Chapter 158
Elara’s POV
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The penthouse felt different tonight. Quieter somehow, like the whole building was holding its breath waiting for tomorrow.
Elara stood by the bedroom window looking out at the city lights while Marcus moved around behind her, packing documents into his briefcase for the shareholder meeting. She could hear the rustle of papers, the click of his laptop closing, the soft exhale of frustration when something didn’t fit quite right.
“Come to bed,” she said without turning around.
“I need to go through these files one more time. Make sure we didn’t miss anything.”
“Marcus. Come to bed.”
This time he listened. Elara heard the briefcase close, heard his footsteps crossing the room. His arms wrapped around her from behind, his hands settling gently on her stomach.
“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly, rubbing her stomach.
“Terrified. Exhausted. Ready for all of this to be over.”
“Tomorrow it will be. One way or another.”
Elara turned in his arms to face him. Marcus looked tired, the stress of the past weeks visible in the lines around his eyes and the tension in his jaw. But underneath it all she could see determination, resolve, the same strength that had first attracted her to him.
“Whatever happens tomorrow,” she said, “we survive it together. You know that, right?”
“I know. But I keep thinking about everything that could go wrong. What if the board doesn’t believe us about Penelope? What if they think we’re just trying to deflect from the other scandals?”
“Then we deal with it. We find another way. But Marcus, you can’t go into that meeting already defeated. Penelope wants you scared and off balance. Don’t give her that.”
Marcus pulled her closer, careful of her belly, and rested his forehead against hers. “When did you get so wise?”
“I’ve always been wise, shush now. You were just too distracted by my devastating beauty to notice.”
He laughed and the sound made Elara’s chest ache. When was the last time she’d heard him laugh? Really laugh, not the bitter ironic sound he’d been making lately but actual joy?
“I love you,” Marcus said softly. “I don’t say it enough but I do. You and these babies are everything to me.”
“I love you too. Even when you’re being an idiot about ex-girlfriends and evil stepmothers.”
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Chapter 158
“Especially then?”
“Especially then.”
:
Marcus kissed her and Elara felt some of the tension leave his body. His lips were gentle against hers, asking rather than demanding, and she melted into him.
“Come on,” she whispered against his mouth. “Bed. Now.”
They moved to the bed together, Marcus helping her lie down because getting horizontal was getting harder every day with the weight of the twins. He stretched out beside her and just looked at her for a long moment.
“What?” Elara asked.
“Just memorizing this. You. Here. Safe. Before everything changes tomorrow.”
“Nothing’s going to change. We’re still going to be us and safe.”
“I hope so.”
Marcus’s hand traced slowly down her side, over the curve of her hip, and Elara shivered. It had been weeks since they’d been intimate, both of them too stressed and worried to think about anything beyond survival.
But tonight felt different. Like they both needed the connection, the reminder that underneath all the chaos they still had this.
“I want to make you feel good,” Marcus said quietly. “Let me take care of you.”
Elara nodded and Marcus kissed her again, slower this time. His hands moved with carefully, sliding under her nightgown to caress her bare skin. Every touch was reverent, worshipful, like he was trying to memorize the feel of her.
He helped her out of her nightgown and then just looked at her, his eyes dark with want and something deeper. Love, Elara realized. This was what love looked like when all the pretense was stripped away.
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Marcus’s hand slid between her thighs and Elara gasped at the first touch. He moved slowly, gently, reading her responses and adjusting accordingly. His fingers found her center and circled with just enough pressure to make her arch into his touch.
“So beautiful,” he murmured, kissing along her collarbone. “You’re so beautiful like this.”
Elara couldn’t form words, could only feel as Marcus worked her higher with patient, deliberate strokes. When he slid one finger inside her she moaned, her hands gripping the sheets.
“That’s it,” Marcus whispered. “Let go for me.”
He added another finger and Elara felt the tension building low in her belly. Marcus’s thumb found her sensitive bundle of nerves and pressed in gentle circles while his fingers moved inside her with perfect rhythm.
The orgasm built slowly, a warm tide rising higher and higher until Elara couldn’t hold back anymore. She
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Chapter 158
came with a soft cry, her body pulsing around Marcus’s fingers as pleasure rolled through her in waves.
ร
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When she finally came down, Marcus was kissing her stomach, her ribs, working his way lower with clear intent.
“Marcus, you don’t have to….”
“I want to. Let me taste you.”
Elara couldn’t argue with that. She let her legs fall open and Marcus settled between her thighs like he belonged there. The first touch of his tongue made her gasp, still sensitive from her orgasm.
He took his time, exploring her with his mouth like he was learning her all over again. Soft licks, gentle suction, the occasional graze of teeth that made her hips buck involuntarily. His hands held her thighs steady. keeping her open for him as he worked.
Elara’s fingers tangled in his hair, not pulling but just holding on as the pleasure built again. Marcus seemed content to stay there forever, bringing her right to the edge and then backing off, keeping her suspended in that perfect space between need and release.
“Please,” she finally whimpered.
Marcus hummed against her and the vibration sent sparks through her entire body. He focused his attention on her center, his tongue moving in patterns that had her seeing stars.
The second orgasm hit harder than the first, making her cry out as her body shook with the force of it. Marcus didn’t stop, didn’t slow down, just kept working her through it until she was boneless and gasping.
When he finally pulled away and moved back up her body, his lips were wet and his eyes were blazing.
“I love you,” he said again. “Tomorrow, next week, next year. I’m always going to love you.”
Elara pulled him down for a kiss, tasting herself on his lips. “I know. I’ve always known.”
They fell asleep tangled together, Marcus’s hand resting protectively on her stomach. For the first time in weeks, Elara felt at peace.
But the peace didn’t last.
Elara woke at three in the morning to sharp cramping in her abdomen. For a moment she thought maybe she just needed to use the bathroom, but then the pain intensified and she felt warm liquid spreading between her legs.
Blood. She was bleeding.
“Marcus,” she said, her voice sharp with fear. “Marcus, wake up.”
He was awake instantly, already reaching for her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m bleeding. The babies. Something’s wrong with the babies.”
