Six years ago.

Min Young stands frozen at the foot of the bed, mesmerized by its size, and its sheer...sensuality. Yep, she said it. With its perfectly arranged pillows and sheets, and gauzy, white fabric being gently tickled by the wind, the four-poster canopy bed itself screams romantic like no other else. No, actually, the villa itself screams romantic. Open floor plan, with the whole area opening from all sides, letting in a gentle breeze. The balcony opens to a small, intimate pool, and further across, is the magnificent view of the sea.

This villa is secluded alright. The only sound she can hear right now is the lapping of waves on the shore and her thundering heart. Panic settles at the pit of her stomach. This place is not even the kind of tacky romantic place she is expecting (or hoping) it will be. This kind of romantic place is where magic happens. Like where two people, who are actually in love, by the way, would enjoy spending time in. And not for two people who are pretending to be in love. For her and Jae Wook, this gorgeous villa is just awkward and...dangerous. Dangerous because it makes her think things she should not think about! Like the kiss they shared earlier, or the way his hands firmly pressed against the small of her back to pull her closer—

. She shakes her head violently, trying to bury the memory.

She stares at the bed again. One bed. Singular. A very big, comfortable-looking bed. Oh, Min Young, you are so going to be in trouble.

Jae Wook watches Min Young stare mutely at the bed, a wry smile forming on his lips. She has her back turned from him, but he can just imagine the quick flutter of thousand expressions across her beautiful face. He also can almost hear her brain whirring a hundred miles an hour. God knows where her overactive imagination has taken her now, and he inwardly chuckles, eagerly anticipating whatever outrageous plan she is concocting.

He certainly did not expect that kiss earlier.

Just thinking about it makes Jae Wook stir uncomfortably from his casual stance at the back of the sofa. God, the woman knows how to make a man crazy with just one kiss. And damn, he can bet his own life that she is not even aware of it. She had desperately pressed her lips against his, the action both innocent and alluring at the same time. And then he thought, why the hell not. He was determined to keep the kiss chaste, with a little hint of teasing. Just enough to give Fernando a show. But then she responded to him. Opening , letting him in. Kissing him back shyly, then more boldly. She started to make those y sounds at the back of , and then there was nothing he could do to restrain himself from devouring her like a starved madman.

Chaste, his . He knows now that that was an impossible notion. There is nothing chaste about how his body responds to her, even when he first saw her at El Nido. So damn beautiful, he literally had to force his eyes away from her, unless he wants the risk of creeping her out. And she is refreshingly honest. Like the way she slowly opened her eyes after their kiss, and gazed up at him with unreserved desire. Most women he knows like to act unaffected and indifferent at the aftermath of intimacy. As if expressing desire is as scandalous as it is uncool. But not Min Young. And then the immediate shyness when she realized they had an audience. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment like she didn’t just kiss him senseless. It took every ounce of his strength not to bend down and taste her again.

That urge is not far from his mind. Especially with her staring intently at the bed. Finally, he breaks the silence and comments in a teasing voice, “You know, if you don’t stop staring at that bed, you’re going to give me the wrong ideas.”

Jae Wook’s deep, lazy voice interrupts Min Young's thoughts. She looks over her shoulder and finds him watching her intently with an amused smile on his face. Red stains her cheeks. She forcefully ignores his suggestive remark and blurts out, “There is only one bed.”

“I can see that.”

“Where are you going to sleep?” she asks, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

Without blinking, he gestures at the bed with his chin. “On that bed.”

“But I’m taking this bed.”

Jae Wook crosses his arms. Okay, maybe he shouldn't have given Min Young time to concoct a plan. If he doesn't thread carefully, he might just wind up sleeping on the floor. Coming directly here from South America, that means he has been travelling for over twenty-four hours with no proper sleep. There is no way in hell he is going to sleep on the floor when there is a perfectly large, comfortable bed that can easily fit five people in the room.

He clips his tone as he asks, “Do you really want to do this right now?”

Min Young hears the annoyance in his voice. But instead of backing down, he mimics him, and also crosses her arms. “As a matter of fact, yes." She lifts her dainty chin. "I’d like to settle our sleeping arrangement. Right now.”

He gives her a long look. She is the only woman he knows who can make him want to shake her for her stubbornness, and at the same time kiss her so hard until he can forget how stubborn she is. Talk about being trapped between a rock and a hard place. He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Okay, fine. What do you propose?”

“I’m taking the bed, and maybe you can take the couch.” She gestures at the sofa behind him.

He produces a humourless laugh. “Nope. Sorry babe. What else?”

“Oh…” Min Young frowns. “Um, do you prefer the...floor?”

His face darkens. Without answering, he deliberately straightens from the back of the sofa and slowly stalks towards her, his eyes never leaving hers.

Sensing his black mood, Min Young gulps. Despite the overwhelming urge to flee, she stands her ground, trying to steel her knees under his dark, hot gaze. Her heart starts hammering in her ribcage. From fear or excitement, she is not completely certain. But she is certain that she stirred Jae Wook into exasperation, and she is about to find out if that was a smart or not.

Jae Wook stops maddeningly close to Min Young, with a hair-breadth distance between their bodies, bracing one hand on the bed’s top frame over her head and effectively trapping her between his body and the bed. He looks down at her. “Babe,” he drawls in a deceptively calm tone.

Refusing to be distracted by his sudden closeness, she cranes her neck up to meet his eyes. “What?”

“I don’t care where you want to sleep. I am sleeping on this bed. Not on the couch. Not on the floor. Do you understand?"

She lifts her chin defiantly. "I'm not sleeping on the couch either."

He raises an eyebrow. "Then it's settled. We're both sleeping on the bed."

Min Young bristles at his nonchalant tone. "How could you suggest we sleep on the same bed when we are not even a couple!"

"Because I'm tired and I just want to sleep on real damn bed after a ty twenty hours of flight!" He snaps back.

"Fine, then find your own villa!"

Jae Wook runs his hand through his hair in frustration. "Seriously? We're back to this again? If you are so concerned that something will happen between us, let me ease your worry right now.” He leans closer, his eyes narrowing. “I'm not going to touch you even if you beg me to." That is a big, fat lie, if he ever heard one. If she begs him—no, if she even crooks a finger at him, he knows his hard-earned self-control won’t be able to hold out. Hell, his self-control has been basically almost non-existent as far as Min Young is concerned.

Min Young's cheeks grow warm in outrage, her blood pressure skyrocketing at his insinuation. "Beg you? Beg you?!" She laughs mockingly. She can't believe this guy! "Aren't you so full of yourself!"

Jae Wook's jaw tenses. "Damn it, Min Young! What exactly do you think I'll do to you, huh?”

“Oh, please. Don’t play dumb with me. Aren’t all men the same? Put him in the same bed with a woman, and the next thing you know, he’s entitled to do things to her without even asking her is she’s okay with it!” Another memory flits through Min Young mind. An ugly memory that she quickly tamps down.

Jae Wook rears back at her answer. He sees the pain and terror in her eyes before she quickly hides it behind anger. What the hell? She really thinks he is going to touch her without her permission? He might be struggling to contain his unexpected, intense attraction to her, but he is not an animal—fury like no other erupts in his chest. Did someone do that to her?

He curses savagely, making Min Young jump. She tries to step back from the violent storm brewing in his eyes, but she is trapped. For the first time since she met Jae Wook, she is scared. But not for her safety. No, she knows he will never hurt her. How she knows that, well that question is for another time. Her fear is for something else...

“Okay, first of all, I don’t know what kind of men you have been dating.” He grits his teeth, trying hard not to explode. “But you don’t get to judge me based on your previous experiences.”

Min Young gasps, blood draining from her face. She mentally kicks herself at her own stupidity. Crap, I shouldn't have told him that!

She opens to apologize.

But he cuts her off before she can say anything, his gaze turning colder and downright murderous. "And secondly, who is the who did that to you?"

Stunned, Min Young freezes. Wait, what? He thinks someone did that to her? She stares up at him, her face starting to grow concerned. He is furious. So bloody furious, she can see him trembling, his hand clenched so hard, turning his knuckles white. Wait a minute, he is furious because he thinks someone did that to her? But why…?

"Jae Wook…" She doesn't understand the sudden overwhelming need to soothe him, to make him feel better, but it's there. She doesn't like seeing him like this.

"Who is it?" He asks again, his voice turning more deadly with each word. The d