Chapter 13 Ungrateful #2
Mia’s voice was firm, immediate. “Never,” she said, her eyes locked on his. “Mr. Graves, that night, the only reason I acted the way I did was to repay a debt I owed him for saving my father. I owed him a life and that night, at the club, I returned it by saving his from the kidnappers.”
She drew a steadying breath, her tone resolute. “So now, I am completely free of him and his favor. I don’t owe him—or his family—anything. Whatever I’ve done… it is more than enough to repay him for saving my dad back then.”
Alexander’s lips twitched with a faint smile but inside, his chest was roaring with a fierce, uncontrollable happiness.
His hand wrapped around Mia’s waist, tightening, pulling her closer until their bodies were pressed together as if he needed to feel every breath she took.
Still, he kept his expression serious as he looked into her eyes.
“I still do not approve of you putting your life in danger for that man,” he said, each word edged with steel. “Or anyone else. Even me.”
His jaw flexed, a shadow crossing his expression as he added,“The next time I find out you’ve put your life in danger for anyone,” he leaned closer, his forehead touching hers, “you will be punished for it.”
Mia shivered in his arms. “Mr. Graves, don’t make me promise something like that,” she whispered. “I don’t know what will happen in the future.”
“Yes,” Alexander said firmly. “I know you don’t know. And neither do I.” His thumb brushed slow circles on her waist “That’s exactly why I want this promise. No matter what happens, Mia… you will not risk your life for anyone. Because I want my wife with me for a lifetime.”
His arms tightened again—possessive, fearful, desperate. His gaze traveled over her face, lingering on her lips, her eyes, her trembling breath.
“My wife,” he said quietly, “will never put her life in danger. Because I cannot live without her. If something happened to you…” His voice cracked for a fraction of a second. “How am I supposed to live without you?”
He leaned in, his lips brushing hers lightly as he whispered the next words, “And what will happen to our children?”
Mia jerked back slightly, her eyes widening. “Our children?”
“Yes. Mine and yours. Our children. I think three would be enough,” he said without a hint of hesitation. He tilted his head slightly, watching her with a soft, focused intensity. “I don’t want to stress you too much.”
His hand rose to cup her face, thumb brushing her cheek. “You don’t want to?” he asked gently, voice warm and coaxing.
Startled, her lips parted. “I… I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m scared.”
“Then we won’t,” Alexander said instantly. No hesitation. No disappointment.
He pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth—slow, reassuring—before pulling back and murmuring, “We will do whatever Mia wants. As long as you want something, you will have it.”
Mia’s entire body softened. Her breath rushed out in one relieved exhale, as if a weight had vanished from her chest. Her eyes glowed with a fragile happiness.
“So… if I don’t want to have children… then I don’t have to?”
“As long as you want it from me, it’s yours,” he murmured. “Even if you wanted me dead, I’d die.” A tiny, proud smile twitched at his lips — like he genuinely thought this was romantic.
Mia started to giggle. “Why do you say things like that? You sound unhinged.”
Seeing her reaction, a grin appeared on Alexander’s lips. He slid his hand to the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair as he slowly pulled her closer. Then the smile faded from his lips, his eyes darkening with a deeper, tender emotion.
“Call me Alexander,” he murmured.
Mia stiffened slightly at his words.
She lowered her gaze. “Mr. Graves, don’t ask me for that right now.”
Alexander’s fingers tightened around her neck—not harsh, but firm enough that she felt his desperation. “Just once,” he murmured, voice rough and pleading. “Just once… please.”
Mia’s lips parted, but no sound came out. She stared at him, face flushed, breath trembling, heart thudding so loud she wondered if he could hear it.
Alexander’s gaze roamed all over her face, slow and hungry, before he exhaled, “It’s alright. I will have patience for my wife.”
Mia shivered instantly—her whole body tightening when he said my wife in that deep, soft, unbearably intense voice. It rolled through her, straight to her spine.
“Mr. Graves…” she protested weakly, her voice barely a breath. “Don’t call me that.”
Alexander looked at her again—slowly—his dark eyes locking onto hers.
“I shouldn’t call you my wife?” His voice dropped, low and dangerous. “You are my wife. What else should I call you?” His gaze sharpened. “You don’t want to be my wife anymore, Mia?”
“No!” she answered immediately, panicked. “That’s not what I meant. I just—I don’t want to leave you. But… we haven’t officially become husband and wife yet. We haven’t had a wedding yet.”
He leaned in, crowding her space, his hand sliding from her waist down to her hip. His fingers tightened, gripping her, and in one sharp pull he dragged her down onto him so she was sitting directly on the hard, throbbing length straining against him.
Mia stiffened, a quiet gasp falling from her lips as heat punched through her.
“Mrs. Graves,” he murmured, his mouth brushing her cheek, his breath hot against her skin. “Is this your way of telling me…”
His grip tightened on her hips, forcing her closer, locking her to him.
“…that you think I haven’t been fulfilling my husband duties to you all these months?”
Mia froze, stunned, breath trapped somewhere between her lungs and her throat.
But he wasn’t waiting for an answer.
Alexander moved.
His hands slid from her hips to the back of her thighs, fingers spreading, gripping and in one fluid, overpowering motion, he shifted his weight and flipped their positions completely.
One second she was straddling him…
The next—
Her back hit the couch cushions with a soft thud, air rushing out of her as he came over her, caging her beneath the solid heat of his body.
His palms planted on either side of her head, the muscles in his arms flexing as he hovered above her, staring down like she belonged nowhere else but right there. Beneath him, breathless and his.
His lips descended to her neck before she could even think.
He kissed her roughly—open-mouthed, hungry—then bit down just enough to drag a sharp gasp from her throat. Her fingers pushed weakly at his shoulder, trembling with panic, desire—everything.
He caught her hand instantly, his grip tight.
Before she could pull away, his other hand dropped to his belt.
Leather slid free in one swift, clean motion, a soft whisper through the loops. The sound made her eyes widen, breath stalling.
In seconds, her wrists were gathered, lifted, and bound, his belt wrapping around them as his fingers tightened the knot with a calmness that was far too controlled for the storm burning in his eyes.
“Now that Mrs. Graves has learned to hide things from me,” he said slowly, his voice dark, steady, terrifyingly calm, “it’s my duty to remind her how important it is to be completely transparent with her husband… especially when the matter is life and death.”
Her heartbeat spiked.
“Mr. Graves—you just said it’s over—and you—”
His hand snapped up, gripping her jaw, firm and commanding, cutting her off instantly.
Alexander’s gaze dropped to her lips, then locked onto her eyes, burning straight through her.
Then he pushed her down fully, guiding her back into the couch. Mia sank into the cushions, trapped beneath his weight. One of his knees pressed into the couch beside her hip, the other foot planted on the floor, his entire form towering over her, blocking out everything but him.
“Mr. Graves…” she whispered, her voice tight with nerves. “We’ve been in your office for too long. Everyone is going to think—”
Alexander ignored her words entirely, letting the words die on her lips.
His hands moved, unbuttoning her shirt, exposing the curve of her chest. His fingers skimmed over her skin, brushing, teasing, testing. “Am I making you feel tense?” he murmured, low, husky, his voice dripping with heat.
Mia’s eyes darted from his face to her exposed skin, her breaths shallow, fast, ragged.
He leaned closer, nose brushing neck lightly, and whispered, “Then I’ll pleasure you more. Soon you won’t worry about anyone but yourself anymore.”
Before she could answer—or even catch her breath—his mouth descended on her chest. His lips moved over her skin with rough, demanding strokes that made her tremble. “Ahhh…”
Every press of his mouth, every tug of his lips, every heated drag of his tongue left her breathless, trembling, utterly undone.
“Mhmmm…” Her head fell back into the couch, wrists trembling against the belt that held her. Her legs clenched instinctively, unable to stop the tremor of want and need that coursed through her.
“Hah…” A soft, helpless sound slipped from her throat, swallowed immediately by his insistent tongue.
And then, when he captured her underneath him, not letting her move at all while he ate every inch of her body to satisfy himself, he really did make her forget worrying about anyone else but her own self.
***
Mia was sitting directly on Alexander’s lap, her thighs pressed against his as he held her close. They were still breathing each other’s air, looking into each other’s eyes, when a sudden knock echoed through the office door.
Alexander’s jaw tightened. His eyes flicked toward the door—cold, annoyed—and then he ignored it completely.
Another knock. Louder this time.
Mia glanced at him anxiously. “Maybe we should open the door, Mr. Graves.”
Alexander tightened his arm around her waist immediately, pinning her against him and not letting her move an inch.
“There is no need,” he muttered in a low, irritated growl. “They can wait a few fucking hours,” he muttered and leaned in to kiss her again.
But the knock came again—more urgent.