When Song Jia woke up, it was already morning.
She was lying down on the bed wearing new clothes. Xu Jinhai was facing her, hugging her waist. His hair fell across his eyes, and his eyelashes casted shadows on his cheeks. His mouth was slightly parted. He looked achingly vulnerable, and the thought of that made Song Jia smile.
A Rank SSS male god and vulnerability—two things that most people wouldn't think of putting together.
Unable to resist, Song Jia brushed a lock of hair off his forehead. She would have thought he was asleep if it wasn't for the arm that briefly tightened around her when she moved.
"Did you carry me from the bathtub last night? Sorry, I fell asleep."
He slowly opened his eyes, but kept his eyelids lowered to a half-mast. His voice dropped to a husky whisper.
"Don't worry, I like taking care of you."
Since he just woke up, he appeared a bit lazy. But the look in his eyes was anything but. It was dark and heated. Hungry.
Song Jia felt her blood race through her veins when she met his gaze, causing her heart to beat like a drum.
He snuggled closer to her and slid his hand to the back of her thigh, guiding one of her legs to wrap around his waist. Because his action pulled their bodies closer to each other, she could feel his erection pressing hard against her.
Song Jia froze.
Noticing her sudden stiffness, he gently rubbed her spine with his hand, trying to calm her down.
"I won't do anything, I promise," he murmured. "I'll take care of myself later. Jia, are you hungry? What do you want for breakfast?"
Song Jia relaxed. She knew that Xu Jinhai had never pressured her in bedroom matters. Besides, it was normal for men to react like this in the morning.
She patted his arm, signaling for him to loosen his hold on her.
"I'm awake anyway, so I might as well cook. Go back to sleep."
Instead of obeying her, he tightened his hold on her waist. He pressed his mouth against the column of her throat, trailing soft kisses along her skin.
"Well, without Jia beside me..."
He slightly lifted his head, his warm breath feathering against her skin as he murmured softly into her ear.
"Is it even worth staying in bed?"
Song Jia, "..."
Having the energy to flirt so early in the morning, it seemed that this great ancestor was more awake than her, ah.
The two of them agreed to cook together. Out of the corner of her eye, Song Jia saw Xu Jinhai idly twirling a fillet knife with one hand, passing it through his slender fingers with dexterity.
The sharp blade caught light from the large windows in the kitchen, reflecting it in shattered rays across the walls. As soon as the meat was placed on the cutting board, with a blur, it was quickly reduced into a thin stack of slices.
Even though both of them were cooking, Song Jia had to admit that she had done little to no work at all. Xu Jinhai handled everything that needed a knife, and because his skills were much higher than hers, she couldn't disagree. He also didn't like her going too close to the pot, just because it might splash hot water on her.
"Then I might as well not eat, because I might choke," Song Jia retorted, frustrated at being coddled.
Xu Jinhai's forehead crinkled in distress as he looked at her, his lips pulled down at the corners. He left the knife on the kitchen counter and walked towards her, engulfing her in a warm hug. He raised his hand and patted her head.
"Then Jia will help me wash the dishes later, how about it?"
He bent his head and locked eyes with her, the corners of his lips curled into a smile. His fingers playfully squeezed her cheek.
"I know I'm behaving a bit spoiled, but Jia's the one who spoiled me rotten."
Song Jia wanted to disagree, but he had already returned back to chopping ingredients. Feeling strangely ignored, Song Jia bit her lips and turned around to prepare the dining table since it seemed that she wouldn't be able to help him in cooking.
However, Song Jia only took a single step forward when a pair of arms hugged her waist and dragged her back against a hard chest. He covered her eyes with one hand and tilted her head back. She felt his lips touch hers.
With his abrupt movement, Song Jia expected a hard, bruising kiss. Something fierce and violent. But the hand holding her became gentle, and despite him covering her eyes, it wasn't forceful. In fact, Song Jia felt that she could easily lift his hand and remove it.
His lips slightly brushed over hers, kissing with a touch that was barely there, yet wickedly seductive. He parted her lips, dipping his head to penetrate deeper, wanting to drown in the taste of her.
The lightning she felt at the touch of his mouth to hers crackled throughout Song Jia's body, making her gasp.
At first, he was just kissing her lips. Then he worked his way down, kissing lower and lower. He kissed her chin. Then he moved towards her neck, his mouth lingering there.
His lips were close enough to feel her pulse, rushing under his lips. As his tongue swirled over her pulse, she felt her blood leap in her veins as if her own heart was being coaxed.
Finally, his lips left her skin. She heard his rough gasp of breath, a long intake of air that sounded the way a drowning man would inhale that first gulp of air when he was rescued.
With her eyes being covered, Song Jia didn't see that for a few seconds, Xu Jinhai's handsome face exposed an expression of unmasked, raw physical need that twisted his expression.
And that his eyes, an ice-blue color, had been dyed a deep, blood red.