Chapter Twenty-two
KONFLICT KORVEN
The sun was already up when I headed straight to the kitchen to make breakfast for my wife.
I made sure the tray had everything she needed: eggs, bread, juice, fruit, no alcohol.
I know she’s pregnant, even if she hasn’t told me yet, but I’m not pressuring her.
I don’t want her thinking my efforts are just because she’s pregnant.
I want her to love me again for who I am to her, and only her.
“Come in,” she said as I knocked on her door.”
I opened the door and stepped inside, tray in hand. Serenity had pushed herself up in bed, and damn, she was as beautiful as ever. Her eyes went wide when she saw the tray.
“You’re bringing me breakfast in bed?”
I smiled, walked over, and set the tray across her lap.
“Eggs royale for the lady. Bon appétit,” I said.
“You’re giving me five-star hotel treatment, Konflict?”
“Anything for you beautiful.” I bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yep. Usually, it’s hard for me to sleep in a new place. I need time to adjust. But this time, I don’t even know when I fell asleep.”
“That’s because I put you to bed myself. And I did it without even using my dick. Soon I’ll dick you down and make you sleep ‘til noon.”
“Arrogant ass.”
“Nah, just facts. You gonna eat?”
She nodded and stabbed her fork into her eggs.
“This is really good,” she said after her first bite.
“That’s a step up from ‘meh.’ Looks like I’m on the right track,” I reminded her of the comment she’d made yesterday.
I knew the food was more than just passable. Her eyes had given her away, but she was too pissed to compliment me then.
“I didn’t know you liked compliments so much. Are you really gonna make me say the lobster was excellent?”
I picked up a pastry and held it to her lips. “Who doesn’t like a little ego stroke, especially when it’s true and comes from someone precious?”
“Well, okay. Your lobster was excellent, Konflict. I was a bitch yesterday.”
“Thanks,” I said, chuckling. “Now finish your breakfast. Don’t be a brat and let all my efforts to win your heart through your stomach go to waste.”
“Boy, give me a break!”
I leaned close to her ear and spoke low. “Just because your pussy hasn’t been stretched by my dick in weeks, you forgot I’m no boy? You know I’m big daddy, right baby?”
She shivered at my words, and I couldn’t help but smile. Yeah, I’d promised to wait until she gave me her heart before I fucked her, but if she needed a little reminder now and then, I didn’t mind.
“I’ll let you eat. I have business to handle.”
“Oh, okay. I’ve got work too. I’ll call Valery to check on a few files.”
“Alright. And if you need your laptop, Valery already sent it.”
“Perfect.”
“See you later, baby.”
I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving the room.
I settled in the living room with my laptop. Serenity joined me, and we both worked for most of the morning.
When noon hit, I went to the kitchen to fix lunch.
“What are you cooking?” she asked.
“Dos de cabillaud nacré, beurre blanc monté au vin blanc, écrasé de céleri-rave et légumes croquants,” I said in French.
“Okay, and in human language, what’s that mean?”
I chuckled. “It’s pan-fried fish with a butter and white wine sauce.”
“Okay. It sounds nice and really gourmet. Can you teach me how to cook it your way, star chef from Paris?”
I laughed again. “Come here.”
She came over and I tied an apron around her waist, taking my time to fasten the top strap behind her neck. My fingers grazed her skin, raising goosebumps. I leaned in close to her ear. The sweet perfume she wore radiated off her skin and hit my senses hard.
“You good?” I whispered, but my baby was too breathless to answer.
I closed my eyes, got even closer, breathed her in, then pressed the softest kiss to her neck. God, I wanted this woman. Wanted her so bad it was torture. But I didn’t want to rush. Her heart was what I wanted most.
“We’ll start by peeling and cooking the celeriac, then we’ll mash it with butter, salt, and pepper.”
I showed her each step and she followed perfectly, focused on repeating every move with care.
“You learned all this from your mom?” she asked.
“Well, at first yeah. But after that I spent six months apprenticing with a French chef in Paris,” I said, helping her with the veggies.
“That’s why you speak French so well?”
“Yup. You think I sound good? Considering most of the French words I say to you are…”
I pressed her gently against the kitchen island, trapping her between my body and the counter. My head dropped to her ear, and in a low, deep voice I reminded her of all the things I used to whisper when I made love to her.
“Donne-moi ma fontaine de jouissance, bébé. Tu es tellement belle. Tu aimes quand je te baise comme ca? Je veux que cette chatte gicle pour moi.” I pushed my hips closer so she could feel exactly how hard I was for her.
“Konflict…” she moaned.
“You know those words, don’t you? You know exactly what I want when I ask for that fontaine de jouissance, don’t you?”
“Fuck… we’re cooking.”
“Guess my dick wants to cook that pussy too, huh? But we have to wait until you love me. So I’m going to step away from this juicy ass before my dick finds its way home.”
I stepped back so we could both breathe again.
Serenity quickly got to work on her task, and I did the same.
The rest of our time cooking was all laughter and easy conversation.
Serenity kept asking me questions, and I asked her just as many.
In just two days, I felt like I knew her better than I had in a whole year of marriage.
Every time she opened up, I fell for her a little more. This woman was addictive.
When lunch was ready, we ate together, then settled into the lounge for a movie. But only a few minutes in, I got an urgent call from Krash. I kissed my wife’s forehead and stepped outside to take the call.
“What’s up?”
“Konflict, something’s off with Marquette. I’m not sure yet, but things aren’t adding up.”
“You found something?”
“Just a lead I need to confirm. It’s delicate, so I want to be sure before I say more. But know I’ve got big doubts.”
“You think he lied to us? About Serenity’s poisoning?”
“No, not on that. He really did his investigations, and I double-checked his findings. Nothing suggests Serenity was poisoned at that party. That actually makes me even more suspicious. I think he’s got some kind of connection with the Sawyer’s. I just need to figure out what.”
“Move fast. I need every threat to my wife gone. If someone tries to hurt her, I won’t be merciful. Especially since she’s carrying my child. I don’t play when it comes to my family.”
“I know. You holding up with her? Things better now?”
“She hasn’t shot me yet, so I guess I’m doing pretty good. Her next OB appointment is coming up. I just hope everything goes well because I can’t wait to meet my baby.”
“Good. Man, just don’t fuck it up and everything will be alright.”
“Yup. Look, I trust you, Krash. If your gut says something’s off with Marquette, dig. But be quick.”
“Got it, I’ll keep you posted,” he said before hanging up.
When I went back inside, Serenity was asleep in front of the TV. I just stood there for a moment, looking at her. She looked so damn cute when she slept, her face relaxed, lips slightly pursed, nose twitching now and then. She was beautiful.
I bent down and lifted her into my arms. No way was she sleeping on this couch, hurting her back. She stirred as I carried her to the bedroom.
“Shh, go back to sleep, baby.”
She instantly closed her eyes again. I laid her on the bed, but she grabbed onto me as I tried to settle her.
“Don’t go,” she mumbled sleepily.
“Okay, Mama,” I said, lying down beside her.
Serenity sprawled out on top of me, her head on my chest, straddling me.
I wrapped my arms around her and held her close.
Within minutes, her breathing slowed and evened out once she was asleep.
Having my woman sleep on me was the most peaceful feeling in the world.
Holding her, feeling her heartbeat, breathing in her scent, letting her warmth soak into me.
Sex didn’t even cross my mind, though my dick never missed a beat around her.
What we had in that moment was deeper. It felt like our souls were lining up, like she trusted me enough to let go completely and fall asleep in my arms. I felt as if I really was her rock, her protector.
Hell, I wanted to be all of that, for her and our kids.
I could never apologize enough for what I’d put her through, but I was ready now—for her, for us.
I’d do whatever it took to make her feel safe in my arms.
After a while, I grabbed my phone and texted the person I’d hired to set up my dream date, making sure everything would be ready on the yacht tonight.
Finally, I let myself relax. My gaze lingered on Serenity’s face as I lay there, counting her eyelashes—probably why I ended up drifting off too. I only woke when I felt her move.
She lifted her head, still sleepy, and met my eyes.
“Hey, sleeping beauty.”
“Hey...”
“Did you sleep well?”
She nodded.
“Good. If you’re rested, can I take you on a date?”
She nodded again, eyes bright. “Where are we going? How should I dress?”
“Don’t worry. Just go shower, you’ll find your outfit on the bed.”
“Okay. Why do I feel like you love picking out my dresses?”
“Because I do. Now go shower.” I gave her a playful slap on the ass.
I couldn’t help myself. I was patient but a man had to touch his wife sometimes.
Serenity got off the bed and my body cursed the distance. The moment she was in the shower, I got moving, laying out the stunning red dress I picked for her—deep neckline, thigh-high slit. I knew it would look perfect on her.