Chapter Text
On the subject of Jumin’s bed, MC had had a week to study and was certain of two things: first, that it was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in, and second, that it would have been infinitely more comfortable if Jumin had been in it, too.
The enormous mattress was somehow both perfectly soft and perfectly firm. It was so perfect that she had, several mornings, been very close to being able to sleep in. Weeks had passed since she’d quit her barista job to be the RFA’s full-time party coordinator, but her internal clock hadn’t gotten the memo that she didn’t need to rise at the crack of dawn anymore. She peered at the alarm clock on the nightstand, which read 5:54 a.m. That was even earlier than usual, but she could tell going back to sleep was a lost cause. Gorgeous morning light was already spilling through Jumin’s velvet curtains, so she let it beckon her up and out of bed.
MC brushed her teeth and gave her face a quick cleanse in the ensuite bathroom. She still wasn’t used to the fact that it was bigger than her old apartment. Everything was smooth warm marble, gold metal accents and soft backlighting. She assessed her appearance in the large, gilt mirror mounted over the sink. The bags under her eyes were worse than the previous day, and she decided changing out of pyjamas could wait until after coffee. She returned to the bedroom and quickly made the bed, then padded barefoot into the hallway.
It was not exaggerating to say Jumin’s home was nicer than everywhere she had ever lived, combined. If Rika’s apartment had felt like a nice hotel, Jumin’s penthouse was a palace. Everything from the marble flooring to the carved ceiling panels seemed too nice to be inside a real person’s home. She felt like at any moment someone might tap her on the shoulder and politely ask her to leave.
She checked her phone while she walked down the long hallway toward the living area. The other RFA members had also had a restless night, based on the new chatrooms. Zen had once again questioned the wisdom of her staying with Jumin, which made her smile ruefully. If he knew how much of a gentleman Jumin had been so far, she suspected he would back off. She skimmed her emails and made a mental note to reply to a few new party guests when she was more awake.
She had wondered if Jumin might still be asleep since it was so early, but she heard him moving around in the kitchen as she approached.
“MC, good morning.” Jumin turned toward her as she rounded the corner. He stood before a gleaming, wall-mounted espresso maker that had definitely not been there when she had gone to bed and was possibly fancier than the one at her old job. He placed a mug on the tray under one of several nozzles and pressed a few buttons as she walked over to him.
“Good morning!” MC slipped her phone into the pocket of her pyjama bottoms. She smiled and adjusted her bangs as Jumin took in her bed head and sleep-rumpled pyjamas. She still wasn’t used to him levelling his full attention at her – it made her happy and anxious at the same time.
Unlike her, he was ready for the day, looking perfectly put together as usual. Despite that, there were shadows under his eyes. She was learning that he dealt with stress by throwing himself into his work; he’d risen early and retired late every night since she’d been there. She was sure the negative press from the events of the past few weeks didn’t help his workload, either. She hadn’t heard him go to bed before she’d drifted off past midnight the previous night.
Her heart squeezed at the thought of him running himself ragged night after night, and she almost had to laugh at how hopelessly gone she was for him. If she were being honest, she’d been drawn to him from her first day using the RFA app. He had been slower to trust her than the others, which, though sensible, made her feel like she needed to prove herself. But as the weeks went by and he opened up, even getting comfortable enough that they could exchange jokes or short phone conversations, she realized how much lay beneath the surface.
He was undoubtedly a snob, but this was tempered by what MC thought was an endearing desire to learn about different ways of life. Zen griped about him being a trust fund kid, but she admired how he devoted himself to his work, hobbies and loved ones, sometimes with single-minded determination. Though stiff and formal at first glance, he had a wide playful streak, which she loved and wished the other RFA members appreciated more. She cherished each glimpse into his heart and mind like a treasure and found herself longing to expand their relationship beyond the chatroom.
Then the trouble with his father, Glam Choi and Sarah had started. Jumin had taken the rumours and intrusions on his privacy hard, and it was clear he was struggling. She hadn’t had any ulterior motives or expectations when she promised Jaehaee she would visit him at the penthouse. She was dubious that visiting would even be helpful, but Jaehee had seemed confident enough for her to want to try. She’d thought long and hard about her feelings for him before agreeing, and had resolved to keep them hidden. The last thing Jumin needed while dealing with a dating scandal and arranged marriage was another silly girl with a crush.
But she had badly miscalculated. Everything she liked about him before officially meeting him, she liked even more in person. She’d already known from photos that she found him attractive, but being around him every day drove her to distraction. His every word and movement drew her in like a magnet. Her skin tingled when he got close to her in anticipation of contact that never came. She had started having daydreams, or sometimes actual dreams, about him that made it difficult to meet his eye afterward. Even the sound of his voice did alarming things to her nervous system. She found herself getting distracted when he spoke to her, caught up imagining his mouth doing… other things.
Worse than the unrequited feelings or the heart-pounding physical afflictions, though, was how disappointed she felt that Jumin had shown nothing but platonic interest in her since she’d arrived. Being disappointed in the first place felt like failure. She had wanted to support him unconditionally when it seemed no one else could, but here she was letting herself get distracted by silly, unrealistic fantasies.
“You’re up earlier than usual.” Jumin’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He checked his watch, and his brow creased. “Are your sleeping arrangements unsatisfactory?” He frowned and glanced over her shoulder toward the bedroom. “I’ll have Jaehee arrange for a new mattress to be delivered immediately –”
“No, no, everything is perfect!” MC flapped her hands, alarmed at the thought of adding another task to either Jumin’s or poor Jaehee’s list. “It’s the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in,” she added. “I think I’m just too used to getting up early.”
She heard a meow and looked down to Elizabeth the 3rd twining around her legs. “Hello, lovely,” she cooed, crouching to scratch her behind the ears. “Did you sleep well?” Elizabeth the 3rd purred and leaned into her touch. After accepting a few pets, she sauntered out of the kitchen without sparing Jumin a glance.
“It seems she’s still upset with me,” he said wistfully, watching her fluffy white tail vanish around the corner.
MC stood and wrung her hands at his sad expression. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sure she just needs a bit more time. She seems a lot perkier today!”
Jumin sighed and turned back to the espresso machine. He pressed another button and a stream of what looked like foamed milk poured into the mug. “I feel very foolish for how I reacted,” he murmured.
All three of them were still recovering from the events of the past few days. The morning after she’d arrived, Elizabeth the 3rd had escaped into the hallway while Jumin was introducing MC to the head of security and had somehow gotten deep into the lower levels of the building. The security team was excellent: they had tracked her down and returned her relatively quickly, but Jumin had been beside himself with worry. Afterward he’d moved her food, water and toys into his study and locked her in, ignoring her plaintive cries to be let out. MC had spent two days convincing him to relent, and even then he had only done so after installing a pet gate on the front door. She still caught him scanning the area around the door anxiously when he left or entered.
“Please don’t be too hard on yourself,” MC said. “You thought you lost her. We don’t always react how we want to when we’re scared.”
Jumin smiled sadly but didn’t say anything. The espresso machine stopped whirring, and MC caught a whiff of fresh coffee, which made her yawn again.
“That’s a lovely machine, by the way,” she said. “Is it okay if I make myself a cup?”
In answer, Jumin picked up the mug from the tray and stepped toward her. Her breath caught when he pressed it into her hands and his fingers brushed her skin.
“This is for you,” he said softly. “I don’t know much about espresso, but I’ve been told this machine is top of the line, so I hope it’s to your liking. It should have been installed a few days ago, but the… complications regarding Elizabeth the 3rd delayed things.”
“Oh! You didn’t have to – that’s not – thank you!” MC stuttered, mind racing. Jumin made it sound like he’d gotten the machine just for her. She felt dizzy imagining the price tag, not to mention the time he must have spent sourcing it, arranging for it to be installed, and learning to use it. “Do you really not drink espresso? Maybe I can show you a few different drinks so you can enjoy it too – it would be such a waste if only I got to use it,” she babbled.
Jumin’s flippant attitude toward spending money was a constant source of shock. Since she’d arrived, he’d offered to buy her a new laptop (hers had a finicky charging cable), a new wardrobe (she had spilled coffee on her shirt), and a gaming console (she had mentioned the newest GrayStation game in passing). She supposed someone as rich as Jumin wouldn’t think twice about it, but having spent most of her adult life needing to budget carefully, extravagant spending was a foreign concept.
She realized she was rambling and clamped her mouth shut. She glanced into her mug, too flustered to look at Jumin, and took a sip. Her eyes widened at the familiar taste of vanilla, nutmeg, simple syrup, and oat milk.
“How did you know how I take my coffee?” She beamed at him, inner turmoil momentarily forgotten. “I haven’t had it this way since I quit the café.”
Jumin now seemed a bit shy himself. He broke eye contact to adjust his pristine shirt cuffs. “You mentioned it in a chatroom during your first week with the RFA. I believe Zen was quizzing you about your favourite foods.”
That he remembered such a trivial fact about her all these weeks later made her stomach flip.
Jumin picked up a mug she hadn’t noticed before, which looked like it held a black Americano, and took a sip. She was relieved he would get some use out of the fancy machine after all – he’d probably been meaning to buy one anyway.
“That’s so thoughtful, thank you,” she said, touched. She hadn’t had good coffee in weeks. Now that she didn’t work somewhere she could get it for free, she couldn’t justify the cost of espresso. She kept a French press back at Rika’s apartment and usually stretched out a cup or two of drip if she set up at a café to work on party prep. Since staying with Jumin she’d made do with instant, since he took his coffee at the office and didn’t own a coffee maker.
She took a long sip, humming happily while she savoured the rich flavours, then licked the foam from her lip.
Jumin made an odd noise, so soft she thought she might have imagined it. She glanced up and could have sworn his eyes flicked away from her mouth. He cleared his throat quietly.
“It’s my pleasure,” he said. “I want you to feel at home while you’re here. I know things have been… intense the last few days.”
“I’m happy to be here!” MC said. “It’s no trouble, and…” She paused and bit her lip. “And I don’t think you should be alone right now. You’ve been working so hard, dealing with your dad and the tabloids, and I know everything with Elizabeth the 3rd was really scary, and – I hope it’s a little easier with me here. I’d hate to think you were going through all that by yourself.”
She stopped. She was suddenly embarrassed at suggesting her mere presence could help, especially since she wasn’t actually doing anything. Her instinct was to do errands or chores for loved ones who were stressed out, but the penthouse offered little to help with. Jumin kept a full team of staff in the building, from housekeepers to a personal chef. She at least made sure to clean up after herself, despite Jumin offering to have his team take care of her as well, but she hated not being able to do more.
To her delight, however, Jumin rewarded her with a smile. Though small, it seemed genuine, and she felt a little burst of satisfaction to have coaxed it out. His smiles had been hard to come by over the last week, especially given the rising tension with his father. Sarah, Glam Choi’s odd protegé, was becoming bolder, encouraged by the Chairman’s enthusiasm for her and Jumin’s supposed engagement. Only a few days ago she had arrived uninvited at the front desk and demanded to be let up to the penthouse. Security had escorted her away without incident, but MC could tell the threat of intrusion weighed on Jumin.
She took another sip of coffee and licked away the foam again. To her amazement, Jumin’s breath hitched. He seemed a little stunned, she realized with a rush, and his face was full of an emotion she couldn’t place. Her cheeks warmed as she held his gaze and tried to make sense of his expression. The room seemed to shrink and narrow as they stared at each other, the moment stretching.
Jumin’s phone buzzed against the marble countertop, making MC jump. She straightened – she hadn’t realized she’d leaned in.
Jumin looked at the phone like he was surprised to see it there, then picked it up and slowly brought it to his ear. “Assistant Kang… Yes, I recall now, thank you. I will depart directly.” He frowned and tucked the phone into his breast pocket. “My presence is required at the C&R building for an early stakeholder meeting. I’ll need to leave shortly.” He ran a hand along the front of his suit jacket, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles.
“Oh!” MC tried not to sound disappointed. “Of course, I didn’t mean to keep you.”
“Not at all,” Jumin said, still frowning. “I’m sorry to leave you so abruptly.” He held her gaze a moment longer – genuinely regretful, she thought – then left in the direction of his study. MC heard papers sliding into his briefcase. She suppressed a sad sigh.
“I must apologize,” he called, sounding distracted. “Breakfast is not scheduled to arrive until 7:00. If you’re hungry before then, the pantry has a few basics. I’ll have the delivery scheduled for earlier going forward.”
Food had also been a small point of contention since she’d arrived. She felt bad enough about taking Jumin’s bed – he had insisted, refusing to let her set up camp on the couch – and had hoped to help with cooking to make up for it. Jumin’s kitchen was essentially a showroom, however, with no cooking utensils to speak of and only a basic set of dishware. She wasn’t in a position to buy a whole new set of cookware or splurge on takeout for every meal, so she had reluctantly accepted his offer to have her meals catered, too.
“That’s okay,” MC called, wincing a bit when the words came out sounding a little sad. She smacked herself on the forehead, trying to stifle her disappointment. Of course Jumin wouldn’t skip work to talk to her, and of course she would see him again for dinner, and honestly who cared what that little moment between them might have been – she was almost certainly reading too much into it. Like she kept telling herself, dealing with even more unwanted romantic interest was the last thing Jumin needed, especially when he was going into the office on less than five hours’ sleep. Her disappointment morphed into worry, thinking of the long day he was embarking on while sleep-deprived. But just like she was powerless to stifle her feelings for Jumin, there was also nothing she could do about him being a workaholic.
She turned to scan the kitchen cupboards, deciding that looking for some food would be the perfect distraction from her steadily darkening thoughts. She made a mental note to replace whatever she took later when Jumin wasn’t looking. She hadn’t had much reason to explore the kitchen yet, but she recalled spying some packages in one of the upper cupboards that might have been cereal – or, fancy rich people cereal, anyway. She set her mug down and walked over to it.
While she preferred to think of herself as “space efficient” rather than “short,” she couldn’t deny the penthouse’s towering ceilings put the cupboards out of her reach. The only chairs in the vicinity were upholstered in velvet, which she would rather die than dirty by standing on, so she braced her palms against the cool marble, bounced on the balls of her feet a few times for momentum, and hauled her knees up. She grabbed the cupboard handles to steady herself, making sure not to let her bare feet touch the countertop. She had just pulled open the cupboard when Jumin cried out behind her.
“MC!”
MC jumped and looked over her shoulder to find Jumin rushing over. Mortified, she tried to hop down, but her pyjamas slipped on the smooth marble. She wobbled and fell, sitting down hard on the edge of the counter. Her momentum sent her backward toward the cupboards, but Jumin’s arm curled around her shoulders just in time to keep her head from smacking into them.
“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry,” she gasped at the same time as Jumin said, “You could hurt yourself!”
MC blinked. Jumin was very close. He was scared, she realized, not angry like she’d expected, but more importantly he was also standing directly between her legs.
“I’m sorry,” MC said, wide-eyed. “I get up on the counters all the time at home – I didn’t think about how rude it would be to do it in someone else’s house, I –”
“Did you hit your head?” Jumin asked, voice strained. He cradled the back of her head with his free hand. Sitting on the tall counter, she was much closer to his eye level than usual. He seemed unaware of how close their faces were as he studied hers for signs of distress.
“No, I’m okay,” MC said. “I was, um, trying to find something to eat, but I couldn’t reach.”
Jumin closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “I thought you would be safe in the penthouse.” He was talking more to himself than to her. “It never occurred to me that you could be in danger even here…” He removed his hand from the back of her head to grasp the open cupboard door behind her, dropping his head so their foreheads nearly touched. “I’ve already hurt Elizabeth the 3rd, and to think I could have let something happen to you, too…”
MC shivered.
“I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said breathlessly. “I’m sorry, Jumin.”
She heard Jumin’s grip on the cupboard door tighten. “When you say my name like that, I…” When he finally met her gaze, his pupils were wide, and MC realized with a flash of heat in her belly that the emotion on his face was desire.
Looking back, MC would conclude she must have been possessed by the spirit of a much sexier and more confident woman, or perhaps simply by pure instinct. In the moment, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
Jumin went still, and for a gut-churning second she thought she had horrifically misread the situation.
Then he surged into her.
His arm tightened around her shoulders and he made a low, urgent sound against her lips. His hand that had been gripping the cupboard behind her tangled in her hair, tilting her head back as he pressed in. He opened his mouth against hers, and she could taste the coffee on his breath. His tongue swept across her lower lip and she gasped into his mouth, hands clutching at his lapels.
Abruptly, he pulled back. MC opened her eyes, dazed and, to her embarrassment, panting slightly. Jumin was wide-eyed.
“MC, I – I apologize, I don’t know –” He blinked several times, stricken. MC blinked too, trying to square the shift in mood with the warmth flooding her body. Jumin was still holding her, but he had gone still.
“Did you… not like it?” she asked with a flash of anxiety. She’d thought he had, but maybe she’d been projecting. Her stomach flipped while she waited for him to pull away. Her hands were trapped against his chest, and she could feel his heart hammering, despite his stillness.
He blinked again. “Like it? That’s hardly…” His voice became rough. “It’s all I can think about. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to…” His eyes fell to her mouth and the expression of desire returned. MC’s breath caught, and she bit her lip. His eyes darkened, and she was aware of the distance between them slowly closing. As their lips brushed together, he tensed and pulled back. He breathed out sharply through his nose.
“I’m so sorry, MC,” he said, looking pained. “You’ve placed your trust in me by staying here, and I’m behaving like some kind of animal.” With some effort, he released her and took a step back.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait.” MC sat up straighter and tightened her grip on his lapels. “Jumin, I kissed you .”
He froze again. He stared at her like she’d spoken in French. “You… did you?” He was so uncharacteristically at a loss that MC couldn’t suppress an exasperated laugh.
“I’m 100% sure I did.” She wasn’t overly experienced, but she was sure this wasn’t how things usually went when a man wanted to kiss you, which, to her amazement, she was beginning to suspect Jumin did. She fidgeted and lowered her eyes, mind racing as she played back the previous ten minutes with this in mind. She let go of his suit jacket, suddenly self-conscious about touching him so casually, but then didn’t know what to do with her hands. She settled on clasping them to her chest.
After a few silent beats, she chanced a peek at him through her lashes. His eyes were still wide but were focused on her. His hands hovered, open-palmed, a few inches away from her shoulders, like he couldn’t bring himself to move closer or further away.
It had certainly felt like he had wanted to kiss her. He’d basically told her he had, but something wasn’t gelling – did he think she didn’t want to? Her skin was burning where they had touched, and the thought of going about their days like nothing had happened, without figuring out what was going on, made her feel like dying.
“I’ve been thinking about it too,” she tried, forcing herself to meet his gaze. Her cheeks grew warm with the intensity of it. “And I… I liked it,” she continued, quieter now. “So, if you also liked it… maybe we could, um –” she swallowed. She had hoped he might get the gist and put her out of her misery, but he was still looking at her with that dazed expression. Her heart was hammering and she could feel her pulse in her throat. Impulsively kissing a man she had feelings for was one thing, but verbalizing those feelings was apparently another. She took a deep breath and placed a hand on her chest, trying to slow her heartbeat. Was she getting dizzy?
“MC –” Jumin reached toward her in alarm, which was decidedly a step in the wrong direction, mood-wise –
“Please kiss me!” she blurted out. They stared at each other. She realized she had grabbed him by the upper arms without meaning to. Her heart was beating in her throat. She wondered if she looked as crazy as she felt, but Jumin’s worried expression slowly shifted as her words registered. It landed on sheer hunger before his lips crashed into hers.
He sighed into her mouth when their lips met again, as though some pain had been alleviated. His hands settled on her waist this time; his long fingers found the gap between her oversized t-shirt and pyjama bottoms and splayed across her bare skin. She shivered as they snaked under her shirt, stroked up her ribs, curled around her torso to her spine. He pressed his palms into her back, crushing her to him as they kissed, like he couldn’t get her close enough.
Her thoughts scattered; all her senses were flooded with him. Her hands slid up his biceps, over his shoulders – she noted with a thrill that his arms were corded with muscle beneath his suit – then cradled his face. She threaded her fingers through his hair and he gasped hungrily into her mouth. His lips moved against hers with bruising intensity.
Liquid heat pooled in MC’s belly and zinged out toward her toes and fingertips. Her entire upper body was pressed against his; she could feel the firm contours of his chest and abs through their clothing. He pressed in closer to deepen the kiss, chasing her mouth like it was oxygen, tilting her backward. His hips pressed between her legs and the pressure sent fresh desire blooming through her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her ankles together over his tailbone.
Jumin groaned and slid his hands to her thighs. He hitched her higher on his hips and straightened, lifting her off the counter like she weighed nothing. He braced one arm against her back and tangled his fingers in her hair. MC dropped her hands from his face to rove across his shoulders and upper back. She had the sense that his body was absolutely delectable, but there was so much clothing between them…
MC broke their kiss. Jumin made a questioning noise that turned into a low gasp as she buried her face in his neck and inhaled deeply. He smelled incredible: under his expensive shampoo and cologne was a deep, spicy musk that MC had identified as purely Jumin’s. It had lingered on his sheets the first night she’d arrived – it had been late and she had insisted he not launder anything on her account if he was giving up his bed – and she had craved it ever since.
She pressed an open-mouthed kiss behind his ear, wanting to devour the scent. Jumin shuddered and clutched her tighter. “MC.” He said her name like it was being dragged from his lips. He used his grip on her hair to gently pull her head back. She panted and looked at him. He looked as dazed and hungry as she was.
“I’ve wanted to do this since the moment you walked through my door,” he said, punctuating his sentence with another long kiss. Her heart fluttered and she sucked greedily on his lower lip, relishing his sharp inhale. When he spoke again against her lips, he sounded reverent. “It never occurred to me that you would also…”
MC was beyond words. Her thoughts were short-circuiting, her senses firing faster than she could process them. She was fairly certain she was dreaming. She sighed into his mouth, half pleasure and half frustration. She’d tasted him and now she wanted more, couldn’t possibly get close enough. She parted his lips with her tongue, delving into his mouth with enough force to knock their teeth together. Jumin made a low noise in his throat and kissed her back, stroking his tongue against hers, and she shivered.
She dragged her hands down his chest, over his lapels, and huffed a small, frustrated grunt into his mouth. He was wearing far too many clothes. She fumbled with his tie until it unraveled enough for her to start on his shirt collar. Her pulse raced as each popped button revealed more smooth, pale skin. She had never seen him in anything other than his work clothes, let alone undressed. She planted feverish kisses along his throat toward his collarbone, sucking and nipping enthusiastically.
Jumin made a strangled noise and stiffened, gripping her almost tight enough to hurt. Then they were moving. MC lifted her head; Jumin was striding toward the bedroom. Her stomach flipped with equal parts nerves and arousal. To distract herself, she returned her attention to his throat and chest, peppering his skin with kisses. She thrilled at the way his breathing grew more ragged with each one.
Jumin’s hand untangled from her hair to twist the knob when they reached the bedroom door. He pushed the door open with his foot and reached the bed in a few long strides.
Sunlight streamed in through the curtains, falling in a strip of gold across the bed. Jumin laid her in the sunbeam with a gentleness belying the starved look on his face. He practically lit up in the sun, his dark hair and eyes glowing deep golden brown, and MC’s chest swelled with how beautiful he was and how much she wanted him.
While she was becoming more flustered, reaching the bed seemed to have honed Jumin’s discomposure into near-predatory precision.
He sat beside her and leaned in, lowering his head to murmur into her ear. “I was quite partial to it, but our previous position was somewhat limiting.” His deep voice and warm breath in her ear made her spine tingle. “I want to touch you more.”
His long, soft fingers trailed over her shoulder, but he paused when he saw her arms had prickled with goosebumps. He touched her skin lightly with an awed, hungry expression, then looked up and studied her face. MC’s lips were swollen, her hair dishevelled, and her face felt flushed.
“You look so lovely like this,” he said.
MC felt a twinge of embarrassment – despite herself, she had imagined this moment in a lot of different ways, but wearing ratty pyjamas while Jumin was in a suit that cost more than her rent hadn’t been one of them. But he leaned down and kissed her again while sliding his hand up her side, and the thought evaporated.
His fingers drifted higher; they grazed her breast, and she remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra. Jumin seemed to notice at the same time and hesitated, but MC arched into his touch.
“P-please,” she gasped, squirming beneath him. “I want – I want you to touch me.” It felt embarrassing to say, but she was dying for it. Now that she didn’t have her whole body wrapped around him, not touching him was painful. Impulsively, she grabbed his hand and placed it over her breast.
Jumin practically growled. He straddled her, caging her between his arms and legs, and she suddenly had the impression of a jungle cat. He whispered into her ear as he squeezed: “I’ll do whatever you want.” His voice was low, simmering with fervour. His fingers brushed and then pinched her nipple, drawing a soft moan from her lips. His touch electrified her, fired little zaps of pleasure through her, but it wasn’t enough.
She was about to plead for more, embarrassment be damned, when Jumin’s lips closed over her other nipple. She gasped, arching into his mouth. He swirled his tongue, dampening her shirt and bathing the sensitive area in delicious heat while he gently rolled the other between his fingers. She whined, overwhelmed with sensation.
Jumin drew back and blew softly on the place his lips had been. She shuddered as the air cooled the wet fabric. That spot between her thighs, which still hadn’t been touched, was beginning to ache. She reached down blindly, desperate for friction.
Jumin’s hand on her wrist, gentle but firm, stopped her. “So eager,” he breathed against the shell of her ear. “But please don’t take for yourself what I want so much to give you. Let me take care of you.”
MC let out a whimper. His words sent a pleasurable throb through her, and she pressed her legs together in search of relief.
“Now, now,” Jumin tutted. He placed his knee between her legs and slowly slid it up to part her thighs. He gathered her wrists in one hand, drew them over her head, and pinned them to the pillow.
MC shivered as he leaned down toward her. “You’re so self-sufficient,” he said, kissing behind her ear. “Always doing everything for yourself.” He kissed her neck, then her shoulder where her shirt had slipped off. “Never letting me help you.” He kissed a line across her collarbone to the dip at the base of her throat. “Climbing up onto counters when I could easily reach the top shelf for you.” He murmured this against her sternum, and the words vibrated in her chest.
“I-I’m sorry,” she breathed, wide-eyed, guilt cutting through the arousal. “I didn’t want to bother –” Jumin interrupted her with a kiss, sucked gently on her bottom lip before he withdrew, and MC forgot about apologizing.
“There is no universe in which you could ever bother me.” He gazed at her intently; his voice was quiet but full of emotion. “I crave your attention. I’ve been so desperate to please you this past week, so distracted when I have to leave you here and can’t check on you.” He dipped his head to where her shirt had ridden up. “There is nothing I wouldn’t give you.” He pushed up her shirt with his free hand to uncover her stomach. “I want to protect you, take care of you.” Another trail of kisses, this time from her sternum to her bellybutton. MC watched his progress with awe. “But you never ask me for anything.”
He released her wrists – her arms fell to either side, limp – and touched the waistband of her pyjamas. He curled his fingers around the elastic, then looked up at her and waited.
MC truly could not believe how horny she was. Her thighs were actually trembling in anticipation – surely Jumin must notice, given he was lying on them.
“Jumin.” It came out as a whine, but she was past caring. “Please.” She carded shaky fingers through his hair. “Please touch me.” She rolled her hips to illustrate her point. “Touch me h-here.”
Jumin’s eyes darkened. “Of course,” he breathed, and it sounded like “thank you.”
He pulled her pyjama bottoms off in one swift motion, rising to his knees to manoeuvre them off her legs, and cast them to the side. He removed her panties reverently – MC could feel they were nearly soaked through – caressing her legs from thigh to ankle as he pulled them off, and tossed them after the pyjama bottoms.
He slung her legs over his shoulders, sank back down, and pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. “You’ve been such a good girl,” he whispered into her skin. He inched closer, nose skating toward the apex of her thighs. “Waiting for me so patiently.”
MC shivered, half anticipation and half self-consciousness. She felt vaguely relieved that she had showered right before bed. Then Jumin licked her. She gasped as the sensation shot through her. She was so sensitive, throbbing with want, that her hips bucked under his tongue. He moved his tongue in firm upward strokes, swirling at the top. Her fingers tightened in his hair and he hummed appreciatively.
His ministrations verged on overwhelming, but were somehow also not enough. Each stroke shot electricity up her spine, flooded her with warmth, made her crave more. She squirmed under him, chasing the pressure, hot, wet, firm against her throbbing flesh. Jumin gripped her hips more firmly. His lips closed over that sensitive bundle of nerves and he sucked, drawing a wanton moan from her. That was better, but something was still missing. She felt hollow.
“J-Jumin,” she gasped, “please, m-more –”
This time Jumin did growl, and the vibrations had her toes curling. Agonizingly slowly, he slid a single finger inside her. MC gasped and tensed, clenching around him while she adjusted to the sensation. He pumped in and out slowly a few times, stretching her, then added another.
MC moaned as he filled her, finally giving her the friction she’d been craving. Jumin settled into a rhythm, his fingers stroking deep inside her while his mouth lapped and sucked above.
“O-oh god,” she moaned, on the verge of coming apart. “That’s so g-good – haah –” Her thighs were shaking now, her hips jerking in tandem with Jumin’s movements. Everything narrowed to his mouth and hand between her legs as he pulled her closer and closer to release, building and building until finally –
MC’s entire body tensed as her orgasm broke over her. She bit back an honest-to-god scream. Her built-up arousal flooded her limbs all at once, leaving them tingling. She was aware of gripping Jumin’s hair so tightly it must hurt, pulling his face closer, but he continued pumping and licking her, working her through every last throb.
Finally, the aftershocks subsided and MC went limp. She released Jumin’s hair, and her legs slid off his shoulders. She felt like she was floating. She blinked at the ceiling, dazed and breathless, heart thundering.
“You seemed to enjoy that,” Jumin said, voice velvety. MC blushed at the undisguised lust in his tone. He rose onto his hands and knees, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. MC considered the dry-cleaning bill with alarm, but Jumin clearly wasn’t concerned. His eyes swept up her body, surveying his work with a thoroughly satisfied expression. He kissed her deeply, and she flushed at tasting herself on his lips.
As they kissed, the familiar need to be as close to him as possible bloomed through her blissed out haze. She reached up with shaky arms and embraced him, tugging him to her. As his body pressed against her, she felt that he was hard. She supposed it wasn’t surprising after what they’d just done, but the confirmation was exhilarating.
“It seems like you enjoyed it as well,” she said, pulling back to look at him. He pushed up with one hand to avoid crushing her.
“It pleases me to please you,” he said simply, as though commenting on the weather. He nosed along the side of her neck, behind her ear, and placed a long kiss there. He inhaled deeply, like she had done to him in the kitchen. His hand grazed her side under her shirt, fingers gliding across her bare skin.
Though he was clearly turned on too, he didn’t appear to be planning on doing anything about it. But MC was feeling bold and, to her amazement, still horny. She cupped his face in one hand and turned it toward her.
“I’ve been thinking this whole time that you’re wearing too many clothes,” she told him, slipping her thumb into his mouth. Jumin’s eyes widened, and for a moment he had the same dazed expression he’d worn in the kitchen.
“You’ve gotten to see me, touch me,” she continued, letting a pout creep into her voice. “I want to see you too.” She stroked his chest with her other hand. “I want to touch you.”
Jumin inhaled sharply and sat up; her thumb left his mouth with a soft pop. He unbuttoned his suit jacket in three deft movements and was halfway through shrugging it off when his phone rang.
MC sat up too. “Oh my gosh,” she gasped as the existence of the outside world rushed back to her. “You’re supposed to be at work!”
Jumin plucked his phone from his breast pocket, shut it off without even glancing at the screen, and threw it over his shoulder. It clattered to the floor and slid under a wardrobe.
MC stared after it in shock. “Are you… don’t you need to leave?” she asked. Jumin was already shedding his jacket and vest as though nothing had happened. He tossed them to the ground with her pyjamas and panties, then looked at her.
“Do you want me to?”
His undone tie had fallen off somewhere between the kitchen and the bedroom; his collarbone peeked through his shirt where she had undone the first few buttons.
She bit her lip. “Well, no…”
He started on the rest of the buttons.
“Wait.” MC leaned in to kiss him and capture his hands. “I want to,” she murmured against his lips. Jumin hummed approvingly into her mouth and dropped his hands, placing them on her hips instead. He held still to give her easier access, but his thumbs rubbed slow circles above her hip bones.
Each button opened like a gift. His shirt slowly parted, revealing the beautiful, toned muscles she had felt earlier. How did he have time to keep the schedule he kept and have the body of an underwear model? MC thought she might salivate as she pushed his shirt from his arms. She fought the urge to lick him.
Instead, she ran her hands over his chest, down his abs, all the way to his belly, which tensed as her hands ventured lower. He was well-muscled but not bulky, firm but velvety soft. He once again gave her the impression of a jungle cat: strong, graceful and lithe. She dragged her fingers up his sides, then over his pecs and across his shoulders. His arms fascinated her most, corded with lean muscle and veins that stood out delectably along his forearms. She trailed her hands along them several times, down, up, and down again, then nuzzled into his chest with a sigh, wishing she could somehow get even closer.
“If it’s me you want,” he wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair, voice rough, “I’ll give myself to you. Please take whatever you want.”
She once again wondered whether she was dreaming. “Actually,” she mumbled into his chest, “I’m feeling kind of greedy. I was hoping…” – she cupped her hand between his legs, where she was gratified to still find a bulge – “…you could give me this.” She dragged the heel of her palm over it. Jumin groaned softly, and his grip on her tightened. Then he surged forward, lowering MC onto the mattress.
“You can be greedy,” he breathed into her ear. “Much more greedy.”
“Please,” she gasped, palming his crotch again as he kissed hungrily down her neck. Imagining his cock hard and throbbing mere inches away had renewed the hollow feeling from earlier – she was burning for it. “I… I need you inside me.”
Jumin let out a shuddering breath against her throat. Then he pulled back onto his knees, looking at her like he wanted to eat her while he worked at his belt. He stood briefly to shuck his pants off, somehow managing to look graceful. MC noted his underwear – black boxer briefs doing nothing to hide his erection – before he sat back down. He pulled her up as he leaned against the headboard and then across his lap so she straddled him. The position put them almost eye-to-eye.
“You’ve had this on quite long enough.” He grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged it off, banishing it to the growing clothes pile on the floor. MC fought the urge to cover her chest; even if it was embarrassing, she wanted him to see her.
He touched her like she was breakable. His fingers ghosted over her skin, across her shoulders, down her spine, up her sides. “You’re perfect,” he breathed. He kissed her and cupped her breasts, kneading them gently.
A thought occurred to her and she broke their kiss. “I’m on birth control,” she blurted out. She gestured toward the half-used packet of pills on the nightstand. “Um, just so you know. And I’m clean,” she added, blushing. She’d never had sex this spontaneous before and wasn’t sure of the script. In her opinion, regular STI screenings were mandatory for any sexually active adult, but throwing it out there felt somehow embarrassing, too technical.
Jumin laced their fingers together with one hand and cupped her face with the other. “I have a clean bill of health as well,” he said, and kissed her again. “Thank you for telling me.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and nipped at her lower lip, and the embarrassment melted away.
Heat was pooling in MC’s belly again. She deepened their kiss, throwing her arms around him and pressing their bodies together. His hands moved to her waist; he pulled her toward him while he rolled his hips into her. The sensation was overwhelming – so little separated them now, only Jumin’s thin, soft underwear. MC was getting wet again and she could feel him , hot and hard beneath her. She moaned into his mouth and ground into him once, twice, chasing the heat and friction. She was desperate for him, on the verge of crying about it.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispered against her lips fervently. “You could ruin me with a word.” He rolled his hips again. “With a touch.”
“Oh god, Jumin, please.” Her voice sounded needy even to her. His hands slid from her hips to his underwear. He fumbled for a moment – she shifted to give him room – then pulled himself free.
For a wild moment MC thought Jumin’s cock was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He was big – grinding on him had given her a sense, but seeing it made her stomach flip with excitement – and so hard that the tip was flushed and slick with precum. The hollow feeling in her belly grew sharper.
“Do you see now?” His breathing was becoming uneven. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, bringing MC with him so they were perched on the edge. His hands supported her back, holding her upright, and she could feel his fingers trembling. “Do you see how you affect me?”
MC looped her arms over his shoulders and braced her knees on the mattress on either side of him. She shifted her hips experimentally – their position gave her excellent control and leverage.
Jumin gripped himself by the base and lined himself up. He brushed against her, sliding through the slickness between her legs. Their eyes met, and holding his gaze while they were touching so intimately made her entire body tingle. She lowered her hips and her breath hitched as she sank onto him. He slipped deeper inch by inch, stretching her deliciously, his girth soothing the hollow ache like water on a fire. Jumin drew in a ragged breath. He held still, letting her set the pace, but every muscle in his body was taut.
“You’re dripping,” he breathed into her ear. She felt a slight pressure in her belly and mewled quietly as she took him to the hilt; his grip on her waist tightened. His voice shook slightly when he spoke next. “So ready for me.”
MC stilled for a moment, trembling and clinging to him while she adjusted to being full of him. Then she rolled her hips, a slow slide up and down. The way their bodies were pressed together, each stroke stimulated her clit. A low moan rolled out of her. She had cum only a few minutes prior, had never managed to have more than one orgasm during sex before, but already she could tell she was heading for a second. Jumin groaned and panted into her ear; he gripped her hips and jerked his up, matching her movements. Hot pleasure shot through her and she keened, snapping her hips frantically as the sensation built.
“G-god, Jumin,” she groaned, voice rough as she jerked her hips. “You’re so big, s-so good –” She slumped against his chest and he let them fall back onto the mattress so she could take him deeper. She kissed him feverishly, running her hands across his chest, tangling her fingers in his hair. His hands roved across her shoulders, down her sides, gripping her almost spastically as they moved against each other. When he reached her ass, he cupped it and squeezed, grinding up at the same time, making them both groan. Then his hand moved again, and she felt his fingers between her legs. She whimpered and dropped her head to his shoulder while he rubbed her, putting pressure right where she wanted it. He rolled his hips rhythmically, driving into her over and over. Each stroke felt impossibly good, drawing wanton noises from her.
“You’re such a good girl for me,” he crooned into her ear, “moaning so sweetly. You take my cock so well.” His words sent little shocks of arousal zinging through her; her arms prickled with goosebumps again. She shuddered, nearly sobbing with pleasure.
“Jumin,” she whined. She was so turned on she could barely think. “H-harder, please – please fuck me harder.”
Jumin made a sound verging on animalistic and flipped them over. MC found herself on her back with Jumin hovering over her, eyes black with desire. He pulled back almost all the way, then drove in with one long, hard thrust. MC’s eyelids fluttered as his cock slammed into her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he gasped. He placed an open-mouthed kiss to her neck and sucked hard as he fucked her, driving into her like he would die if he stopped. Hot, throbbing pressure flooded her with each thrust, so intense she thought she might combust. “So tight.” Suck. “So warm.” Lick. “Mine.”
In the end this last word, hot and filthy-sounding in her ear, pulled her over the edge. She screamed with the sheer force of it. She clawed at his back and hooked her ankles around his waist, pulling him closer, deeper, as she spasmed around his cock.
Jumin’s thrusts grew more erratic as she came apart under him, and she could tell he was close. “Please cum inside me,” she gasped – she was suddenly dizzy with how much she wanted him to – and he groaned and went rigid. She clung to him tighter, shaking and gasping his name. She felt him twitch as he came, and a final wave of pleasure crashed over her at the thought of him shooting hot and deep inside her.
They lay in silence for a few moments, catching their breath. Jumin was a pleasant weight pressing into her. She could feel both their hearts pounding. Eventually Jumin stirred; he gathered her in his arms and rolled onto his back so she was on top of him. MC wondered if she should get up, but Jumin pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair. Her stomach flipped with happy butterflies.
Slowly, their heart rates returned to normal. MC nuzzled her face into his shoulder. His natural musk was stronger now after their exertion. She tried to inhale without being too obvious; she felt a bit perverted for enjoying the smell of his sweat so much.
“I can’t get enough of you,” she admitted shakily. She braced her hands on his chest and lifted her head to meet his gaze. His usually perfect hair was dishevelled, standing on end where she’d dragged her fingers through it. His cheeks were flushed. She noted, with possessive satisfaction, faint red marks blooming on his neck and shoulders where she had nipped and scratched him. Her heart swelled at the sight – she couldn’t believe the reserved man she’d spent the last week with could also be like this. “Are you sure you’re real?” she asked him.
He smiled a genuine smile at that, and her chest squeezed with affection. “I could ask you the same thing.” He kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, lingering on the latter. He pulled back after several long moments and brushed her bangs away from her sweaty forehead. “I can’t express how much I’ve wanted this.”
She puffed out a disbelieving breath. “I had no idea. You were being such a gentleman about everything, I never thought…” She sighed, burying her face in his chest. “I’ve been pining after you all week like a lovesick teenager,” she mumbled. She still couldn’t believe that any of this was real, that Jumin could possibly return even a fraction of her feelings – it seemed more impossible the more she thought about it, like there must be some mistake. But then he began to rub slow, soothing circles across her back, and a wave of fatigue washed over her, drowning out her anxious train of thought.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t realize,” he said. “I want nothing more than to make you happy, to keep you safe.” His voice rumbled pleasantly under her, sounding further and further away.
“I’m happy and safe,” MC mumbled, nuzzling into him more. His pulse beat steadily against her cheek. His skin was so warm and soft; she felt enveloped in his arms, calmed by his touch. Her limbs grew heavy. She vaguely thought she should get up. Surely they should get ready for the day. Jumin was wanted at the office, and she had emails to reply to…
But the thoughts floated away as she drifted to sleep.