THE AFTER-PARTY was held at Crown Hotel, one of the hotels owned by the Hernandez family. After the fashion show, the guests went straight there. Yumika didn’t really want to attend, but she felt guilty leaving Steph behind. Besides, after their eyes had met during the show, she hadn’t seen Cade again. He probably got bored and went home.
Some time during the party, Yumika felt the need to go outside to get some fresh air. She went to the hotel’s garden area. There were a few benches, and she sat in a spot not too exposed to the lights. She let out a sigh after taking off her high heels. They were killing her feet, and she had actually planned to take them off earlier. She felt like she was about to get blisters for real.
Yumika looked up and stared at the night sky. The stars were sparkling above. As she gazed upward, Cade suddenly came to mind, along with their first kiss under the moon and the millions of stars in the sky. It had happened at Steph’s sweet sixteenth birthday celebration…
“Cade?”
From looking up at the sky, Cade looked at her. Because it was quite dark where the young man was, she couldn’t see his face very well. Earlier, while everyone was having fun at the birthday party, she saw Cade leave, so she followed him. She thought that wherever he went, it was just to the beach. The birthday party was being held at a beach resort, after all.
“Are you following me?” he asked, sounding a little annoyed.
She didn’t wait for permission to sit beside him. “I just thought I’d follow you because you might get into trouble.”
“Why would I get into trouble? This beach is ours. And besides, I can take care of myself.”
“Are you getting bored?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, the young man let out a deep sigh. Despite the lack of light, she stared at his side profile. He was really handsome, no doubt. That was why she was so drawn to him. She had done all sorts of silly things just to get his attention. But this boy was incredibly elusive. As far as she knew, Cade had never had a girlfriend. That’s why she was so excited—she wanted to be his very first. There was just one problem—he wasn’t paying attention to her.
He probably noticed her staring at him, because he suddenly turned to look at her. She froze. Thankfully, it was a bit dark, or else he would have definitely seen her cheeks turning red.
“If you don't mind, I really want to be alone.” He shooed her away, but she didn’t move.
“Are you hungry? I’ll get some food—” She didn’t finish her sentence because he suddenly stood up. She hadn’t expected it and panicked when she realized he was leaving, about to leave her behind. Instinctively, she grabbed his hand and pulled him back. But she must have pulled too hard, because he lost his balance and fell toward her. Something collided with her head, and she fell back. He landed on top of her, but her attention wasn’t on the weight of his body. It was on his lips pressed directly against hers.
Yumika couldn’t move, she only blinked. She had imagined their first kiss a million times, but none of them were like this. This was unexpected—completely unexpected. She hadn’t mentally prepared herself for it. But before she could even react, Cade suddenly jumped up. She moved as well, sitting up while touching her lips. She could feel her cheeks burning red.
“I didn’t mean that,” she heard him say, sounding a little irritated.
She looked up at him. She felt a pang of disappointment because she couldn’t even see if his cheeks were flushed, given the darkness around them. She was about to reply when he turned away and walked off. She could do nothing but watch him as he walked away…
Yumika snapped back to the present when she heard a rustling sound. She looked toward where it came from and was surprised to see Cade. He was puffing on a cigarette.
“When did you even learn to smoke?” she asked as he approached. She had assumed he wouldn’t even show up at the after-party.
He sat beside her, uninvited. “Live with me, and I’ll stop,” he said instead of answering her question.
“Hmm, nice try, but I no longer care for you,” she shot back. She felt a shiver run through her, even though he didn’t seem to notice. She could feel his gaze on her, and it suddenly made her uneasy. Worse, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. It was as if his presence was pulling her in.
“I doubt that,” he commented casually. “You’ve always cared for me, Mika, ever since we were young. Those feelings don’t just disappear that easily.”
“Don’t be so full of yourself,” she scoffed. “Yes, you were my first love, but I was stupid back then. That doesn’t justify how long someone stayed foolish, because once they wake up, they really wake up. And I’m done with you.”
“Hmm, prove it to me then,” he said casually. He rested his arms on the headrest of the bench, and her whole body shivered when she felt the heat coming from his arms near the back of her neck.
“What do you mean?” she said despite herself. She slowly moved her body away from leaning on the bench, still refusing to look at him.
“Kiss me.”
“What?!” Her head whipped around to him, shocked that he would suggest such a thing. “Have you been drinking? Or has your brain completely lost it? Why on earth would you suggest that I kiss you?”
He shrugged. “Well, it would be the easiest way for me to know if you still care about me or not—through a kiss.”
“You’re not making any sense.” She shook her head. “Would my lips really tell you that?”
He tilted his head, raising one corner of his lips. “Maybe?”
“You’re impossible.” She stood up to leave, but he grabbed her hand to stop her from walking away. He held it firmly, so no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
“Where are you going, wife?”
“Away from you, husband.” She shot back sarcastically. Cade laughed at her remark, which only made her more annoyed. For the last time, she tried to pull her hand away. But Cade didn’t budge. Instead, he stood up and pulled her close. Yumika couldn’t breathe from the overwhelming nervousness she felt. She was in his arms, and no matter how much she struggled, he wasn’t letting her go.
“Don’t you dare," she warned in gritted teeth.
“Dare what?” he whispered, and only then did Yumika realize his face was closer than it should have been. His eyes were fixed on her lips. Unconsciously, she ran her tongue over her lower lip.
“K-Kiss me.”
“As you wish.”
No! She inwardly screamed when he slammed his lips against hers. She didn’t know if he did not get what she was trying to say or if he intentionally got it wrong. She’d bet it was the latter.
He groaned softly, low in his throat, as he rubbed his thumb along her jaw. She found herself slowly giving in to the kiss, despite herself. If it weren’t for the warning bells in her head, she wouldn’t have come to her senses while responding to his kiss. Yumika knotted her fists in his shirt and tried to shove him away. He was kissing her hard and rough, as if punishing her. He bit her lower lip, and she couldn’t help but let out a small moan. She mentally pinched herself for moaning, but Cade took it as an invitation to kiss her even deeper. Yumika tried to push him again, and he budged—but not for long, as he tightened his arms around her waist. And when his lips moved to her neck, she gasped. She was literally out of breath. And if not for the voices approaching, Cade surely wouldn’t have stopped.
Disoriented and probably annoyed that they had been interrupted, he stared into her eyes. Just like her, he was breathing heavily too. “You responded to my kiss, despite yourself,” he managed to say between breaths.
She forcefully broke free from his arms. The people who had barged in were now uncomfortably close. She was grateful the dim light hid her face, because she was certain her cheeks were burning red. And her lips, too, for sure. The newcomers went silent, and she was sure all their attention was on her and Cade. The last thing she wanted was an audience while bickering with this infuriating man who had just stolen her breath with a kiss.
Without saying another word, she picked up her shoes and ran off.