Chapter 1 · My Ex Caught Me Buying Condoms

It had been three years since my ex and I broke up.

I bumped into him again at a 24-hour convenience store at 1 a.m.

I was buying condoms, and he was buying bread.

He snatched the ultra-thin condoms from my pocket, looking down at me with half-lidded eyes. "Feeling desperate, huh?"

I slipped a box of extended pleasure condoms into his suit pocket with a mischievous smirk. "At your age, you need them. I won't laugh at you."

*****

I tossed a box of colorful condoms onto the counter, not even bothering to look up.

"Ring me up," I said.

The cashier glanced at the box, then at me, looking kind of weird.

"That'll be $15. Cash or card?" he asked.

I handed him my card without changing my expression.

We'd finished a company dinner, and the whole crew had been drinking at a bar until it closed. By the time we finally left, it was already 1 a.m.

Walking past the convenience store, I suddenly remembered I'd run out of protection for my toys at home, so I swung by to pick up a box.

I was a 25-year-old adult woman. What was wrong with buying condoms? It was common sense.

I grabbed the little box, stuffed it into my coat pocket, and turned to leave. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a figure that was way too familiar for my liking.

Terry Langley was standing in front of the bread aisle.

His suit jacket was casually draped over his arm, the cuffs of his white shirt rolled up, and he was looking down at the whole wheat toast on the shelf.

The CEO of Langley Group was buying bread at a convenience store instead of holed up in his mansion at a time like this?

Damn, of all the luck, I had to run into him.

It'd been three years.

I really thought I'd never run into Terry again in this lifetime.

He looked a bit thinner, his profile sharper and colder than before. But the way he stared at the bread hadn't changed, still so damn serious, like choosing a loaf was the most important thing in the world.

I tried to slip out unnoticed, not wanting to cross paths with him.

"You're back in town?" Terry said.

His voice hit the right note to stop me in my tracks.

Looking around, I realized it was me, Terry, and the half-asleep cashier.

There was nowhere to hide.

I turned around slowly, forcing a perfectly polite, ice-cold smile. "I've been back for a month."

Terry tossed the toast into his basket, his eyes dropping to my coat pocket. It was stuffed full, and a corner of that colorful packaging was sticking out. Obviously, the condoms.

Terry raised an eyebrow. "What did you get?"

I glanced away, pretending not to care. "Yogurt."

Terry didn't say anything. He walked straight over. As he got closer, he caught a whiff of alcohol on me, and his brows furrowed.

He always gave me that look whenever I drank, like I'd done something terrible.

He didn't stop until he was right in front of me, towering over me, looking down.

"Sophie," Terry drawled, "three years apart, and you've gotten pretty wild, huh?"

Then he reached out and pulled the box of condoms straight out of my pocket.

"This is yogurt?" he said, holding the box up between us and giving it a little shake.

The words "Ultra-Thin" stood out like a neon sign under the harsh convenience store lights, so glaring that my face burned with embarrassment.

After three years, how was he still such a pain in the ass?

I reached for it. "Terry, give it back!"

He lifted his arm higher, and even when I stood on my tiptoes, I couldn't reach it. I was so pissed that I could grind my teeth.

5'4" against 6'2" was the harsh reality.

I gritted my teeth. "Are you crazy or what?"

Terry glanced down at the box, his expression cool but his tone full of mockery. "Ultra-Thin, huh? Going for the hot brands these days? Sophie, you seriously that thirsty?"

I took a deep breath, swallowing my irritation and forcing myself to stay calm.

There was no way I'd let him get the upper hand.

I flashed him a faint smile, voice dripping with fake sweetness. "What's wrong, Mr. Langley? Thinking of giving them a spin? Go ahead. My treat. Don't be shy."

With that, I spun around, marched straight to the shelf, grabbed another box, and slammed it down on the counter. "Ring me up."

The cashier's expression went from awkward to totally shocked. He glanced at me, then at the tall guy holding the condoms, barely daring to breathe as he fumbled to scan the code.

I strode right back to Terry, stuffed the box of condoms into his suit pocket, and gave it a little pat.

"Take it. At your age, you need them. I won't laugh at you," I said.

Terry glanced down at his pocket and saw the words on it—extended pleasure condoms.

He looked up at me, his eyes meeting mine.

"Sophie," he said, "you're getting more shameless, huh?"

I grinned, eyes sparkling. "Oh, Mr. Langley, you crack me up. I'm always the same. Didn't you know that?"

Terry didn't say a word.

He stepped forward, erasing the space between us until our toes nearly brushed.

I was caught off guard for a moment.

He was so close that I could catch the subtle pine cologne he always wore. It was the same as three years ago.

Chapter 1

It had been three years since my ex and I broke up.

I bumped into him again at a 24-hour convenience store at 1 a.m.

I was buying condoms, and he was buying bread.

He snatched the ultra-thin condoms from my pocket, looking down at me with half-lidded eyes. "Feeling desperate, huh?"

I slipped a box of extended pleasure condoms into his suit pocket with a mischievous smirk. "At your age, you need them. I won't laugh at you."

*****

I tossed a box of colorful condoms onto the counter, not even bothering to look up.

"Ring me up," I said.

The cashier glanced at the box, then at me, looking kind of weird.

"That'll be $15. Cash or card?" he asked.

I handed him my card without changing my expression.

We'd finished a company dinner, and the whole crew had been drinking at a bar until it closed. By the time we finally left, it was already 1 a.m.

Walking past the convenience store, I suddenly remembered I'd run out of protection for my toys at home, so I swung by to pick up a box.

I was a 25-year-old adult woman. What was wrong with buying condoms? It was common sense.

I grabbed the little box, stuffed it into my coat pocket, and turned to leave. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a figure that was way too familiar for my liking.

Terry Langley was standing in front of the bread aisle.

His suit jacket was casually draped over his arm, the cuffs of his white shirt rolled up, and he was looking down at the whole wheat toast on the shelf.

The CEO of Langley Group was buying bread at a convenience store instead of holed up in his mansion at a time like this?

Damn, of all the luck, I had to run into him.

It'd been three years.

I really thought I'd never run into Terry again in this lifetime.

I tried to slip out unnoticed, not wanting to cross paths with him.

"You're back in town?" Terry said.

His voice hit the right note to stop me in my tracks.

Looking around, I realized it was me, Terry, and the half-asleep cashier.

There was nowhere to hide.

I turned around slowly, forcing a perfectly polite, ice-cold smile. "I've been back for a month."

Terry tossed the toast into his basket, his eyes dropping to my coat pocket. It was stuffed full, and a corner of that colorful packaging was sticking out. Obviously, the condoms.

Terry raised an eyebrow. "What did you get?"

I glanced away, pretending not to care. "Yogurt."

Terry didn't say anything. He walked straight over. As he got closer, he caught a whiff of alcohol on me, and his brows furrowed.

He always gave me that look whenever I drank, like I'd done something terrible.

He didn't stop until he was right in front of me, towering over me, looking down.

"Sophie," Terry drawled, "three years apart, and you've gotten pretty wild, huh?"

Then he reached out and pulled the box of condoms straight out of my pocket.

"This is yogurt?" he said, holding the box up between us and giving it a little shake.

The words "Ultra-Thin" stood out like a neon sign under the harsh convenience store lights, so glaring that my face burned with embarrassment.

After three years, how was he still such a pain in the ass?

I reached for it. "Terry, give it back!"

He lifted his arm higher, and even when I stood on my tiptoes, I couldn't reach it. I was so pissed that I could grind my teeth.

5'4" against 6'2" was the harsh reality.

I gritted my teeth. "Are you crazy or what?"

Terry glanced down at the box, his expression cool but his tone full of mockery. "Ultra-Thin, huh? Going for the hot brands these days? Sophie, you seriously that thirsty?"

I took a deep breath, swallowing my irritation and forcing myself to stay calm.

There was no way I'd let him get the upper hand.

I flashed him a faint smile, voice dripping with fake sweetness. "What's wrong, Mr. Langley? Thinking of giving them a spin? Go ahead. My treat. Don't be shy."

With that, I spun around, marched straight to the shelf, grabbed another box, and slammed it down on the counter. "Ring me up."

The cashier's expression went from awkward to totally shocked. He glanced at me, then at the tall guy holding the condoms, barely daring to breathe as he fumbled to scan the code.

I strode right back to Terry, stuffed the box of condoms into his suit pocket, and gave it a little pat.

"Take it. At your age, you need them. I won't laugh at you," I said.

Terry glanced down at his pocket and saw the words on it—extended pleasure condoms.

He looked up at me, his eyes meeting mine.

"Sophie," he said, "you're getting more shameless, huh?"

I grinned, eyes sparkling. "Oh, Mr. Langley, you crack me up. I'm always the same. Didn't you know that?"

Terry didn't say a word.

He stepped forward, erasing the space between us until our toes nearly brushed.

I was caught off guard for a moment.

He was so close that I could catch the subtle pine cologne he always wore. It was the same as three years ago.