Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei

Kathryn looked up at Pedro. "I want to touch your face," she said.

Pedro's expression was tense, his features hardened with anger. But after a moment, he leaned down, letting her reach him easily.

She ran her fingers across his face. "Your face is as hard as marble. So handsome, yet so rigid. I don't like seeing you like this. I prefer when you're gentle, like jade."

Pedro's voice was low and firm. "Miss, I'm not gentle like jade."

Years of brutal training at the base had shaped him into a hardened soldier. Gentleness was not in his nature.

Yet, when he was in a good mood, his sharp edges softened.

To her, he was always handsome, always polite. To her, he was gentle like jade.

And as she spoke, the tension in his face eased.

scratch my arm, nothing more. They were first-time killers, inexperienced and mentally weak. They panicked and only managed to scratch me. I screamed on

sparkled mischievously.

knew her brothers had never killed

Neither had she.

up and feed you to the fish!" His voice was cold and sharp. "If it weren't for you insisting on sparing them, I wouldn't let them walk out

ways—many ways to make sure those three brothers never left prison.

gave him a

let's put this behind us. My plan worked perfectly. I won't worry about them anymore. Once I've recovered, once Liberty is settled and

move out of Jensburg. Aside from

could respond, she continued, "Pedro, where should we go? I want to live somewhere warm. Jensburg is freezing. Last night, I thought 'd die from the cold. When I was little, no one bought me warm clothes. I had to wear secondhand rags, and I nearly froze to death every winter. I survived

adoptive mother forced her to wash

river froze over, she had to haul water from the well to scrub the

ice-cold, stabbing her hands with pain every time she dipped them