Chapter 56 The Morning Argument
Isabella’s POV
A few months had passed since everything between us became… real.
Official.
And somehow, instead of the chaos I expected from a man like Alexander Kingsley, life had settled into something almost… peaceful.
He took care of me.
Not in a suffocating way.
Well—sometimes in a suffocating way.
But mostly in ways that were unexpectedly sweet.
He remembered things I said once and never mentioned again.
He showed up with coffee before my early classes.
He made sure I ate when I got too busy studying.
And he still got irrationally annoyed every time I refused to let him drive me to school.
Which is exactly why he was currently glaring at me from the other side of the bed.
The morning light filtered softly through the tall windows of his bedroom. The sheets were still tangled around us, and neither of us had made any real effort to get up yet.
Alexander lay on his side, propped up on one elbow, watching me with that stubborn expression I had come to recognize very well.
“You’re doing it again,” I said.
“Doing what?”
“That face.”
“What face?”
“The ‘I’m mad but trying to pretend I’m not’ face.”
“I’m not pretending.”
I sighed and rolled onto my back.
“Alexander…”
“What?”
“It’s just the bus.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“That’s not the point.”
“It is the point.”
“It’s not.”
I turned my head and looked at him.
“You’re being dramatic.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“I’m being practical.”
“You’re being a control freak.”
He opened his mouth to argue, then stopped himself.
Which only made me more suspicious.
I pushed myself up slightly, resting on my elbow so I could see his face better.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “What’s really bothering you?”
He looked at me for a long moment.
And something in his expression shifted.
The irritation faded, replaced with something quieter.
Something more vulnerable.
He looked down at the blanket for a second, then back at me.
“I care about you,” he said.
The words came out softer than I expected.
“A lot.”
He looked almost… uncomfortable saying it.
Alexander Kingsley—billionaire, feared businessman, man who terrified entire boardrooms—looked slightly nervous.
And it was oddly adorable.
“I know you care about me,” I said gently.
“No,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “You don’t understand.”
He met my eyes again.
“I care about you a lot.”
There was a weight behind the words that made my chest tighten.
“I wouldn’t know what to do if anything happened to you.”
My expression softened.
“Alexander—”
“And I have enemies,” he continued quietly. “More than you realize.”
He reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from my face.
“I just… feel better knowing you’re safe.”
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then I sighed.
“You’re really worried, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Like… really worried.”
“Yes.”
I studied his face for a moment.
The tension there.
The quiet fear he was trying to hide.
“Okay,” I said finally.
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Okay?”
“You can drop me off today.”
His entire expression changed.
“Really?”
“And pick me up.”
He stared at me like I had just handed him the keys to the universe.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
The smile that spread across his face was immediate.
And honestly a little boyish.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He leaned down and kissed me.
Soft at first.
Then again.
And again.
And suddenly that quiet morning conversation turned into something very different.
His hands slid around my waist, pulling me closer.
“Alexander,” I murmured.
“Yes?”
“We’re supposed to leave soon.”
“Mmm.”
“That’s not agreement.”
He kissed my neck.
“I’ll drive faster.”
I laughed.
“You’re ridiculous.”
His mouth found mine again, deeper this time, hungrier, like the small surrender I’d just given him had unlocked something he’d been holding back for months.
“You have no idea what it does to me,” he murmured against my lips, voice low and rough, “when you finally let me take care of you.”
I smiled into the kiss. “I’m starting to get an idea.”
He pulled back just enough to look at me, eyes dark and burning. “You’re so fucking stubborn, baby. Makes me want to tie you to this bed and remind you every single day who you belong to.”
Heat rushed through me at the words—possessive, filthy, delivered in that velvet growl he only used when we were like this.
“Keep talking like that,” I whispered, “and we’re definitely going to be late.”
His hand slid down my side, fingers curling around my hip, possessive.
He kissed his way down my throat, slow, deliberate, teeth grazing just enough to make me arch. When he reached my breasts he paused, looking up at me with that wicked half-smile.
“Spread your legs for me, sweetheart.”
My breath hitched. I did.
He settled between my thighs like he belonged there—because he did—and pressed a soft, open-mouthed kiss to the inside of my leg, then another, working his way higher until I was trembling.
“Look at you,” he rasped, voice thick with want. “Already so wet for me. You love it when I talk dirty, don’t you? Love knowing how fucking obsessed I am with this pretty little pussy.”
“Alexander—”
“Shh.” He dragged his tongue along me in one long, slow stroke. “Let me taste how much you need me.”
Then his mouth was on me.
No teasing. No hesitation. Just deep, hungry licks, circling my clit with the flat of his tongue before sucking gently, then harder, until my hips were lifting off the bed and my fingers were knotted in his hair.
He groaned against me like I was the best thing he’d ever tasted.
“So fucking sweet,” he muttered between licks. “Come on my tongue, baby. Let me feel you fall apart.”
I did—shattering with a choked cry, thighs shaking around his head while he held me down and licked me through every pulse until I was whimpering, oversensitive and boneless.
He crawled back up my body, kissing every inch of skin he passed, until his mouth was on mine again. I could taste myself on his lips, and it only made me want him more.
He reached between us, guiding himself to my entrance, but he didn’t push in right away. Instead he rubbed the head of his cock through my wetness, slow, torturous circles over my still-throbbing clit.
“Tell me you want it,” he whispered.
“I want it,” I breathed. “Please.”
He pushed in then—slow. So slow. Inch by inch, letting me feel every thick slide until he was buried to the hilt and we both groaned.
“Fuck,” he hissed against my neck. “You feel so good. So perfect.”
He started moving—long, deep, unhurried strokes that made my toes curl. Not frantic. Not rough. Just… deliberate. Like he wanted to savor every second of being inside me.
His forehead pressed to mine, eyes locked on mine, breath ragged.
“You’re mine,” he said quietly, voice rough with emotion now instead of lust. “You know that, right?”
I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.
He kissed me again, softer this time, hips still rolling in that slow, grinding rhythm that was driving me insane.
“I love you.”
The words slipped out like they’d been waiting forever.
My eyes flew open. My whole body stilled beneath him.
He didn’t stop moving, but his gaze never left mine.
“I love you,” he repeated, quieter, almost reverent. “I’ve loved you for a very long time.”
I stared up at him, heart slamming against my ribs.
“Are you… sure?” The question came out small, shaky.
He gave a soft, breathless laugh, still buried deep inside me.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“But—”
“I was just too fucking scared to say it before.”
His hand cupped my face, thumb brushing my cheek.
“I didn’t want to scare you off. Didn’t want to ruin what we had by moving too fast. But I don’t care anymore. I love you. I’m in love with you. And you’re mine. You belong to me—forever. Whether you say it back today or never say it at all, that doesn’t change how I feel.”
Tears pricked my eyes. I didn’t even know why.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he murmured, kissing the corner of my mouth. “I’m not expecting it. I just needed you to know. That’s all.”
He started moving again—slow, tender, every thrust like a promise.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer until there was no space left between us.
“Alexander…”
He kissed me quiet.
“I know, baby,” he whispered against my lips. “I know.”
And then he made love to me like he was trying to prove every word—slow, deep, completely devoted—until we both came undone together, trembling, clinging, hearts racing in perfect sync