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

sparkled mischievously. "Of course, I

brothers had never killed

Neither had she.

to the fish!" His voice was cold and sharp. "If it weren't for you insisting

had ways—many ways to make sure those three brothers never left prison. But Kathryn didn't

gave him

guts to go through with it Pedro, let's put this behind us. My plan worked perfectly. I won't worry about them

want to move out of Jensburg. Aside from visiting my mother's grave during the Qingming

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 over twenty brutal winters by luck alone." She paused,

adoptive mother forced her to wash the family's clothes by the

to haul water from the well

hands with pain every time she dipped them