by J. S. Lee
“Call it a promise ring,” Xiao suggested.
“And we’ve all got one!” JongB chimed in, holding his hand out. It took me a moment to work out he was wearing it on his right hand instead of his left.
“It’s not an engagement ring,” Youngbin said, seeing my frown. He grinned. “No one but us will know.” He held his up. While I had been staring at JongB’s ring, he had slipped his own on.
I pulled his hand to me, examining the ring. “It’s different.”
“The opal is you,” he shrugged, pointing at the stone which had taken the place of deep blue one on mine. I reached over for MinMin’s hand, the opal was replacing the one I’d guessed was a ruby.
I glanced back at mine and then stuck it on the ring finger on my right hand.
제24 장
Answer
The comeback preparations were as dull as I expected them to be. I’d gotten several days filled with some work, which I was grateful for, but otherwise, I was spending a lot of time with Sungmin.
There had been other news, but Sungmin had waited to tell me. He had officially stepped down as Onyx’s main manager, handing that responsibility over to Taeyoon. “It’s not because of you,” he promised me. “My leg doesn’t move the way it used to and running around after those guys is exhausting. Besides,” he added, “they’re very good at acknowledging the line between manager and friend, like they do with Youngbin, but this feels easier now.”
He hadn’t quit completely, instead opting to do more office-based work, organizing schedules, appearances, and sponsorship deals. Which meant he was able to work from home more.
I had kept busy with painting. After one afternoon when Xiao and Jiwon had moved all of the gym equipment out of the gym and into their bedrooms, I had an empty nursery.
I’d then spent many hours deliberating over how to decorate the room before deciding on an ocean theme. The walls became the color of a tropical sea, and over the course of two weeks, I went in, painting all kinds of sea creatures on the wall.
Which meant it was time to buy furniture. I was going to ask Sungmin if there was any free time for anyone to go with me, or at least sit at a computer with me while we picked what we needed, but he had left earlier, needing to go to the office.
I was surprised when Jiwon appeared in my bedroom, a cap pulled down over his head and a mask on his face. I looked up from the clean clothes I’d been putting away and cocked my head. “Should I ask?”
“We’re going out,” he declared.
“We are? Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer, instead impatiently waiting for me to gather my things together and follow him outside. There was an SUV I didn’t recognize, and Sungmin behind the wheel.
I was a little surprised, but it made sense. Wherever we were going, if it was just the two of us, even with him hiding under his cap and mask, we’d be in trouble if we were caught.
Jiwon opened the door to the front passenger seat and I climbed in. “Do you know where we’re going?” I asked.
“You see me behind the steering wheel, right?”
“Well, are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked as Jiwon got in the back.
“Nope,” Sungmin grinned, before easing the car down the graveled drive and onto the street.
Wherever it was, it wasn’t in Seoul, which surprised me. We drove for about forty minutes before we arrived outside of a baby and nursery store in Seongnam, a smaller city close to Seoul. “You guys read my mind!” I exclaimed happily.
I resisted the urge to hold hands as we walked into the shop, once inside, Jiwon slipped his hand into mine while Sungmin stayed a few paces behind. When the store assistant came over, I fully expected him to let go, but he clung on tighter.
The woman was in her sixties and it was obvious she had no idea who Jiwon was as she followed us around the store, giving us helpful information about the items we were looking at. She didn’t even bat an eyelid as Jiwon pulled down his mask, turned his cap backwards, and kissed me in the middle of the store.
It was the most free I’d felt in weeks.
After selecting everything we needed, while Sungmin paid, Jiwon and I stepped outside. Although we were in another city, it was much smaller than Seoul, and on the outskirts, where we were, it was much quieter. But there were still people about.
It didn’t stop Jiwon from backing me up against the side of the SUV and kissing me in the middle of the street, although that was probably the only reason our clothes stayed on. I could feel his arousal pressed up against me and there was nothing I could do about it here.
“I could only get a few hours,” he told me, apologetically. “And I thought you’d rather be outside of the house for once.”
I lifted my face to the sun and closed my eyes. As I did so, he dipped his mouth to my neck. “You make it sound like I’m Rapunzel, locked away. I still go outside.” I knew what he meant though. “I’m happy to spend time with you, wherever it is, but thank you for doing this with me. I’m sure you’d rather be in a bedroom than here.”
Jiwon pulled back, his gaze fierce. “I think you can feel how much I want you wrapped around my dick right now, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than making sure you and Baby Gem have everything you need.”
Sungmin appeared, carrying a large box. He set it on the sidewalk beside us. “I’d offer the keys, but I don’t think the back-seat windows are tinted enough.” I could see Jiwon seriously considering it. “And you need to get back.” He unlocked the SUV and gently ushered me out of the way so he could open the door and push the box on the seat. “Do you want to wait in the car while Jiwon and I load it up?”
I shook my head. There was no point in offering to help them. They’d all collectively agreed I wasn’t allowed to lift anything heavier than my camera. Instead, I wandered a little way down the road, sheltering under a tree from the sun. It was hot, but the shade was welcome.
It didn’t take long for Sungmin and Jiwon to load the car and we drove back to Seoul. Instead of going back to the house to unload everything, we had to swing by Atlantis to drop Jiwon off. When we got back to the house, Sungmin refused to let me help him unload it with him even when I pointed out it had taken two of them to load it.
Once everything was in the nursery, stacked against the wall, Sungmin turned to me and wagged a finger. “I have to join a conference call for work. Don’t you dare try putting any of that together. Leave it for me to do later.”
“I can put a crib together,” I pouted. I wasn’t the best at DIY, but the woman in the shop had assured me it was simple to build it all. I could at least have tried – I knew when to ask for help.
Sulking, I decided to go for a nap. I was getting tired again easily, and if Sungmin was in a meeting, then I would have ages to kill before he finished up.
When I awoke, I felt better for it, and decided it was time to see if Sungmin had finished his call. I’d been asleep for an hour, so he had to be done. I got to his door, finding it ajar. He was still on the phone. I could hear him discussing filming locations and several hotels which were possible sets. I pushed the door open and listened. Not to be nosy, but to listen to him talk.
Even though he had been working from home, he still dressed in smart slacks and a shirt every day. Despite going shopping, today was no different. Although I could only see the back of him from this angle, his shoulders filled the shirt out in a way which had me pulling at my collar.
And then I wanted to pull at his collar.
I backed out of the room, falling back against the wall as I mentally shook myself.
Sungmin was working.
Sungmin would murder me if I tried anything.
Or would he…?
Meetings were so boring.
And he wouldn’t really murder a pregnant woman if her hormones were making her really horny, right?
A vision of me on my knees as he was in a meeting flashed through my head.
Before it had fully clea
red, I walked into the room. I got almost all the way to the chair before Sungmin caught my reflection in his laptop. Thankfully, it was a voice call and not a video call. He hit the mic and turned around. “Is everything OK?” he asked me.
I wandered up to him, turning his chair fully, and settled in his lap, kissing him. He kissed me back before he seemed to remember the call. “Hi,” I said, softly. “How you doing?”
“Kate, I’m in a call,” he said, suddenly flustered. He’d also never seen Friends.
“I know,” I grinned, feeling mischievous as I leaned over and took his call off mute. Sungmin went to put the mute back on, but I grabbed his hand, placed it on my breast, and turned my attention to his neck.
Sungmin groaned.
“What was that, Sungmin?” someone on the call asked.
I felt Sungmin’s Adam’s apple bob against my lips as I moved down to his collar bone. “Nothing,” he replied, as his hand finally squeezed my breast. “I’m just feeling really frustrated right now.”
I chuckled into his skin.
“We will find a suitable location,” the man on the other end of the phone assured him. “Mura has a few more suggestions.”
As Mura came on the line, excitedly babbling about some Airbnb, I started unbuttoning Sungmin’s shirt. As my hand went down, so did my mouth, until I’d laid a trail of kisses to his nipple. The moment I licked it, Sungmin’s body jerked.
I slid off the chair as quietly as I could, pushing myself between Sungmin’s legs. I grabbed his belt buckle, but he clamped his hands down on me, shaking his head.
With measured moves, I took a hand, one at a time, and placed it firmly on the arm of his chair. And then I pointed at his computer.
“Sorry, what was the question?” Sungmin asked, clearing his throat. “You broke up there.”
“How important is parking?”
“Important. We need to keep people out of the area who will be dangerous distractions,” Sungmin replied, giving me a pointed look. I ignored him and tugged his belt open. In front of me, I watched as Sungmin’s erection tented his slacks.
With an elbow on each of his thighs, my chin barely resting on the backs of my hands, I looked up at him, blinking innocently.
“No, never mind,” Sungmin said, cutting Mura of. “Some people have no regard for property and will trespass anyway. Just pick the one you think is most aesthetic for the concept.”
I unbuttoned his pants, tugging the zip down, and gently pulled his cock free. The sight made me lick my lips. Above me, Sungmin cursed.
“Sorry,” Mura apologized, instantly. “It’s just that we all want this comeback to be successful.”
“No, it’s not you, it’s just… frustrating,” Sungmin said, giving me a pointed look.
I chose to take that as his request for me to take him in my mouth.
So... I did.
My tongue swirled around his tip as I kept my eyes fixed on Sungmin’s. He bit down on his lower lip, stopping a hiss from escaping. Slowly, inch by inch, I took him in my mouth. Beside me, his hands left the chair arms, diving into my hair before he gathered it into a ponytail. I could feel it twist as he wrapped it around a hand. The other brushed the stray strands from my face before he encouraged me to take him deeper.
I obliged, taking his cock as deep as I could before I wrapped my hand around the rest of his long shaft. The hand in my hair tightened and Sungmin moaned.
“Sungmin? Did you say something?” a man asked.
I wasn’t sure if Sungmin heard him. The hand was pulling my hair. With him setting the pace, I started moving my mouth and hand up and down his cock.
As Sungmin’s breathing got faster, so did I.
The meeting droned on. Although it sometimes took a prompt or two, Sungmin somehow answered. I never took my eyes off him, feeling myself getting wetter. Much as I wanted to do something about the ache between my legs, I knew me well enough to know that wasn’t happening during a conference call.
Suddenly, Sungmin sat upright. “I think there’s something wrong with my connection. I’ll dial back in.” His hand slammed down on the laptop and the call went dead. “Are you out of your mind?” Sungmin demanded as he gently pushed the chair backwards, effectively pulling his cock free of my mouth, as he let go of my hair.
“Are you not going to let me finish?” I asked him. My innocent fluttering of my lashes changed to something a little more mischievous as I looked up at him. “Because I think you really want me to finish what I started.”
“No,” he told me, firmly, surprising me. And then his gaze got heated. “Because I’ve been dreaming of being inside your pussy.”
“It’s a good thing these panties are about to come off,” I muttered, standing.
Sungmin stepped up to me, kissing me as we became a mess of limbs taking each other’s clothes off. Finally naked, he guided me back to his bed. He lifted me on but then stood back, suddenly hesitant.
“You can’t hurt it,” I informed him. His eyes flicked to mine. “Pregnant women have sex all the time. I appreciate you have a really huge dick – I really appreciate that – but you’re not going to poke anything you shouldn’t.”
Sungmin cocked his head. “Kate, I was trying to work out if I wanted you to come around my tongue or my ‘really huge dick’.”
I closed my eyes, covering my mouth with my fingers. “You do as you see fit,” I said after a moment.
He pushed my legs open, his hand sliding along my slit until it hit my clit. “You’re already wet for me?”
I poked an eye open. “Duh.”
A goofy grin spread over Sungmin’s face. His cock poked at my entrance, giving me a moment’s notice of his decision before he was easing it inside me. “How does that feel?” he asked.
“Pretty damn good,” I gasped.
Sungmin didn’t stop, sliding his cock deeper as he leaned forward, a hand either side of me. My hands flew up to his shoulders, pulling him to me, urging him deeper, as I felt the muscles in his back. Up close, his body was just as incredible as I’d remembered. My hands slid lower, squeezing his ass as I raised my hips.
Sungmin groaned in my ear, deep and grumbly. I nearly came from the sound alone. “You need to not do that or I’m going to cum,” he muttered. As though sensing a smart-assed response, which, to be fair, I had ready, he kissed me. His tongue dove deep into my mouth.
Words were forgotten as he started moving, finding his rhythm as his cock moved in and out of me, his tongue following a similar pattern. My body fell into his rhythm, my hips rising to meet him while my hands explored his body, finally circling back to his nipples. He groaned into me, his kisses becoming fiercer while his thrust remained steady.
Finally, he broke the kiss, only to give my own nipple the same attention. As he turned to the other one, his hand traced along my side, down my body, to my clit. “Oh, god, yes,” I cried. I pulled Sungmin off my breasts, bringing his face back to mine. “I’m close.”
Sungmin’s tongue was back in my mouth, more urgent now. His fingers matched his tongue, but somehow, he was keeping the same rhythm with his thrusts. I bucked my hips, sliding him in deeper, and then he jerked, and I felt him come. He broke the kiss, cursing my name, but he didn’t stop until my cries were drowning his out.
Panting, he rolled onto the bed beside me, staring up at the ceiling. “You definitely ended that call, didn’t you?” I teased.
Sungmin sat bolt upright and launched at his laptop. Finding it off, he turned back and dove the bed next to me. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest and held me there. “You think you’re really funny.”
“No, but I am definitely funnier than JongB.”
He leaned down and kissed me. “Sometimes I wonder who is more irritating.”
“I’d pick the one you’re not sleeping with.” I looked up at him and blinked innocently. “Unless you-”
Sungmin clamped his hand down over my mouth. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” he said, s
huddering. As I laughed against him, he snuggled into me. “Thank you.”
I angled my head up to look at him. “For what?”
Sungmin just closed his eyes.
제25 장
Double Knot
Youngbin’s enlistment came around too quickly. They released the album four days beforehand and I cried every time I watched the video. Their song, Jewel in my Heart, was a love letter to their fans. The whole album, which they’d called ONYX: Forever, was just a collection of songs promising their fans they would always be there for them, and the future wasn’t too far away.
Needless to say, I cried on a daily basis from the amount of times I listened to it.
And the worst part about Youngbin’s enlistment was that I couldn’t go to the base to see him off.
“I’ll be back soon,” Youngbin had told me as I had run a hand over his cropped hair. “It’s only a few weeks and then I’ll have leave and will come and visit you.”
It wasn’t a few weeks at all, but I knew he was trying his best to cheer me up as he snuggled into me. My body was too hot and his limbs entwined with mine were making me feel uncomfortable, but I refused to push him away. I had Xiao behind me like a radiator, and someone who might have been JongB or MinMin – or both, wrapped around our legs.
Our last night together, our bellies full from the samgyeopsal we’d eaten in a private room with only Youngbin’s parents joining us. Once Youngbin had said goodbye to his parents and we’d gotten home, Youngbin had decided we were all sharing a bed.
One by one, everyone had fallen asleep, until it was just me left awake. Me and Baby Gem. Baby Gem was busy dancing in my uterus, so even if I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t.
Youngbin had tried to stay awake, but even he had eventually drifted off, weeks of comeback preparations exhausting him. I could sleep later when everyone was out. For now, I wanted this memory burned into the backs of my eyes so that it was the only thing I saw when I closed my eyes for the next ‘few’ weeks.