42 Not Going Anywhere
Mara
Tina’s drama faded into the background the moment Lucian went down on me in the shower.
He was rough and gentle in turns-deliberate in the way he touched me, like he knew every inch of my body already belonged to him. And I didn’t care how fast we were falling.
I wanted to fall.
Later, we had lunch at a quiet, upscale restaurant. Walked hand in hand through the public park like we weren’t two people constantly under scrutiny.
We laughed, teased, kissed like teenagers. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so free. When we got back home that night, we didn’t even make it past the hallway without touching each other.
Now we lay tangled on the bed, our bodies warm and worn out. My thighs ached, and I was sore in the best way-but I wouldn’t trade the feeling for anything.
People once pitied me for being matched to Lucian. Said I was the unlucky one. But they couldn’t be more wrong. I was married to the most powerful, devastatingly handsome man in the country-and he was in love with me. Fiercely. Openly.
And I was falling too. Hard.
I reached up and traced the bridge of his nose as he lay beside me, his eyes closed. He wrinkled it in response, and I smiled. How someone who looked so imposing in public could be this soft in private-it
amazed me.
“Hey,” I whispered.
He opened his eyes and turned toward me, smiling. “What is it, Mara?”
His blue eyes gleamed under the warm tungsten light, and I found myself staring again. He was… perfect.
But I had to ask.
“How are we dealing with Tina and the baby?” I said, the words barely leaving my mouth. Just saying them out loud felt like popping the fragile bubble we’d created.
Lucian immediately sat up and pulled me into his chest, holding me close.
“I’m sorry, Mara. Truly. I wish I could go back and undo it, but I can’t.” His voice was low, sincere. “All I can promise is this-yes, I will take responsibility for that child. But you… our children… will always come first.”
I clutched the sheet tighter, listening, afraid of what I might feel.
“She got pregnant on purpose. She thought it would push me to ask for an annulment. But I would never do that. Not for anyone.
You are the only person in my life that’s ever been truly mine. And I won’t let you go unless you walk away.”
His arms tightened around me.
“And if you ever did,” he added, his voice thickening, “I would search the whole damn world to find you. And I wouldn’t rest until you were back in my arms.”
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<42 Not Going Anywhere
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Tears welled in my eyes. His love-it wasn’t light, or casual, or even convenient. It was consuming. It made my affection feel almost… small in comparison. But maybe it didn’t need to match in volume. Maybe it just had
to be real.
And mine was.
I pressed my forehead to his chest and let the tears fall, silent and grateful.
Because this man-flawed, wounded, endlessly loyal-was mine.
And I wasn’t going anywhere.
“No pressure, Mara,” Lucian murmured, picking up on my hesitation. His fingers lightly traced the curve of my neck-the spot where his mark should be. I shivered.
“I’m willing to wait for you,” he said gently, then grazed his teeth over the spot, and I couldn’t stop the moan
that slipped out.
A sharp, warm tingle shot through me when he sucked the skin, his lips leaving no mark but promising one.
“Lucian,” I breathed, my voice catching.
“Hopefully soon, Mara,” he linked, his voice like velvet in my mind-wanting to claim me, aching for it.
And I wanted it too.
But fear still lived somewhere deep inside me.
“Hopefully soon,” he whispered aloud, kissing my neck again. “You’ll be fully mine. And I’ll be yours.”
My wolf stirred, pressing against the edges of my control, eager for the bond. But I held her back. Not yet. We curled into each other, letting sleep claim us in that quiet understanding. No rush. No pressure. Just us.
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