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Chapter 61: Taking Responsibility

Author: MM de Wet
last update publish date: 2026-05-20 14:47:51

Harpers hands moved down to work on the buckle of Oliver’s belt, while she muttered, “I am ready.” A low, guttural sound rumbled in his chest as her fingers worked at his belt buckle. His hips bucked involuntarily against her touch, the promise of release making his entire body tense with anticipation. “Yes,” he breathed out harshly, abandoning her breasts to grip her waist tightly. “Get them off. I need to feel you against me without anything in between.&r

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    Tera leaned her head back against Marius’s shoulder, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest. For a moment, the looming Monday meeting and the shadow of Seraphina felt miles away. “You know,” she murmured, his voice softening. “You are surprisingly easy to talk to when you are not trying to be the smartest person in the room.” she turned her face toward him, a mischievous flint in her sapphire eyes. Marius snorted, though the effect was ruined by the way his yellow green eyes softened when he looked down at her. "I am the smartest person in the room, Tera. You are just acknowledging it with more grace than I deserve." He nudged her shoulder with his own, a playful gesture that felt entirely natural. The banter was a shield, but tonight it felt less like a defence and more like a way to breathe. "Matte black frame. Moody ocean. No gold leaf," he repeated, as if committing the terms to memory. "I can live with that. Actually, I think I might even li

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    Tera did not move toward Marius. She stayed anchored to her spot; her sapphire eyes fixed on his face as if she were reading a code, she had not quite cracked yet. “Messy and complicated,” she repeated, her voice devoid of its usual warmth. “Those are the two words people use when they are trying to downplay something that still ahs teeth.” She crossed her arms, mirroring the defensive posture he had taken earlier. “You said you wanted to change, Marius. You promised me exclusivity. But how am I supposed to trust that when you are acting like a terrified kid every time her name is mentioned?” she took a step toward him, not out of affection, but to close the distance between them until they were almost nose to nose. “If she is just a ghost, then why are you so afraid of her haunting you?”Marius’s jaw worked silently as he stared back at Tera. The silence between them was not the comfortable kind they usually shared; it wa

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