It’s almost noon.” He wasn’t acting the way she thought he would. She thought that he would have been back to his cool, aloof self like he did each time they got close this week.
Shin Hye frowned and ran her eyes down his body then quickly up again, blushing.
“You don’t have a stitch of clothing on.” She stated the obvious, still in disbelief that he had ran out in public like that. That was so unlike him.
Min Ho chuckled at the blush on her face. He looked down at himself and smiled at what had caused her blush. It couldn’t be help. His body was always attuned to her, readily reacting to her presence.
“Where were you going, like that?” Had he really intended to chase her down without a stitch of clothing on? Anybody could have seen him.
“I was going to stop you from leaving.” He had taken a calculated risk but it was still an impulsive move for him.
Then he grinned at his impulsiveness. Not the kind of risks he would normally take. But then, Shin Hye made him do crazy things. Like last night, behaving like a complete asshole at a fancy black tie charity event, in a room full of dignified people.
Shin Hye couldn’t help but grin back at him, remembering the sight of him streaking across the room without any clothes on.
“No regrets?” His eyes probing, seeking an answer in her eyes.
“No regrets.” She sighed. She should have them, plenty of them, but she couldn’t manufacture any.
“I’m glad you stayed.” Her staying was a good sign. She was ready to talk to him.
“I couldn’t leave again. It’s a coward’s way out.” She had thought about leaving, but in the end, she decided she needed to stay and talk to him instead of wasting more time thinking about it. It really wasn’t in her nature to overthink things.
“But first, I need coffee. Then I have something to tell you.” She couldn’t resist the urge to look down at him again.
“Maybe you should put some clothes on first.” His very lean, very fit, and very naked body was proving to be a big distraction for her. She couldn’t seem to stop looking. Realizing where she was staring, her eyes flew upward and met his amused eyes. She blushed again. He wasn’t making any effort at all to hide his body’s response to her.
“You won’t leave.” It wasn’t a question. It was a softly spoken command from him.
“No.” She agreed but scrunched her nose in disapproval of his bossy tone of voice. If she wanted to leave, she would have done so by now.
He looked unsure for a second, but headed to his room to throw on some clothes which he did in record time.
She was sitting on the sofa sipping on her coffee and staring off into space when he came back into the room. Her feet were tucked under her bottom to keep them warm.
Like old times, he thought, but back then she would have been wearing one of his old soft cotton t-shirts or one of his old hoodies. She didn’t like his starched shirts. They weren’t comfortable enough she had said.
“Trade you.” He held out a pair of socks to her. Her feet were always cold in the winter.
She picked up a cup of coffee and handed it to him. Then she took the socks from him, untucking her feet, and rolling them on each foot. He could have been decent and brought her a pair of his sweat pants too, but he decided he wasn’t going to deny himself the pleasure of seeing her shapely, bare legs.
“Why did you come here?” He sat down in the seat across from her. The sooner they started the talk, the quicker they could get on to other matters, like what she was wearing underneath his shirt. He would bet nothing since he had seen a the bit of silk, hiding under the bed when he left the bedroom.
“Someone was watching from the shadows of the apartments across the street last night.” She launched right in.
Min Ho sat forward in his chair, instantly alert, lusty thoughts forgotten.
“I saw him from the window as I watched you leave.” If only she had been more alert, she might have seen him sooner and possibly ran out in time to catch him.
“Did you chase after him?” He asked but already knew the answer. He knew her.
When she nodded, he had to resist the twin urge to yell at her for being so foolhardy and to pull her into his arms, thankful she wasn’t hurt.
“So you came to me because you were afraid?”
“No.” She shook her head. She had already made up her mind to go to him as soon as he left.
“Then why did you come?” He probed.
“Because you were an asshole.” She smirked, her annoyance at him returning.
“You came because I was an asshole?” A small chuckle escaped his lips.
“Yes. To save you the return trip to my apartment.”
“I still can’t follow your logic.” The way she drew conclusions, it was their inside joke. She knew him well. She knew that he would still be feeling bad about his behavior and that his protective instinct was going to send him back to her apartment whether she wanted him there or not.
“But my intuition is very good.” Reminding him that she relied on her feelings and emotions more often than her logic.
He chuckled in acknowledgment. It was an old debate of theirs. Logic versus intuition. She didn’t use enough logic, relying more on her feelings. He didn’t use enough intuition, relying on his logic.
“There’s something else.” She straightened her shoulders for strength. She wanted to tell him everything. To let him share her burden. She was tired of bearing it alone.
Min Ho shifted forward in his seat. Her serious tone made him uneasy.
“I received an email from the strangler.”
“What?” He set his coffee mug down on the table and dragged his chair closer to her.
“He wants to be my Redeemer.” A cold shiver snaked up her spine remembering the email message.