CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Adrian’s POV

“Right there God, yes!” My nails dug into Damien’s bare back as his body moved against mine. The room was filled with our ragged breaths, moans, and the sharp sound of skin slapping against skin.

He shifted suddenly, lifting my legs and hooking them over his shoulders, driving into me deeper, harder. My head fell back against the pillow and I let out a strangled cry.

“Shit, Adrian,” Damien grunted, his voice rough and hungry. “You’re so perfect… so damn tight.”

Each thrust hit that one spot inside me that made my whole body shudder. I couldn’t stop the cries tumbling from my mouth as the pleasure coiled tighter in my stomach.

“I'm close. Damien, I’m coming,” I gasped, clutching at him as if he was the only thing holding me together.

His lips brushed mine, his words a low growl against my mouth. “Then cum for me, love. Let go.”

And I did. My release tore through me, leaving me shaking beneath him as he buried himself deeper, his own moan breaking against my ear. I felt the warmth of him spill inside me, his body jerking with each final thrust until he collapsed on top of me, breathless.

He kissed me softly just once, as though sealing the moment and carefully lowered my legs back onto the bed before pulling out. I winced at the emptiness and the slick heat between my thighs, but then he wrapped his arms around me, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

“I love you, my wife,” he whispered, voice hoarse but tender.

A sleepy smile tugged at my lips. “I love you too, hubby.”

Sleep claimed me quickly after that, the weight of him beside me comforting, grounding.

“Adrian… hey, my wife. Wake up.”

I stirred at the sound of his voice, blinking against the sunlight peeking through the curtains. Damien’s blue eyes were the first thing I saw, close and insistent.

“Mmm… go away,” I mumbled, yanking the blanket over my head.

The blanket didn’t stay long. Damien tugged it down with a mischievous grin before peppering kisses across my face, my forehead, my cheeks, even the tip of my nose.

“Damien,” I groaned, trying to shove him off. But his laughter vibrated against me, and soon I was laughing too.

When I couldn’t take his teasing anymore, I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to me, kissing him full on the lips. He made a pleased sound in his throat but eventually pulled back, his eyes dancing.

“You shouldn’t kiss me,” I teased softly. “My breath must smell terrible.”

“Adrian,” he said with mock seriousness, “I’d kiss you even if your breath smelled like a thousand horses’ asses.” He put on a ridiculous cowboy accent at the end, making me snort with laughter.

“Idiot,” I whispered against his lips before pushing him away. “At least let me brush my teeth first.”

I slid out of bed, deliberately slow, deliberately swaying my hips because I knew he was watching. His heated gaze followed me all the way to the bathroom.

When I came back, teeth brushed, I noticed a tray of food waiting on the nightstand. My stomach growled on cue.

“Breakfast in bed?” I raised a brow, sliding under the covers again. “Well, miracles really do happen.”

Damien grabbed the tray and placed it carefully between us. Pancakes, waffles, orange juice, coffee, and fruit looked perfect.

“I never thought you’d learn to cook,” I teased as I reached for a fork. “But I guess the world really is full of surprises.”

He gave me a smug little grin. “See? I told you I could take care of you. Even breakfast in bed.”

But I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “This looks suspiciously like Sarah’s work.”

Damien nearly choked on his juice, coughing as I patted his back, laughing the whole time.

“Damn it. How did you know?” He pouted, looking more boyish than I’d ever seen him.

“I just know,” I said, still laughing. Then, with a softer tone, “You could’ve just told me. What, are you afraid I’ll change my mind about marrying you if you can’t cook?”

His expression shifted. The smile fell from his lips. He fidgeted with the edge of the tray before finally speaking, voice low.

“I read this article online… about how rushed weddings usually fall apart. And we happened so fast. I can’t stop thinking, what if one day you get tired of me and leave? I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.”

The vulnerability in his voice made my chest ache. I set the tray aside and cupped his face, forcing him to meet my eyes.

“Damien,” I whispered, resting my forehead against his. “Stop reading garbage on the internet. We’re not some statistic. We’re us.”

He exhaled shakily, like he’d been holding his breath.

“You’ll never leave me, right?” His voice cracked just slightly, and that tiny break almost broke me too.

“Never,” I promised, pressing a kiss to his lips.

He relaxed against me, relief washing over his face. “I love you, Adrian. With all my heart.”

“And I love you,” I said. Then, to lighten the mood, I added, “Even if you can’t cook or sing to save your life.”

His eyes widened in mock outrage. “That’s what you’re going with? My flaws?”

“Gotcha,” I grinned, leaning in to kiss him again.

But beneath the teasing, something lingered in his eyes. Fear. Doubt. A shadow of something he wasn’t telling me.

Later, when the tray was pushed aside and we were tangled together again, Damien’s head resting on my shoulder, I whispered, “You know I don’t just love the shiny parts of you, right? I love the real you. The stubborn, flawed, ridiculous you. That’s the man I fell for.”

He looked at me with such raw intensity that my breath caught. “You mean that?”

“With everything I have.”

His smile softened, but just when I thought the moment was sealed, he hesitated. His fingers traced absent patterns against my arm, his jaw tightening.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said finally, voice quieter than I’d ever heard it.

My stomach tightened. “What is it?”

He opened his mouth, closed it, then kissed me instead, almost desperate. When he pulled back, his eyes were unreadable.

“Not yet,” he whispered. “But soon. Just… promise me you won’t run when you find out.”

The weight of his words settled heavily between us, a shadow over our bright morning. I wanted to ask, to demand the truth, but the vulnerability in his eyes stopped me.

So instead, I cupped his face, kissed him softly, and whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.”

But deep down, I knew whatever he was hiding could change everything.