Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 38: Nina Thorne, You’re Drunk

Nina Thorne was in a good mood that night and had a couple of extra glasses of red wine.

Unfortunately, she was a lightweight. It didn’t take long for her to start feeling a bit drunk.

She got up, barely able to stand steady. Leaning on her chair, she looked at Justin Kane with a flushed face. Her vision was so blurry that she saw several overlapping images of him.

"Whoa, you have so many heads..." Nina Thorne actually started to count them seriously, her eyes glazed over as she giggled foolishly.

"People only have one head," Justin Kane said. He was wearing only a white shirt, which highlighted his cool, austere aura. "You’ve had too much to drink."

Nina Thorne waved her hand dismissively, her voice soft and slurred. "I’m not drunk. I can handle my liquor..."

That wave caused her to lose the balance she had just managed to find. With a cry of "AHH," she started to fall sideways.

Justin Kane, with his quick reflexes, was instantly in front of her. His large hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his arms.

At the same time, Nina Thorne’s forehead bumped against his hard chest. She let out a soft whimper of pain.

"Ow, that hurts..."

Nina Thorne rubbed her forehead, her big eyes glistening with moisture as she blinked up at Justin Kane accusatorially.

The corners of her eyes, her cheeks, and even her pupils were the color of red wine. She looked just like a drunk little kitten.

Cute, yet with a hint of wildness.

"You’re drunk," Justin Kane said, raising a hand to rub her forehead while his other hand held her lower back firmly to keep her from falling.

Nina Thorne tilted her head up to look at him. Seemingly finding that too tiring, she rested her chin on his chest, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and squinted her eyes in concentration.

"You’re so handsome. How come I never noticed how handsome you were before?" Nina Thorne mumbled, her warm breath scalding his Adam’s apple.

Her light, fresh scent mixed with the aroma of wine, bewitching Justin Kane’s senses.

Justin Kane’s Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. His voice was slightly hoarse. "Nina Thorne, be good."

As if she hadn’t heard him, Nina Thorne’s slender fingers gently traced his Adam’s apple.

After touching it, she decided it wasn’t enough. She suddenly stood on her tiptoes, lunged forward, and gave it a gentle bite.

In that instant, Justin Kane felt a jolt as if he’d been electrocuted. A flash of light appeared in the depths of his dark eyes, and his pupils abruptly widened.

"Nina Thorne," Justin Kane’s voice was terribly raspy, his whole body burning as if on fire, "if you keep this up, I’m going to eat you up..."

Nina Thorne’s mind was groggy. She smacked her lips a few times in satisfaction, her body leaning uncontrollably into Justin Kane’s arms, the warm breath from her nose searing his chest.

Seeing how drunk she was, Justin Kane’s deep eyes became extremely dark and restrained. He then bent down, scooped her up, and carried her upstairs.

Justin Kane placed Nina Thorne on the bed and pulled the covers over her, his movements thoughtful and gentle.

Nina Thorne cracked her eyes open and vaguely looked at the figure before her. His gentleness sent a trace of warmth spreading through her heart.

In her daze, her nose tingled. ’It feels like it’s been a long, long time... since anyone has cared about me like this.’

"Get some sleep," Justin Kane said, turning to leave.

"Don’t go..."

A sudden fear gripped Nina Thorne. She instinctively grabbed his hand. Looking at him with a flushed face and hazy eyes, she said in a low, soft voice, "Don’t go. Don’t leave me."

’Mom left, and Dad left, too.’

’Even Cole Kane, whom I loved for five years, never gave me an ounce of his true feelings.’

’I feel... I feel like I’ve been abandoned. I’m so scared, so lonely.’

Seeing she was on the verge of tears, Justin Kane’s heart suddenly clenched. He quickly leaned over her, looking at her nervously as he asked, "Why are you crying?"

Nina Thorne’s mind was blank. Her blurry gaze fixed on his lips for a moment before she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and pressed her red lips against his.

As her small face grew larger in his vision, Justin Kane felt as if his heart had stopped.

His hands stiffened, propped up beside her. His eyes were hesitant and worried. It took him a long moment to ask, "Nina Thorne, do you know who I am?"

"Jus...tin..." Nina Thorne’s voice was soft and slightly hoarse.

Fireworks instantly exploded in Justin Kane’s heart. His gaze grew even more feverish, and he pressed his body down, intending to deepen the kiss.

However, the hands of the woman lying on the bed dropped to her sides. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was very light, and her chest rose and fell in a gentle, steady rhythm.

She had fallen asleep.

The soft light fell on her face. If you looked closely, you could see the fine hairs on her skin. Her flushed cheeks looked like ripe peaches.

Justin Kane watched her helplessly for a moment, let out a soft laugh, then got up and went to the bathroom to take a cold shower.

...

When Nina Thorne woke up the next day, her head was throbbing.

She sat up and leaned against the headboard, trying for a long time to remember how she had ended up in bed last night, but she couldn’t.

She remembered drinking with Justin Kane to celebrate, but she had no impression of what they had talked about.

The bedroom door suddenly opened.

Justin Kane walked in wearing a set of light gray loungewear. He was already handsome, but the casual clothes softened his sharp edges, giving him a gentler look.

"Drink this." Justin Kane came to the bedside, carrying a bowl of sobering soup.

The soup didn’t smell very pleasant. Nina Thorne wrinkled her nose and asked, "What is this?"

"It’s to sober you up," Justin Kane said gently. "You drank too much last night. This will help with the hangover, so your head won’t hurt."

Nina Thorne let out a little "ah," her first reaction being, "I didn’t do anything out of line, did I?"

Justin Kane was suddenly reminded of last night’s kiss, a feeling of it having ended too soon washing over him. "Mm, you kissed me."

Nina Thorne was shocked. He didn’t look like he was lying. Mortified, she snatched the bowl of soup and drank it all down in one gulp.

Seeing her reaction, Justin Kane couldn’t help but curl his lips into a teasing smile. "Don’t worry, I didn’t let you have your way."

"..." Nina Thorne clutched the empty bowl, wishing she could just dive into it and hide.

’I must have done something embarrassing last night.’

The smile on Justin Kane’s lips deepened as he recalled how she was last night when she was drunk—so relaxed, showing a completely different side of herself.

’Then again, that’s probably her true self—lively, bright, and full of energy.’

...

Justin Kane left for the office.

Before leaving, he reminded Nina Thorne to get up and eat some breakfast, and to get some more sleep.

Nina Thorne nodded obediently.

’Older guys really are better,’ she thought. ’They know how to take care of people.’

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret, remembering how she had always been the one taking care of Cole Kane.

’Oh well.’

’I’ll just consider the five years I dedicated to Cole Kane as repayment for the kindness he showed me back then.’

’From now on, we’re even. I don’t owe him anything anymore.’

’Once the Kane family’s parents get back and the engagement is successfully broken off, Cole Kane and I will be completely finished, with no connection whatsoever.’

’Or maybe, in the future, whenever Cole Kane sees me, he’ll have to call me his sister-in-law.’

The ringing of her phone suddenly interrupted Nina Thorne’s wandering thoughts. She glanced at the caller ID.

It was an unknown local number.

Nina Thorne assumed it was Cole Kane, relentlessly trying again with a different number, so she didn’t answer.

She rejected the call twice in a row. But when the other party persistently called for a third time...

...Nina Thorne finally answered in frustration. "What nonsense do you want to spew now?"

Her tone was clearly displeased and tinged with hostility.

The person on the other end was stunned for a few seconds before asking, "Hello, may I ask if this is Miss Nina Thorne?"

Nina Thorne froze. It wasn’t Cole Kane’s voice.

’Not many people know my phone number.’

Nina Thorne’s first thought was that it was a scam. People like her, with a bit of money and a soft heart, were easy targets.

"Yes, this is she," she quickly recovered, wary and confused. "And you are?"