one by one. Except for the yellowish glow emanating from the lamp beside the bed, all other lights went out. A comfortable twilight settled over the room, like the moment just after sunset.
Jiyu moistened her dry lips and watched Hunter's every move without blinking. Now that the lights were dim and she was under the sheet, some of the tension left her body.
He opened the drawer of the bedside table and took out a small box. Then, he held the box upside down and poured the contents onto the table.
Condoms rained down.
Jiyu bit her lip. Seeing that he had prepared condoms after shouting that she should handle contraception herself, it proved that the words he had said that day were meant to hurt her.
He grabbed a few condoms from the table and scattered them on the headboard.
Jiyu counted the number of scattered square foils with a puzzled look. Then, she narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between Hunter and the condoms with suspicion.
'Is there a need to take out that many?'
Right then, Hunter untied the drawstring of his swim trunks and violently ripped open the Velcro of the fly. A loud, ripping sound echoed through the room.
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