Valerie finally turned her head slightly, just enough for Demian to see the faint curve of a smile at the corner of her lips.
"Of course they recognize you," she said calmly. "You’re their father. From the very beginning."
The words settled into Demian like sothing both warm and unfamiliar. A strange sensation stirred in his chest not the urge to possess, nor a spike of anxiety, but a pure, honest happiness that nearly startled him with its simplicity.
Without thinking, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Valerie’s neck. There was no haste, no demand just a single touch filled with aning.
"Valerie," he said softly, his breath warm against her skin, "I feel much more alive now."
She lifted an eyebrow slightly, a hint of caution mixed with familiarity in her voice. "What do you an?"
Demian smiled a small smile, one he rarely showed anyone. "I want us to be close again," he said honestly. "Not out of habit. But because I want to feel you... and rember why I need to change."
Valerie did not answer right away. She looked at him for a long mont, as if weighing his words, then drew a quiet breath. Her hand remained on her belly, as though guarding the small life moving within.
"Valerie, let’s make love again."
That night was not filled with grand words or empty promises. Only a warm silence, shared breaths in close proximity, and an unspoken decision that whatever ca after this, they would no longer walk forward with their eyes closed.
That morning, Valerie woke with her body feeling heavy, as though every muscle carried its own mory of the night before. It was an honest kind of exhaustion not painful, but the sort that reminded her she was still alive, still desired, still chosen. She lay still for a mont, staring at the ceiling, then smiled faintly without realizing it.
"Energized," she murmured under her breath, half-mocking, half-resigned. That word spoken by Demian the night before had turned out to have lingering consequences.
Her hand moved to her belly, a touch that had beco instinctive. There was calm there. She took a slow breath, then rose carefully when a servant ca to ask about breakfast. Valerie didn’t hesitate. "I want roasted bird at," she said with certainty. Her body knew what it needed, and today she had no intention of denying it.
It wasn’t long before the aroma of roasted at filled the room.
When Demian returned from his morning training, his steps slowed at the doorway. Sweat had not yet fully dried, his breathing was still steady and strong but his gaze was drawn to Valerie. There was a light in her face he hadn’t seen yesterday. Fresh. Alive. As if the fatigue in her body only sharpened her resolve.
Valerie looked up. Their eyes t no words, no exaggerated gestures. A single second was enough for sothing to pass from Demian to Valerie, then back again. They shared a small smile, one born of an understanding that needed no explanation.
Valerie stood. Her steps were calm, confident. She approached him, lifted her hand, and tugged at the collar of Demian’s clothing not forcefully, but with an intimacy that felt familiar. The kiss she gave him was brief, yet deliberate. The room fell quiet; the servants exchanged glances, then quietly withdrew one by one, leaving the two of them in a small bubble made only of breath and heartbeats.
When Valerie pulled back slightly, her voice was low but clear. "Co," she said. "I really want you right now."
Demian looked at her not with reckless hunger, but with sothing deeper: surprise laced with happiness. "I should take a bath first," he said, more out of habit than necessity.
Valerie shook her head, her fingers still gripping his collar. "No. Now. And you don’t need to bathe." There was a soft laugh at the end of her words, a tone that said I choose you right now, exactly as you are.
Demian chuckled softly, surrendering in a way that felt good. Without waiting any longer, he scooped Valerie up with ease. She gave a small gasp of surprise, then laughed, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck a natural movent that showed how accustod they were to reading each other’s bodies.
As Demian carried her toward the bedroom, his face drew closer to hers. "You know," he said quietly, "you make forget the world."
Valerie t his gaze from so close, her eyes gentle yet brave. "And you," she replied, "finally make want to stay."
The bedroom door closed behind them. What happened after did not need to be announced to the world. It was enough for the two of them to know that beneath all the exhaustion, rules, and fears, there was a chemistry born not only of desire, but of a choice they both made that morning.
That day passed without truly moving forward.
The bedroom curtains remained drawn, letting in only thin slivers of light through the fabric, making ti feel suspended. They did not go out at all not to walk, not to greet anyone. Even when altis arrived, Demian rely ordered everything brought to the room and more often than not, the food was left to cool, barely touched.
Demian began to sense that sothing was different. Not discomfort, not resistance but a quiet, genuine curiosity. Valerie showed no sign of wanting to stop, as though this closeness had beco the safest place for her now.
When Valerie leaned against him again, Demian finally asked, his voice low and careful,
"Valerie... don’t you get bored?"
Valerie lifted her face, her brows knitting slightly. "Bored?" she echoed, as if the word were unfamiliar. She shook her head slowly. "No."
Then, more softly but with a sharp edge beneath it, she asked in return,"Why would you ask that? Does that an... you’re bored of ?"
Demian shook his head imdiately, his hand moving on instinct, keeping her close. "Of course not," he answered without hesitation.
Valerie studied him for a long mont, searching his face for any opening. "Then why?" she asked.
Demian smiled a small smile, far more honest than the one he showed the world. He dipped his head slightly, leaning closer, his voice nearly a whisper.
"Because what I enjoy right now," he said quietly, "is having you beneath , being this close... and seeing your beautiful face when you want so badly."
Reviews
All reviews (0)