Chapter 46: The surrender

Elowen frowned slightly.

’Come back to me? What does he mean?’

Before she could make sense of his words, he held her hips and pulled her flush against him.

The contact was electric, skin to skin, warm and desperate. He bent forward, his mouth tracing a path from her jawline to the sensitive hollow of her throat.

His hot breath stirred against her skin.

She closed her eyes, her nails digging into his back instinctively. For once, she didn’t want to ask anything or search the hidden meaning behind his words. She wanted nothing but to feel what he was offering her, even if she couldn’t bring herself to trust it.

"Tonight..." he murmured against her neck, his lips brushing her skin. "Tonight, I will make you feel how much you mean to me. I won’t lose you in this life. I won’t slip you away from me again."

’Again?’

The word sent another wave of shivers through her.

She barely had time to dwell on it before he kissed her once more, and the question dissolved beneath the warmth of his embrace.

His weight settled between her thighs, his emotions stirring. His hands framed her face as he looked down with an expression so raw that it was almost painful to witness.

"I won’t let anyone come between us."

His lips found hers again, but the kiss had changed. The desperation was still there, but it was gentler, more careful, as if he were afraid that one careless movement might shatter the fragile moment between them.

"Wifey..." he whispered.

He moved with a deliberate, agonizing slowness at first, his lips finding the sensitive spot just below her ear.

"I’m never letting you go," he promised, his words muffled against her collarbone. "Never."

"Mm..."

The soft sound she made only intensified his madness for her.

Soren buried his face against her neck, holding her as though he had spent years longing for this moment.

This was no longer just a physical need. It was his promise to her that he belonged to her, only to her. Completely. He wanted her to understand that he had no intention of giving up on their marriage.

"Elowen..." He moved carefully, unwilling to turn this into another moment she would resent.

She drew him closer, and he kissed her all over again.

He watched her face, tracking every flicker of emotion, every sharp intake of breath. He wanted to see everything—the way she closed her eyes, the way her lips parted, and the way she let out those soft, arousing sounds.

"You are so wet." His whisper mixed with the slippery sound as he moved in and out.

His movement grew more intense as he pushed himself closer to the edge, but he was mindful that he wouldn’t cause her discomfort.

"Elowen..." he called her name again.

In response, she let out a loud sigh.

His grip on her hands tightened as he lost himself in the sound of her voice. His breathing was heavy and ragged as he found a new, deeper rhythm.

"You are mine. Don’t forget that ever."

His hands slid down from her wrists, tracing the lines of her arms before settling on her waist, pulling her hips up to meet his.

A sharp gasp tore from her lips.

The rhythm between them grew more desperate.

He could feel her body tightening beneath him. Her back arched. Her eyes went wide. Her breath hitched in short bursts.

He knew she was close.

"Stay with me." His voice was rough and commanding. He picked up the pace. "Look at me. Don’t you dare close your eyes."

She helplessly obeyed his commands, her breathing growing erratic.

His teeth grazed her shoulder, drawing out another muffled cry from her mouth. He drove himself forward frantically, his whole body tensing as he felt her release.

"Uh...umm..." She tethered beneath him.

"I’ve got you." He held her through it, gripping her hips firmly as the waves of pleasure rolled through her.

His own control snapped shortly after. A low, guttural sound escaped deep from his throat as he finally broke, his body shuddering with the force of it.

He buried his face against the crook of her neck, his heart hammering against his chest.

Soren didn’t pull back. He stayed draped over her. He kissed her forehead, slow and lingering.

He lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers in the dim light.

"I won’t force you to resign. If you want to work there, I won’t stop you. But don’t ever say that you will leave me."

Elowen’s lips formed a pout. "I never intended to leave you in the first place. You brought up the divorce, remember? You were the one who hated to be around me. It was you who felt obligated to be with me. Don’t blame me now."

She turned her face aside.

Soren squeezed her cheeks between his thumb and index, forcing her to look back at him.

"Don’t look away from me."

When her gaze met his, his expression softened with something close to guilt.

"I thought this marriage was a trap," he said quietly. "I convinced myself that ending it was the only thing I wanted."

His admission sounded painful.

"I didn’t know how to be a husband or a father. I only cared about my freedom. But it was late when I finally realized what you meant for me, how much you mattered to me."

The horrifying truth of his previous life still haunted him.

"It’s not too late. I still have a chance to make things right."

His face softened to something steadier as he brushed a strand of her hair from her forehead.

"I almost lost you. But not again. I’m not letting you leave me, not in this life, never."

Slowly, he shifted, rolling to the side, but not letting her go. He pulled her against his chest, his arms around her waist, his chin resting atop her head.

"At the end of the three months, you will say you won’t leave me. This is a promise to you, to myself." He kissed her bare shoulder. "Get some sleep."

His confidence left her momentarily stunned. She still didn’t know what her final decision would be. Maybe she would choose to stay with him. Or maybe, when the three months were over, she would walk away.

She wasn’t ready to make that choice yet.

But right now, nestled in his arms, she felt a sense of wholeness she had not experienced in years. For the first time in a long while, she felt she had finally returned home after wandering for far too long.

A warm smile tugged at her lips.

For tonight, she allowed herself to forget her doubts and enjoy the comfort of his embrace.