Chapter 0041 Chapter 0041 With that, Noah extricated himself from my arms and turned on his heelâstalking off into the crowd without another word or backward glance.
The song hadnât even ended.
+25 BONUS Hours later, long after the guests had gone home and the servants had cleared the ballroom, I paced the bathroom connected to my private chambers like a caged lioness.
Every few moments, my fingers would drift to the soft silk robe draped over my nude form, toying with it as I considered... and dismissed the notion of leaving it open.
With a huff, I whirled to face the mirror againâexamining my reflection with a critical eye. Loose waves of hair tumbled freely over my shoulders, rich and glossy from the indulgent bath oils I had lathered in my hair. The whole room smelled like lavender and sage, a dizzying, heady combination.
Noah should have been here by now. He had told me he would stop by my chambers before he left for the night, but....
Goddess, why was I anticipating his arrival like a lovesick schoolgirl? I wasnât in love with him anymore- and hadnât been for a long timeâand it wasnât even our intimacy night.
Suddenly, a sharp rap against the bedroom door made me start, my gaze swinging to fix on the omate wood. Noah.
Drawing a steadying breath, I pasted on my most sultry smileâthe one that always made Noahâs pupils go wide. Then, with a little extra sway in my hips, I drifted towards the door and pulled it open a crack.
Noah stepped into the room without so much as a âhelloâ, his demeanor all business. I sighed, shutting the door behind him, and turned to find him now standing in the middle of the bedroom.
1-â he began, but his voice trailed off. His eyes dropped lower, down toward my robe, | followed his gaze, and instantly felt all of my blood rush to my face. At some point during my rush to open the door, my robe had fallen open after allârevealing one round, milky white breast. They were starting to get just a little bit bigger already, although whether it was from the pregnancy or eating more lately, I couldnât quite tell.
I held my breath for a moment, watching the rhythmic bob of Noahâs throat as he swallowed hard- forcing his stare upwards to meet mine again, his jaw clenched hard enough to shatter stone.
For a long moment, tense silence stretched between us. Then, finally, I slowly lifted my hand and pulled the robe closed. I made sure to let my finger trail lazily across my hard nipple on the way.
Once I was decent again, Noah ground out in a strained rasp, âWe need to talk. About the necklace.â
I quirked a brow at him, my lips curving upwards in a sultry smirk. âI know. You mentioned it earlier. Go on.â I sauntered over to the settee and sat down, leaning back on my palms and crossing my legs. The robe fell open around my thighs.
Noah wet his lips, his gaze flickering tellingly over my parted robe again as he visibly steeled himself. You were right earlier, there was... an ulterior motive behind my gift. I want something from you.â
Chapter 0041 +25 BONUS My heart stuttered in my chest, my pulse kicking up ever so slightly. He wanted something from me? I couldnât deny it; being here with him now, in the Intimacy of our bedroom where we had spent one night every month making passionate loveâif one could even call it lovemakingâpart of me did secretly wonder if what he wanted from me was... well, me.
Angling my body further, I let the robe slip even more open. Noahâs eyes raked upwards where the robe nearly exposed my hip bone, but then he quickly snapped his gaze away and turned to face the window instead.
âAnd what do you want?â I finally asked with a sigh, realizing that the moment was overâand that it had indeed been brief.
Noah cleared his throat, staring out the window for a moment before turning once again to face me. This time, the redness in his face had dissipated and his eyes had taken on that businesslike quality once again.
âI want you to call off the divorce.â
Chapter 0042