Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
REBECCA
Candles adorn the edges of the bathtub, their light flickering against the crisp white walls. The smell of lavender and rose fills my nostrils, and bubbles lazily drift across the surface.
Tobias turns to look at me, his eyes soft and warm. “Isla okay?”
“Yeah. She’s fast asleep clutching that toy rabbit you bought her last week.
” He bought it because he thought she’d like it, and he was right.
He’s always right when it comes to Isla.
Sometimes I think they’re closer than we are—two peas in a pod.
They may not share genetics, but lately, I’ve started believing in a higher power that somehow knew he was destined to be her daddy.
I reach up to take the pins out of my hair. It’s not often I find the time to put it up, but I made an effort tonight for Charles’s impromptu dinner invitation. Now I know the reason, I’m glad I did.
“Here, let me do that.” Tobias moves toward me, his touch gentle as he removes each pin. My hair falls over my shoulders, and he runs his fingers through it. “Turn around.”
I do, and he unzips my dress, letting it fall to the floor and gather around my ankles.
One hand rests on my hip, the other brushes my hair over my shoulder, freeing my skin for the kiss he places there.
Unhurried, he unhooks my bra, peels my lace thong over my thighs, and hangs them and my dress over a chair nestled in the corner of the oversized bathroom.
I pivot to face him as he begins unbuttoning his shirt. “Let me.”
He nods, dropping his arms to his sides, watching my every move as I undress him. My fingers dance over the faint dusting of hair on his chest, moving lower, lower. I cup my hand around his cock, giving him a single, sweeping tug. He groans, his forehead falling to my shoulder.
“Feels so good,” he murmurs. “I never thought I was capable of feeling like this until you, Wren… beautiful, amazing, you changed all that.” He cups my face and kisses me like we have all the time in the world.
I guess we do.
He takes my hand and helps me into the bath. The water is hot enough that I hiss as I sink down into it. Tobias climbs in behind me, his legs bracketing mine. I lean back against his chest, and he wraps his arms around my middle.
This is what true intimacy feels like. This quiet, this… closeness. It still feels new, special, precious. For a while, we don’t talk, the only sounds being the shifting water and Tobias’s breath against my shoulder. His thumb draws circles on my abdomen.
Tobias is the first to break the silence. “I submitted the final paperwork today.”
My chest hitches. Isla’s adoption. “How long?”
“He said six months or so.”
“Oh. That long. Still, it doesn’t matter. She’s yours anyway. The paperwork is only a formality.”
“I told him he had two.”
I chuckle. “And what did he say to that?”
“He huffed and puffed, then said he’d see what he could do. I told him that if he isn’t capable of pushing this through in two months, I’ll find someone who will.”
“The poor man.”
Tobias snorts. “Poor, my arse. For what he’s charging me, he’s lucky I gave him two months instead of one.”
“I imagine the process of adoption is pretty convoluted.”
“Which is why the De Vil name opens doors. If we don’t see movement in a month, I’ll call the judge and give him a little incentive to move faster.”
I shake my head, though not in despair, more in astonishment.
The power this family has is hard to wrap my head around, and that power is about to get supercharged when Saskia marries the future king of the UK and Commonwealth.
Plus, they have The Consortium influence.
I don’t think there’s a single thing this family couldn’t make happen if they had the motivation to do it.
“She called me Daddy again today.”
I hear the pride in his voice, the wonder, and I smile, recalling that same feeling when Isla first called me Mama.
After what Marcus did to her, I feared I’d never hear her call me Mama again.
Now, she not only regularly calls me that but has added Daddy to the list, too.
It’s hard to fathom sometimes how much my life has changed in less than five months.
“Do you melt every time?”
“Every time.”
“I know the feeling. It’s pretty special.”
“Yeah.” He squeezes me a little tighter and drops another kiss on my shoulder
A question bubbles to the forefront of my mind. “Can I ask you something?”
“No.” He chuckles. “Of course you can. Ask me anything. Always.”
I take a breath. “Did you mean it when you said you wanted kids of your own?”
“Yes. I’d love to give Isla brothers and sisters, but whether you carry them or we adopt is up to you.”
I twist my head to look at him. “How so?”
“Because it’s you who has to cope with the hormones and the changes to your body. You who has to give birth. That’s a big deal.”
“So, if I said I didn’t want to have more kids naturally, you’d accept that you’d never have any of your own?”
“I have one of my own. Isla. And if we adopt, they’ll be our own, too.”
Oh, my heart. I actually press a hand to my chest to hold it in, because this man… everything he says makes me all gooey inside. “You know what I mean.”
He caresses my arm with his fingertips. “And I mean what I say. You know where I stand. The choice is yours.”
“So, if I said I’d like maybe two more, that would make you happy?”
“I’m already happy. You make me happy; you and Isla. It isn’t possible to be any happier. But, yes, I would love to have babies with you. I think we’d make gorgeous babies together.”
I shift in the bath to straddle him. Let me tell you, that’s not as easy as it sounds, but I manage it without face planting into his chest. Water sloshes over the rim. Tobias catches me by my hips.
“Careful. Don’t slip.”
I press both palms to his cheeks and stare deeply into his eyes. “Let’s start now,” I whisper.
“Now? Here?”
“I mean…” I rock my hips, grazing his cock. “We could try, but if I slip, I might break my nose on the side of the bath or something.”
He chuckles, then hisses at the friction as I rock again. “We can’t have that, although it’d be a fun tale to tell the grandkids.”
“Yeah, and freak them out. ‘Do you know how your mother or father was conceived? Take a seat, kiddos.’”
“Cruelty at its finest.”
“Earned, though.”
“Indeed.” He extends his neck to reach up and kiss me. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. I want to make a baby with you and give Isla the family I always wanted for her. And for me.”
He studies me for a few seconds, his eyes flicking between mine. Then he nods once, decisive, like he’s seen what he was looking for.
“Okay,” he says softly. “But we should probably get out of this bath before one of us does actually injure ourselves.”
“Practical,” I tease.
He shifts carefully, letting me stand first while keeping hold of my hand.
I steady myself on his shoulder as I climb out.
My skin immediately cools, and I shiver.
Tobias is there instantly, swaddling me in an oversized, fluffy white bath towel.
He wraps one around his waist, then walks into the bedroom, unconcerned about the wet footprints all over the carpet.
At the foot of the bed, he turns. The heat in his eyes makes my stomach flip. I crook my finger. “Come here.”
He’s steady, unhurried as he takes two steps and bridges the gap.
I run my finger around where he’s fastened his towel, then give it a sharp tug.
I don’t hesitate before wrapping my hand around him.
Once, I was tentative, unsure, especially given his history with touch.
Now, I know the pressure he likes, the speed to go, and what I need to do to make his head tip back and a groan to rumble through his chest.
My towel unravels and slides down my body. Tobias lowers his head and runs his tongue around my nipple. I gasp as a sharp stab of lust swells in my lower abdomen.
“There.” I clasp the back of his head and grip his cock tighter, giving it another firm pull. “Right there.”
He knows exactly where to touch me to elicit the greatest pleasure. We move together so naturally now, no faltering or second-guessing each other. Considering our pasts, we’ve earned this, the freedom to be ourselves without fear.
He leans into me, steering me toward the bed. I fall first, and he follows, caging me in.
“I want you on top.” He lowers his head and kisses my breast. “Want to watch you take what you need from me.”
One quick nod from me is all he needs. He rolls over, taking me with him. I straddle him, rocking my hips against his erection. He lifts himself up a few inches and looks down.
“You’re soaking my cock. Jesus, Wren, you’re so wet for me.” His voice is pure masculine satisfaction. “So fucking good.”
I descend slowly, my eyes never leaving his. Once upon a time, I would’ve avoided eye contact and wished to be anywhere other than where I was. With Tobias, I can’t look away. This connection we have is something I will never take for granted.
Our lips brush, softly at first. He’s unhurried when he takes my mouth, his tongue sliding against mine with infinite leisure, as though he could do this for hours and never get bored.
I feel the same way.
His hands take my hips. I sit up, sinking down onto him, both of us groaning at the friction, the feeling of fullness, the intimacy we’ve built. I rise up and lower back down, rocking my pelvis to take him as deeply as I can.
“I love watching you like this. So fucking beautiful. And mine. You’re all mine.”
His words send another rush of heat to my core. I’m so slick now that I have to clench my muscles to keep him inside me. His thumb finds my clit with ease. He presses down, lightly at first, then harder, rubbing in circles.
“God.” I gasp, throwing my head back.
“Right there?”
“Yes. There. Don’t stop.” My hips undulate wildly, chasing my release.
“That’s it, Wren. Ride me. Take what you need. Use me to get off.”
Jesus. He’s going to kill me with the dirty talk. I clench, hard, knowing it drives him insane. He hisses, then lets out a groan loud enough for the kitchen staff to hear.
“Fuck. You’re playing dirty now.”
“You love it.”
“I do. I really do.”
I dig my nails into his shoulders. “Harder. Need more.”
He thrusts up to meet me, giving in to my demands. The familiar swell in my abdomen spreads outward until I’m a mass of feelings and lust and elation.
“Come, Wren. I want to feel you.”
It’s all I need to send me over the edge. “Fuck. Fu-u-ckkkk.” Everything tightens, pulses, and my thighs tremble until I can barely hold myself upright.
“Love… fuck… love you.” He groans, neck straining, lips parting. It’s the only time his eyes close, and it’s brief. When he opens them, they’re glistening. A tear slides down his cheek. “You’re my everything. You changed my life, Wren. You and Isla.”
I brush the tear away, then have to brush my own away, too. “I love you.” I bridge the gap between us and kiss him, then roll to the side before my legs cramp.
He feels around for my hand, bringing it to his chest. The sheets are damp, and I’m covered in sweat and panting like I’ve sprinted the hundred meters with the current world champion as competition.
“Just think,” I whisper, squeezing his hand in the muted light. “We might’ve made a baby tonight.”
“And if we haven’t, boy are we going to have fun trying.”
“Do you think I should elevate my hips?” I ask breathlessly. “Help your sperm on its way, so to speak.”
“I’m going to keep you in this bed so long, gravity will do its job. In fact…” He rolls on top of me, kissing his way down my body. “I think we should go again. And again. And again.”
I laugh, the sound free and unguarded—so different from the broken woman I used to be. "Purely for scientific purposes?"
"Absolutely." His lips curve against my skin. "I'm very committed to this research."
Happiness swells in my chest until I think I might burst from it. A few short months ago, I couldn't imagine letting anyone touch me without flinching. Now, I'm here, in Tobias’s arms, trying to create a life borne from the love we fought so hard to build.
We survived the darkness. We found each other in it.
And now? Now, we get to live.