LOGINThis was a message from Christian, and it hadn't even crossed Talia's mind to think about how he might be feeling.Quentin had been deliberately looking away from Talia's phone, but he caught her dazed expression reflected in the car window. He turned back and asked with forced nonchalance, "Who's it from?"Talia looked at him. He was clearly dying to know, and his attempt at playing it cool wasn't fooling anyone, least of all her.After a brief silence, she actually laughed. She handed him the unlocked phone and said, "See for yourself."Quentin took it without hesitation and read the messages in the chat.When he realized that Christian had no idea the woman in the car with him was Talia, he found himself strangely irritated. So he typed a reply right there in the chat box."A man who can go seven rounds in one night? Why wouldn't I want him?"Talia saw his thumbs moving on the screen and immediately panicked. "Quentin, don't send anything stupid."She snatched the phone back
In the parking garage, Quentin sat in the backseat with Talia cradled in his arms, her head resting against the crook of his elbow. His entire arm had gone numb, but he didn't let go.He dozed lightly for a while, and when he woke, he felt his energy returning.Talia's phone, which had fallen somewhere in the car, lit up with a notification. Quentin glanced down and saw that it was a text alert, but the preview didn't show the actual content.He was curious about who had sent it and what it said, but he had no intention of looking at her phone without her permission. He let it go and didn't think about it again.About half an hour later, Talia stirred in his arms. He looked down just as her eyes fluttered open. She had slept soundly, and the comfortable warmth inside the car had left her cheeks flushed with a soft pink glow.Between the sleepy look on her face and the way her clothes were starting to slip off her shoulders, Quentin felt a familiar pull stir inside him again.Tali
Talia's shirt had buttons, and Quentin undid them one by one with his lips.Only when Talia was fully exposed to him did Quentin let himself go, pressing kisses across every inch of her skin. Wherever his mouth touched, her body responded like parched earth finally meeting rain.He laid her gently down across the backseat and took her again.Afterward, Quentin was far from satisfied. He pulled her close, his lips still on hers, stoking her desire all over again until she couldn't resist him. He sat back against the seat with Talia on his lap, and he had her once more.By the time they were done, Talia was completely spent. She collapsed against his chest as if she had just survived a battle, drenched in sweat and boneless.Quentin held her gently. Seeing how exhausted she was, he didn't have the heart to push her any further. He draped her clothes over her like a blanket, kissed her forehead, and murmured, "Get some sleep. We'll head back once you wake up."Talia didn't have the
By the time Talia stepped out of the fitting room, Quentin had already paid for everything. The attendant was packing up the gowns and going over some care instructions, but Quentin barely waited for her to finish before turning to Talia.He said, "Let's go home."His eyes crinkled with a slow, knowing smile, warm and inviting. The look he was giving her said everything without a single word.Talia understood. She nodded. "Okay."She walked over to him and reached for his hand. The moment Quentin felt her fingers, he didn't hesitate. He closed his hand around hers and held on tight.They left the boutique and headed straight for the elevator. Inside, Talia watched the numbers tick downward and thought the ride had never felt so long.Quentin felt the same way, but neither of them said a single word. The silence between them was deliberate, charged with a mutual understanding that didn't need explaining.The elevator finally reached the basement level. Quentin walked out fast, hi
Talia's response only made Quentin want her more. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to hold her close enough that the distance between them ceased to exist.Quentin had one hand pressed flat against her back while the other stayed on her front, and his broad frame enveloped her completely, making her feel impossibly small against him.Under the intensity of his kiss, Talia went limp in his arms. She let him take the lead, her eyes falling shut as she gave in to it.Everything he gave her felt good—intoxicating, even. It was nothing like Christian's carelessness and indifference. The way Quentin made her feel was entirely different, and she found herself slowly losing herself in it.Her hand, restless and bold, slid down his body.Quentin's entire frame went soft, like the ground had dropped out from under him.He couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her closer against him and pressed her back against the fitting room wall, lifting her into his arms as desire overwhelmed
Talia's voice sounded almost like a plea for help, and Quentin answered before the attendant even had a chance to react. "I'm right here, babe. What's wrong?"Talia's face burned even hotter. "The zipper's in the back, and I can't reach it. Could you ask the attendant to come help me?"One of the attendants opened her mouth to say that she was on her way, but Quentin was already ahead of her. He slipped through a narrow gap in the curtain and stepped inside before anyone could say another word.The attendant stood outside, slightly flustered, but took a few steps back to give them space. After all, she knew that Quentin was Talia's husband. A husband helping his wife with a zipper was hardly unusual.Talia had her back to the curtain and didn't realize that it was Quentin who had come in. She lowered the arms she had been straining behind her and said softly, "Thank you."She had thought that it was the attendant.Quentin stepped closer. His warm fingers brushed against her skin
After turning on her phone, Talia saw numerous missed calls—from her brother, Paige, Ryan, and even Henry.She had an outpatient shift that afternoon and knew that skipping work would likely result in disciplinary action from the hospital. Still, she had already braced herself, figuring that in the
Lionel was taken aback, but he didn't question Christian. Over the phone, he simply said, "Got it, Mr. Lane."Talia, on the other hand, was sitting on the edge of the flowerbed, mortified as she watched Henry take off her shoe and massage her ankle. She leaned forward to try and get him to his feet
Julian rose from his seat, adjusted his suit jacket slightly, and said, "I'll take my leave, then."Ryan was very subservient as he saw Julian out, letting out a sigh of relief once Julian—that big shot—was gone. …In the meantime, Talia sat motionless on the edge of her bed for a long time. It
Talia still returned to Elmwood Estate on her supposed agreed day with Christian. She wasn't doing it for any other reason. She just wanted to get justice for Henry, as she believed that a perfectly good medical genius shouldn't be tarnished because of her.When she arrived at Elmwood Estate, Chris







