Imprinted with the Obsessive Male Lead - Chapter 69

Just recalling the moment I had been pinned against the window frame under his solid muscles made my face burn. I had tried to tell him to stop, but instead it only seemed to stimulate him more, and Chase didn’t pull away. Feeling his body pressed between my parted legs made my whole body tingle.

I had already realized halfway through that the method of imprinting was related to physical contact.

‘It can only be done with one person, and the only person my father loved was my mother.’

The answer had been in those words. Anyone who wasn’t a fool could infer it.

That was why I said I didn’t want to know. But even if he hadn’t gone all the way, I never expected him to show me that much.

He could have just explained it with words and I would have understood. But instead…

Instead, why did he have to touch my neck like that… Why? Why go that far?

His smooth face under the moonlight kept coming to mind. The way his bangs lightly swayed in the breeze, his sharp jawline.

The moment I had looked up at him, trying to hide my pounding heart out of embarrassment and fluster, and the way his hands had calmly straightened my clothes as if nothing had happened.

As the memory reached that point, my fingers gripping the rose tightened.

Ahh! No! Stop! Don’t think about it!

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head quickly from side to side.

Thinking about it carefully, Chase was completely serious when it came to teasing me. He had laughed while taking away my cup when I struggled to drink the nutritional supplement. He did give me candy afterward, but when he had lightly shaken the water glass, he looked thoroughly amused.

Right. Besides, he’s the type who prefers things to be clear. And his actions were incredibly decisive. So maybe he just showed me directly for that reason. Don’t get shaken.

But then… What was that thing he said when I brought up Joel?

‘What about me?’

What about me…? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand what he meant.

Clutching the vase of withered roses tightly, I turned around.
Only to freeze in shock.

Chase was leaning his shoulder against the door, arms crossed, looking at me.

“W-when did you get here?”

Steadying my startled heart, I gripped the vase tightly. Chase slowly closed and opened his eyes, then lightly tilted his head side to side.

“Just now.”

There’s fatigue in his voice.

The sky is overcast so it’s dim, but it’s still morning. If he had returned after finishing work at this hour, then he must have left early at dawn. Or perhaps he had stayed up all night and only just returned.

Is he alright?

Straightening his posture, Chase uncrossed his arms, shut the door, and slowly approached me. The closer his footsteps came, the louder my heart pounded. It didn’t help that I had just been thinking about that day.

“Um, I’m sorry for coming in without permission. It looked like it was time to change the flowers…”

“I don’t mind.”

Chase quickly stepped in front of me and leaned down slightly.

“If you want to come in, you can come in anytime.”

His tone was gentle, but the sudden closeness made me shrink my shoulders.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing to thank me for.”

Holding the vase tightly, I gave a small smile and quietly looked up at him.

Through the strands of his fallen bangs, his blue eyes reflected the window, and within them, I could see myself. From Chase, there was the scent of the cold winter wind. His black hair was slightly damp.

Lowering my gaze, I saw that his cloak and jacket were damp as well. Had he been out in the snow? It wasn’t enough for droplets to fall, but it still bothered me a little. The room is chilly, and wearing wet clothes is just asking to catch a cold.

“…Shouldn’t you light the fire?”

“Are you cold?”

“Not me. You.”

“I’m fine.”

Even so, I deliberately turned my gaze toward the fireplace and shifted my body. If he isn’t cold, then it didn’t matter, but I needed some excuse to put distance between us.

It’s true that I had come all the way to the office while thinking about what happened that day, but that had been an impulsive action under the assumption that he wouldn’t be here. I had also decided to treat that incident as if it never happened, but now that I’m actually facing him, it’s still a bit uncomfortable.

Holding the vase tightly against my chest with both hands, I took a step to avoid his gaze.

And then Chase’s large hand touched my cheek.

My face turned helplessly in the direction his hand guided it.

“Nita.”

“Yes?”

“It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”

After quietly looking at me for a long moment, Chase spoke softly.

“It’s been a week.”

When I nodded, the corners of his lips lifted slightly, and he stepped back.

Walking over to the fireplace, he lit the fire, then brushed back his hair and moved toward the window. Undoing the cloak fastened at his shoulder, he set the long cloak over a chair, then removed his jacket and loosened his tie. Next, he casually undid the neatly fastened buttons.