Zara twisted her wrist, trying to break free, but the more she fought, the more his grip tightened. Her eyes flashed up at him in defiance.
"Let go of ," she demanded fiercely. "If you can’t answer, you have no right to stop ."
"Zara, you are not a child," Nathaniel snapped, losing his composure. "I won’t choose between you—I choose both of you." His hands shot up again to cup her face. "How can you even think otherwise? You are both important to . I won’t let either of you be hurt. That’s a promise."
She pushed his hands away. "I don’t need your promise," she muttered coldly, turning to leave.
But he wasn’t backing down. He caught her again, pulling her closer, his fingers firm under her chin until she was forced to et his gaze. "I an it," he said with conviction. "If it ever ca to choosing, I wouldn’t leave you behind. Trust ."
Her eyes searched his, hunting for any flicker of deceit. Instead, she found raw desperation and sothing else. Perhaps worry. Fear of losing her. She couldn’t be certain, but she could tell he was serious, and he ant every word.
"Don’t compare yourself to anyone," he murmured, lowering his head. His lips hovered inches from hers, his breath warm and unsteady, sending a shiver through her. "You are you... unique. Bold. Beautiful."
Zara’s pulse quickened, her stomach fluttering in chaotic waves. It amazed her and frustrated her at the sa ti. How easily he could stir every nerve in her body, just with the nearness of his breath and a handful of tender words.
She told herself to push him back, to set a boundary, yet when he leaned in closer, she didn’t move. She let him kiss her.
"Mm..." A soft moan escaped her lips as her eyes slid shut. His mouth on hers wasn’t demanding like before; there was no edge of hunger, no rush. Instead, his kiss was slow, gentle enough to soothe, deep enough to drown in.
The anger, the hurt, the disillusionnt—all of it slipped away until there was nothing but the mont, the warmth, and him.
When he finally drew back, his eyes glead with a trace of mischief. "Feeling better now? Or should I keep going?" The slight curve at his lips made her cheeks flush with heat.
’He kissed just to tease,’ she thought, flustered.
Her expression hardened the next minute, a steel edge returning to her gaze. "Don’t think I won’t walk away. If you ever choose her over again, I’ll leave without a word."
"That will never happen," he said confidently. Then his mouth was on hers again, this ti with a fierce, claiming urgency.
Zara tried to pull away at first, but his hold only tightened as he deepened the kiss. At last, she surrendered, returning the kiss, her hands clutching his shirt over his chest.
~~~~~~~~~
The next morning...
When Zara woke up, she found Nathaniel’s face just inches from hers. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and even, his features softened in sleep. He looked impossibly serene, handso in a way that made her chest tighten.
She stayed still, unable to look away. Her gaze traced the lines of his face before lingering on his slightly parted lips—the sa lips that had claid hers the night before, stealing her breath and making her knees go weak.
The mory sent a warm flush up her cheeks. She reached out, letting her fingertip glide lightly down his sharp nose, careful not to wake him.
She wanted to hold onto this mont, to watch him, feel him, morize him. She knew she might never truly have his heart. Maybe in a year, he would tire of her and decide to let her go. She couldn’t predict the future of their marriage, but she could treasure the present.
Monts like this would remain in her heart for the rest of her life.
’You have disappointed so deeply, Nathaniel,’ she thought. ’You have hurt . And yet... I still can’t stop loving you.’
Zara’s fingertip stilled against his lips, her gaze locked there. They were full, soft, far too inviting—and before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned in, drawn by the pull of wanting to feel them on hers again.
But just as she closed the distance, his eyes snapped open.
She froze, caught mid-motion, her gaze jerking up to et his. Heat flooded her cheeks, and she pressed her lips into a thin line, mortified.
"Why did you stop?" His smirk was infuriating.
"What? I wasn’t doing anything." The denial ca quickly, but the color in her cheeks betrayed her. She shifted, trying to slip out of bed, but his hand shot out, catching her arm and pulling her back against him.
"You were about to kiss , weren’t you?" His tone was teasing, eyes glinting with mischief. "Why did you stop?"
Her blush deepened to a crimson glow. Could he have known?
She had been sure he was asleep. Was he faking it, fully aware of her every move? This thought deepened her embarrassnt.
But she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction.
"Don’t flatter yourself," she shot back with defiance. "You are not tempting enough to make want to kiss you." She pushed at his chest, trying to create distance.
He caught her wrists. In one swift movent, he rolled, pinning her beneath him, her hands trapped above her head.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, writhing in protest.
"Shh..." His voice dropped low, the warmth of his breath brushing her ear. "Then tell —how can I make myself tempting to you?"
"Don’t waste your breath," she replied coldly. "It’s useless. I’ll never be tempted by you."
Zara twisted beneath him with renewed force, determined to break free, but his strength easily overpowered hers. Every attempt she made, he countered without effort, keeping her pinned in place.
"Let’s see how honest you really are," he murmured, and then his lips descended to her neck in a searing kiss.
She went utterly still, a shiver racing through her as if every nerve had been lit afla. Nathaniel didn’t pause. He slid her sleeve down, exposing her shoulder, and pressed another kiss to the warm skin there.
Her hands fisted in the bedspread, a soft sigh slipping past her lips despite her will. Her body trembled beneath him, betraying the ache that words could never admit.
"You see," he breathed against her skin, "your body tells the truth, even when your mouth doesn’t."
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