My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 76: It Hurts Already?

Nina was startled and bolted upright in bed.

However, before she could even take a step, Caleb Rhodes scooped her into his arms.

He lowered his head and sank his teeth into her pale neck. "Trying to run?"

He wasn’t gentle. Nina hissed in pain, crying out softly, "That hurts!"

Caleb Rhodes gripped her slender waist, his hot, wet breath washing over her ear. "Hmm, that hurts already?"

Knowing she couldn’t escape, she trembled in fear and began to beg him in a small voice, "Caleb, I’m scared..."

"It hurts... Please, stop biting... I’m begging you..."

Her soft, tearful pleas for mercy did nothing to help her. Instead, they only stoked Caleb Rhodes’s possessiveness and his desire for absolute control.

Amidst their tangle, a soft, mewling sound drifted up from the floor.

"MEOW..."

"MEOW..."

As if a savior had arrived, Nina began to struggle. "Roy’s here..."

Caleb was in no mood to stop. His voice was hoarse. "The little thing doesn’t understand anything. Let it watch..."

Nina was so tense her toes curled. She kept pleading in a soft voice, "No, you can’t..."

Just then, the kitten padded over to Caleb’s foot, placed a soft paw on it, and gave it a little lick.

Another soft mewl: "MEOW~"

This meow was louder, as if begging for comfort or to be held, making it impossible to ignore.

The charged atmosphere shattered. Caleb tensed, and his hold on Nina loosened.

’This little thing is a real buzzkill!’

Nina seized the chance to scramble off of Caleb. She snatched up her bathrobe and threw it on, then scooped up the kitten, hiding it behind her as she backed away several feet.

She was still breathing heavily, her eyes fixed on Caleb, wary. Her voice trembled. "You... you can’t hit him!"

Her gaze fell on Caleb’s half-removed clothes, and her face instantly flushed red.

She spun around, her voice barely a whisper. "You... put your clothes on..."

’To be so bluntly interrupted... it would be a lie to say he wasn’t frustrated. But the mood was ruined; there was no point in continuing.’

’He wanted their first time to be a better memory.’

But there was no way he was putting his clothes back on. He casually slipped on a bathrobe and leaned back against the headboard.

"Come here!"

The redness in his eyes had faded, but his voice was still deep and raspy.

Nina didn’t dare turn around. The tips of her ears were glowing red, and a faint pink flush covered her body. "Are you dressed?"

Caleb grunted his assent, his patience wearing thin. "Come here!"

Nina still didn’t dare to turn back, her hand clutching the kitten trembled.

The darkness in Caleb’s eyes was fathomless. "If you don’t come here, I’ll send him away right now."

He had struck her right where she was most vulnerable. Nina bit her lip. After a long moment, she turned and walked to Caleb’s side, her head bowed.

’She still didn’t dare to look at him!’

’Her eyes were even squeezed shut!’

Seeing how nervous and shy she was, Caleb’s expression softened. He reached out, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear, and murmured, "This shy? It’s going to be like this every day from now on. What will you do then?"

The words "every day" made Nina’s eyes snap open.

She then saw he was wearing the bathrobe and breathed a secret sigh of relief.

But she was still tense. "Ev-every day?"

Caleb watched her with a heavy gaze for a moment before suddenly pulling her into his lap, pressing her against his chest.

His voice was thick with huskiness. "Nina, there’s no use hiding. This day was always going to come, sooner or later."

Afraid of crushing the kitten, Nina quickly shifted him to rest in front of her.

But there was nowhere to put the kitten down. She couldn’t just keep holding him, so she bent one leg and settled him on her knee.

Her knee was a small perch, and the kitten, finding it awkward, kept mewling softly.

Nina stroked his head to comfort him.

With one leg bent, her small ankle rested right next to Caleb’s hand. He casually took it in his palm, giving it a gentle squeeze, somewhat pleased.

’It seems she’s put on a little weight. It feels surprisingly cute.’

And so they sat in silence for a long while: Caleb holding Nina, and Nina holding the kitten.

Tired from playing, the kitten lay in Nina’s hands, acting spoiled and refusing to get up. Finding him utterly adorable, Nina couldn’t resist leaning in for a kiss.

But before her lips could touch the kitten’s head, Caleb seized her by the chin. His voice was laced with ice. "Not allowed."

His grip was painful, so Nina had no choice but to give up.

After a moment, the kitten, happy from playing with Nina, stretched out its tiny paws and sprawled across her chest.

Right on top of her soft breasts, to be precise.

A cold glint entered Caleb’s eyes. He reached out, plucked the kitten up, and casually placed it in a tall fruit dish on the counter.

The dish was rather high, and the kitten, a little frightened, began to meow frantically.

Nina grew anxious and was about to reach for him when Caleb grabbed her hand. "If you dare put him on you again, he’s gone. Immediately!"

Nina froze.

But the kitten kept crying. Frustrated and anxious, Nina’s chest heaved as she glared at Caleb in silence.

Her glare was more kitten than tiger, fierce yet tinged with fear.

Caleb narrowed his eyes, grabbed the back of her head, and bit her on the lip.

It was a hard bite. Nina cried out in pain. "Caleb, be gentle!"

Caleb snorted. "If you dare look at me like that again, you can forget about keeping him!"

Nina glanced at the kitten, wanting to rescue him but not daring to. Finally, she lowered her head, wringing her soft, pale hands. Her voice was small and full of grievance. "You... you can’t treat him like this."

Seeing her like this, he thought she looked just like the kitten—especially endearing in her distress. His eyes darkened as he asked in a raspy voice, "And why can’t I?"

"Because he’s mine!" Her voice was thin, but stubborn.

Caleb’s fingers traced her lip, slightly swollen from his bite. He pressed down slowly. "But you are mine."

His words were slow and deliberate, like a vow.

Nina looked up at him, but before she could speak, he pulled her flush against his chest.

He held her close and murmured, "Nina, are you a fool? If you please me, forget two hours a day—I’d get you a hundred cats if you wanted."

Nina struggled, trying to break free from his forceful embrace, but she couldn’t.

She was slightly out of breath. "But I only want one," she whispered. "Just one."

Before she could finish, Caleb’s mouth covered her soft lips.

Nina tilted her head back, doing her best to comply with his domineering, plundering kiss.

Gradually, things began to spiral out of control again.

After what felt like an eternity, an exhausted Nina collapsed against Caleb.

Sated and relaxed, the man was the picture of languor. His voice was husky and lazy. "Tired?"

’Her inexperience had been obvious in every movement. It had been a first for him too, so it had inevitably taken longer than expected, until she was exhausted beyond endurance.’

Caleb looked at her, his brow furrowing slightly.

’Her stamina is still lacking. I’ll have to build it up properly, until she can fully take me.’

Just then, a low voice came from outside. "Third Lord Master, Ida has been waiting for nearly two hours."

It was Willson Lawson’s voice.

Caleb frowned, clearly displeased at the interruption of his time with Nina.

His voice turned cold. "If he doesn’t want to wait, tell him to scram!"

Willson Lawson replied, "But he’s come in good faith this time. He’s also the heir to Niporia’s third-largest conglomerate and our biggest supplier over there. We can’t afford to be too dismissive."

Caleb’s voice grew even colder. "Willson, are you telling me how to do my job?"

Willson’s voice faltered for a moment. "Third Lord Master, I wouldn’t dare. I am merely reminding you."

Caleb said coldly, "You go entertain him first. I’ll be there shortly."

"Yes, Third Lord Master!"

After Willson left, Caleb called Warner Zimmerman. "Get an outfit for Nina that she can wear out and bring it over."

With that, he hung up and carried Nina into the hot spring.

Soaking in a hot spring was especially pleasant in this weather. Normally, Caleb would hold Nina and soak for a good half hour.

This time was no exception.

He held her close, a subtle regret welling up inside him.

’The little thing in his arms was so green yet so delicious. He’d always regretted not taking charge of her upbringing himself. It had resulted in this odd personality of hers, one that would inevitably take time to correct.’

’But she was in his arms now. They had plenty of time together ahead of them.’

’Both her stamina and her personality would require a long time to adjust.’

’He would be there to guide her through it, slowly.’

’The thought of that process filled him with a certain anticipation.’

After a moment, his voice grew husky again. "You’re having dinner with me tonight."

Nina remembered the last time she’d had dinner with his friends. She grew tense and whispered, "I don’t want to go."

Caleb gripped her small ankle, squeezing it a few times. "Tonight’s chef is excellent. He’s from Niporia. You can try their cuisine, see if you like it."

’Nina liked to eat things that looked exquisite. Niporian food, though often half-cooked, was always beautifully presented—something young girls were said to love.’

At that, Nina fell silent and snuggled deeper into his embrace.

From her reaction, Caleb knew she was tempted.

He wrapped a hand around her tiny waist and whispered in her ear, "So you like that half-cooked stuff?"

The warm breath tickled Nina’s ear. She had just started to pull away when he captured her soft lips in a bite.