Chapter 141

[ALEX]

A few months later:

“You don’t have to check her pulse every few minutes,” Dominic commented.

“Still don’t pay you for your two cents,” I grumbled, not taking my hand off my wife’s wrist. I could feel her heart beating, even though her eyes were closed. One. Two. Three. Four. Stable. Steady.

“You’re too much,” My second-in-command looked like he wanted to roll his eyes but didn’t. He knew better; he didn’t want to end up back in the hospital after months of physical therapy.

“Why are you still here?”

Dominic frowned. “I’ll be outside. Call if you need anything.” I nodded. “Oh, and boss?” he added, “Nice new house.”

It wasn’t a house; it was a home. My wife’s and my home.

She stirred, her skin still warm under my touch. “Alex?” she called softly, blinking.

“Right here, baby,” I muttered.

She blinked, a small smile spreading across her lips. “I feel better. You can let go of my hand.”

“Never,” I smiled back, bringing her knuckles to my lips for a soft kiss. “And ‘better’ how? You’re still burning up.”

“I feel stronger,” she grumbled, sitting up in bed despite my protests. “Have you gotten any sleep?”

“If I go to sleep, who checks that you’re breathing?”

“I’m breathing,” she softly replied, gripping my hand tighter. “I’m not going to die on you.”

“You don’t know that,” I scoffed, huffing. I snuggled close to her. She put her arms around me, a smile on her lips, as I placed my ear on her heart, listening to it beat. That’s when I could close my eyes for a moment.

It all started last week, when we returned to the city from a few blissful months in Philadelphia for my parents’ anniversary party. The day after, Mia developed a fever. Even though I insisted we see a doctor, she dismissed it as overexertion, and I let her rest. Except when I tried waking her up the next morning, she wouldn’t wake up. She was burning hot in my arms, and her breathing was shallow. I couldn’t find a pulse.

I stopped breathing in that moment.

The six minutes from our home to the emergency room were the hardest six minutes of my life. I was immediately transported back to when she was in the ICU, and I helplessly stood outside.

She had a severe infection. The doctors wanted to rule out delayed complications from the stitches or surgery she’d had after her kidnapping. After they ruled those out, she received an IV drip with saline, then antibiotics. We stayed two extra days in the hospital—I practically forced them to keep her. We were discharged last evening.

Last night was our first night back home, and I couldn’t sleep. I had to make sure my wife was breathing and her heart was beating.

Don’t you think whatever infection I have… “I’d say stay away from me, just as a precaution,” she softly said. “I don’t want you to contract it.”

“It’s just a viral…” I kissed her. “In sickness and in health, remember?”

“Okay, husband.” A light chuckle reverberated through her, and I could hear it clearly with my ear pressed to her heart. My favorite sound.

Alex

“How many kids do you want?”

“However many you want, baby.” She smiled, and I sighed, gently stroking her hair and pulling her into my arms. She didn’t resist, snuggling closer. My wife lowered her voice. I can’t say I’d considered it on a…

“Two, maybe,” I said. “I haven’t put much thought into it. What about you?”

“I want a big family,” she cheekily replied. I never had an… um…

“Eight? I propose eight.”

She laughed again. “No.”

I laughed some more. “Have you ever thought about names?”

How much do you think I daydreamed of having a family and deciding names for kids I don’t have? I deadpanned.

“Taya. By old maid standards.”

“Why do I have a feeling you already have a list?” I didn’t have to look at my wife’s face to know how profusely she was blushing. “I, um… River.” I read it away from her. “You want to name our son after a water…” hypothetical son.

“And River is a nice name. River King. River Kover. Whatever the time calls,” she agreed. “I’m going to keep my children far away from the estate.”

I shrugged. “Just selfish.” Then I pulled her back to me. There’s only so much time I could spend without touching her constantly. My fucking kryptonite, my wife.

“What if it’s a girl?” I asked.

“You can name her,” she said. “But I want to decide her middle name.”

“Deal. I’ll just name her Princess or something, because if I leave it to you, you’ll name her Lake or Pond,” I joked.

She moved her head to look at me pointedly. “Let’s hear your options.”

“I don’t have any. I’m sure I’ll come up with something nice when the time comes.” A little smile grazed my lips as I looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. “When will the time come?”

“What?”

“When do you want a baby?”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled, her cheeks heating up suddenly. “Soon, maybe? Maybe we could travel somewhere before that?”

“Hm,” I drawled. “We never had a honeymoon anyway.”

“Is that all you think of?” she feigned a glare. “So many places to visit.”

“So many positions to fuck in.”

She chuckled before playfully swatting my arm. “Such a one-track mind.”

“What can a man do when he has such a sexy wife?” I kissed her forehead, then her nose.

She blinked, a little daze spreading across her expression.

“We can’t do more, baby,” I reminded her gently. “You’re sick.”

“But it’s been a week!” she whined. “And I’m all better today.”

“No. You still have a fever.”

My wife whimpered, pouting. I chuckled. She was pretending it was hard for her. For me? It was a million times harder. I’d been obsessed with her since the day I saw her, and it had only intensified since she became my wife. I was addicted to her voice, her laughter, her touch, her moans, her groans—everything. This girl was all mine, and I liked showing her that every chance I got. And even though my brain knew I needed to let her recover, my dick had a mind of its own. It got hard at the mere touch of her, and right now, when she was looking at me with those “please fuck me” eyes? Rock-fucking-hard.

The doctor gave me the all-clear. He also asked her to rest.

“You can slow-fuck me?” she said, sounding excited.

“Jesus Christ, stop saying ‘fuck’…”

Why? She blinked innocently, her hands trailing down my shirt. “Does it make you hard?”

“Mia,” I warned.

“Alex,” she pleaded. “One orgasm.”

I rolled my head back, laughter bubbling up at her demand. She pouted.

“The Mia I met six months ago would never…” I joked. “She was such a prude.”

“I wasn’t a prude!” She glared. “And just for calling me that, I won’t let you fuck me for another week.”

“Are you sure you can stay away?” I cocked an eyebrow. “Do you know how you get the week before your period? ‘Alex, fuck me here. Alex, fuck me there.’”

I was evidently getting on her nerves. “You’ve gotten too comfortable with me,” she continued glaring. “You shouldn’t know that much.”

“You’re my wife. I know everything.” I grinned.

“It’s the hormones, okay?” She rolled her eyes. “Maybe it’s the week before my period again.”

“No, that was the week before we flew in,” I reminded her. “Oh yeah,” I smirked as the memory played in my mind. “That’s why you wanted me to fuck you on our balcony. My wife’s kinky.”

“Alex…”

“What?” I teased. “Suddenly shy to talk about it?”

“No…” she trailed off. “I… I didn’t get my period last week. I-I’m two weeks late.”

“Okay,” I straightened up. “You were sick and on medication. It could mean anything.”

“Or… it could mean…” Her voice trailed off.

“You’re on the shot.”

“I know.”

I looked at my wife, concern and confusion all over her features. “Hey,” I held her hand. “If you are pregnant, that’s okay. And if you’re not, that’s okay too.”

“It’s so soon.”

“Maybe you’re not,” I said. “And if you are and you don’t want it right now, I’ll support you in whatever you decide.”

Sadness filled her eyes. “I don’t want to give up on our baby just because I might not be ready,” she mumbled. “Is it too soon to show up on a test?”

“We won’t know until we take one,” I said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m going to ask Dom to go to the pharmacy and get us a kit. Okay?”

She nodded, smiling at me.

It took that idiot ten minutes to get to the store, and then he walked into our room with a bag of eight different pregnancy tests. “There were so many. I got one of each.” He shrugged and left us alone.

Mia’s lower lip wobbled as she took the tests. It took another two minutes. Can nobody do things quicker today?

My wife came out and sat on the bed with a thump.

“So what?” She looked up at me with unreadable emotions. Was she happy? Was she sad? “I’ve dipped the stick. It takes a few minutes.”

“I asked that idiot to buy the most expensive one. Bet that would have given us a result sooner,” I grumbled, pacing the room. “You said it was going to be okay. Why are you so restless?”

“It… it will be okay, my love.” I knelt in front of her and took her hands in mine. “I’m just restless because I don’t like not knowing.”

“I know,” she said, and then her phone pinged. “Okay, time’s up.”

I held my breath as she walked back into the bathroom and got the kit.

“Just one line. It’s negative,” she said.

I let out a breath to cover the disappointment I couldn’t understand why I was feeling.

“That’s a good thing, right?” she asked in a broken voice. “It was unplanned.”

“Yeah, good thing,” I agreed, sitting next to her. “We can travel and see the world first.”

She nodded, sobbing.

“Baby,” I held her. “Don’t cry.”

“I… sorry… I… for a second, I thought I had a baby in me. Our baby. Your baby,” she sniffed.

“You want to see the world,” I reminded her.

“We could’ve seen the world with our baby.”

“You said you weren’t ready.”

“I don’t know what it’s like to have a mom. I’m never going to be ready.”

“Mia, love, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I raised my brows. “Be clear with me.”

She looked up at me with red-stained cheeks. “Maybe we… we could start trying for a baby. I could get off the shot. And then when it happens, it happens.” She paused, then quickly added, “If you’re ready for it too.”

A smile spread across my lips. “I would love nothing more.”

She smiled back, excitement flickering in her eyes. “Oh, God. We could be parents soon.”

“And have lots of sex in the process.”

She laughed, called me a one-track mind, and then threw herself into my arms.

“I love you, Alex,” she mumbled before kissing me. “Thank you for being the best husband in the world.”

“I love you, wife.” I deepened the kiss, pulling her closer. When it comes to my wife, I always want more.

Chapter 141

I was selfish, and she was the reason for that. I pulled away when my phone rang, and I groaned.

“It’s Aurora,” I told her, and as I was about to hang up, Mia looked at me pointedly.

“Pick up,” she said. “If you ignore your twin for me, she’ll hate me for it, and I don’t want to lose the only friend I have.”

I shook my head at their budding friendship—something I wasn’t always fond of—but picked up the call nonetheless.

“Hello.” My playful voice disappeared when incoherent sobs reached my ear.

“Alex!” My sister sobbed, and I froze.

“Aurora,” I said immediately. “What’s wrong? Where are you? Are you at your apartment? I… I’m coming.”

“No,” she sobbed. “Alex, I messed up.”

“I’ll fix it,” I replied. “Whatever it is, I’ll fix it. I’ll hide the body.”

“I didn’t kill someone, you idiot!” she cried.

“Then what is it?”

“You… you can’t fix this.”

“Aurora,” I was on the verge of losing my patience. My wife looked at me worriedly, and I squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”

“I… I think I’m pregnant.”

His Temptation

Meet AURORA & LUCA:

Aurora Whitlock has lived a sheltered life. Between an overprotective father and a twin brother who was in the Mafia, they managed to scare away every boy she ever liked.

At twenty-five, all she wanted was to live her life. So she made a list, drank her vodka, and got going.

Losing her virginity to a hot, tattooed, Italian stranger? Not on the list.

Finding out he was her new boss the next day? Absolutely not on the list.

And keeping it up despite knowing how wrong it was? Definitely not on the list.

He was older. He was her father’s friend. And he was forbidden, until he wasn’t.

[Tropes: Age-gap (seven years), Billionaire CEO, father’s friend, forbidden. Triggers: Smut and foul language.]

The prologue is a bonus scene in Luca’s POV, so you don’t have to buy it if you don’t want to. You can start straight from Chapter 1. Updates from tomorrow! xx