Zavian reached out and gently gripped her arm between his fingers, his touch incredibly light against her battered skin. "Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?" he asked gruffly.Emmeline gave a small nod. She slowly rose to her feet with his assistance, their eyes meeting for a heated moment.She felt like she could stare into the depths of his intense gaze for an eternity without ever growing bored."Thank you, Mr. Blackthorn," came her soft murmur.Zavian's eyes roved almost hysterically over Emmeline's battered features and he gnashed his teeth so hard that his powerful jaws nearly cracked.The blinding fury coursing through his veins right now could only be sated after he made the worthless jerk who hurt her pay severely. Every protective instinct in his body was howling at him to avenge this innocent woman's pain and suffering.But damn it all to hell, he couldn't do a thing about it. As much as it killed him, he wasn't allowed to directly interfere in Emmeline's human li
Emmeline found herself being escorted back to the Blackthorn estate before she knew it.Yuna turned to face her with a sympathetic look as they entered the grand hallway. "I'm sure you haven't had anything to eat yet. The dinner table is still set if you're hungry. We could all go sit in the living room together. You're welcome to join us too, Minnie."Emmeline shook her head slowly, her battered face a mask of physical and mental exhaustion. "No, thank you Yuna. I don't have any appetite to eat a thing right now. I just...need to rest."Yuna gave her an understanding nod. "Alright then, I'll show you to the guest room you can stay in."She led the way up the sweeping staircase to the second floor, with Emmeline shuffling slowly behind her, still leaning heavily on Minnie for support."Maybe you should have reported that bastard's assault to the police, so he wouldn't dare try to pull that shit again in the future," Minnie spoke up again, sounding irritated.Emmeline's eyes went wide w
Zavian turned back to face her, his gaze burning with intensity that spelled… Danger."What's going on in your head, Mr. Blackthorn?" Emmeline exclaimed in a harsh whisper, anxious not to let her voice seep through the walls and alert anyone else to his presence here. "It's highly indecent to lock the door in someone else's house!"A look of annoyance etched across his chiseled features. "Isn't it my house?" he countered smoothly.Emmeline sighed resignedly. He truly was a master at verbal fencing, always able to turn her arguments against her with just a few precisely wielded words.Zavian approached the bed and sat down next to her, looking deep into her eyes with a penetrating gaze.Emmeline felt flustered by his overwhelming proximity."How do you feel?" he asked."My body is utterly shattered. Fortunately, my face is still visible and recognizable. It won't scare me whenever I catch a glimpse of it in the mirror." Emmeline answered with a biting sarcasm, maintaining unwavering eye
Swallowing hard, Emmeline carefully slid her feet to the cold marble floor, staring up at his striking face and waiting for his next instructions with breathless trepidation.Zavian’s eyes were dark like unfathomable pools that seemed to gaze straight through to her very soul."Strip!” he said bluntly, making no move to give her privacy.Emmeline eyes widened in shock at his brazen command. "What?" she gasped, hardly able to believe her ears.Zavian folded his arms across his chest, the fabric of his jacket pulling taut across his broad shoulders and powerful biceps. "Are you going to bathe in your clothes?" he asked, one brow arching upwards.Emmeline's mouth abruptly went bone dry, and she couldn't find any saliva to swallow past the lump that had formed in her throat. "I...I have to take off my clothes, of course," she stammered, her cheeks flushing hotly, "But why do I feel like you have no intention of leaving the bathroom anytime soon?"Zavian leaned his upper body down towards h
Emmeline let him slowly peel away her last stitch of clothing, stepping out of the scrap of lace when it pooled at her feet, leaving her completely and utterly bare before him.She stared at the wall with burning cheeks, keenly aware of her bare ass in his direct line of sight, of the most intimate parts of her body on full display."As exquisite as a Greek statue of the goddess of beauty herself," Zavian murmured in hushed appreciation. "Carved of creamy marble, begging to be worshipped and adored as the perfection you are."When he knelt down behind her, the fabric of his pants brushing against her calves, Emmeline couldn't stop the tremor of trepidation and excitement that coursed through her body."I feel so ashamed, being naked in front of you like this," she whispered, unable to meet his eyes for fear of what she might find burning in their depths. "Your staring at me, drinking in every inch of my body, only makes me more flustered and confused. Please, Zavian, stop it before I c
Zavian’s eyelids lowered slowly.“With pleasure!” he groaned.With that, his lips met hers hungrily.Their lips moved together in a dance of passion and desire, while allowing their eyes to flutter closed, surrendering to the sinful feeling that coursed through them.His hands found their way to the curve of her waist and pressed her against his painfully hard erection.The tender kiss morphed into something more heated, more passionate.The silence of the room was broken by their ragged breaths and muffled sounds of pleasure.Emmeline's hands traced patterns on his chest and Zavian pressed against her waist with equal fervor.His left hand squeezed her backside and she let out a soft groan, opening up for him further.Their lips remained locked until breathing became too difficult for Emmeline.Zavian finally broke away from the kiss and looked at her with predatory eyes that made her heart race even faster than before."Would you like me to join you in the tub?" he asked.Emmeline br
Emmeline complied eagerly, her heart pounding in her chest at the reality of their situation."What about your wife?" she asked suddenly. "What if she comes looking for you?""You just remembered I have a wife? Where was that concern a few moments ago?” Zavian’s response was laced with a hint of sarcasm.“I… I don’t know. But she could…”“She won’t,” he assured her, his fingers tracing small circles along her waist. “And if she did, I wouldn’t care.”Emmeline separated his arm from her waist, lifting his wrist to her mouth. “Do you want your precious wife to become our unwanted audience?” she whispered with a grin, lightly kissing his wrist.Zavian let out a low groan at the sensation her lips invoked. “You’re trouble, Emmeline,” he said with humor, but there was something deeper, a glint of melancholy lacing his words.“What you see isn’t always the truth. Some people… well, things behind closed doors are different.” His cryptic words hung in the air.Emmeline searched his face, tryin
Zavian strode out of the bathroom, leaving Emmeline behind as he made his way to his rarely used room next door.His strides were heavy and purposeful like a man on a mission, heading straight for his main bedroom on the top floor.The warmth that had been in his eyes mere moments ago while with Emmeline had vanished, replaced by a frosty, dangerous glint. The aura radiating from him now was the complete opposite of the harmonious energy that had dominated their intimate bathroom encounter.The heavy mahogany door to his bedroom burst open without him even needing to touch it.The person inside immediately dropped to their knees, head bowed in submission.Luca was visibly trembling, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He knew this moment was coming - the time to receive his punishment for the mistake he had made the previous night."Master," Luca began hesitantly. "I'm here to receive punishment for my mistake." His voice was laced with trepidation.Zavian's expression wa
"It was certainly a pleasant surprise that you came all the way down to the courthouse for me," Yuna began, shooting Emmeline a sidelong glance. "But I have to ask - how did you even think to invite me to lunch in the first place? We don't usually make plans one-on-one like that."Emmeline felt her heart rate kick up a notch as panic gripped her chest. She definitely hadn't anticipated that question and was utterly unprepared with a believable excuse."Honestly..." she hedged, stalling for time as her mind raced. Finally, she settled on the only remotely plausible explanation she could think of, even if it did throw Minnie under the bus a bit. "I felt kind of bad that Minnie and I went to the med spa for facials last weekend without you. I thought doing lunch would be my way of making up for leaving you out this time."She tried to inject a casual, friendly lilt into her tone, realizing the excuse was pretty lame even as the words left her mouth. "I know it's not quite the same as a re
“Zavian!” A familiar voice suddenly called out.They both turned to find Yuna hurrying across the immaculate grounds toward them, clearly intent on catching up to the pair before they could make their getaway.Emmeline's face drained of all color, while Zavian's expression was rigid, his jaw clenched tightly.‘Stupid move shutting down the mind link,’ he cursed inwardly. Luca must have tried warning him about Yuna's unexpected arrival.A frown creased his brow as he was struck once again by how Emmeline's presence seemed to dull his usually razor-sharp senses.Did she really affect him that much, or was it the incomplete mate bond screwing with his head whenever she was around?Shoving those troubling thoughts aside for the moment, Zavian turned to face his uninvited wife. "What do you want, Yuna?" he asked coldly."I asked about you in your office half an hour ago so we could have lunch together," Yuna said with a bright smile. "But I learned from the guard you were still in court, so
“Did you know you swallowed your children a while ago?”Emmeline took a moment to process Zavian's rather crude comment about her supposedly swallowing their unborn children. After a momentary pause, she lightly tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention."Enough with that, sir. You're embarrassing me," she chided, though her tone was more amused than truly scandalized.A sarcastic smile curved Zavian's lips as he leaned in closer with his voice taking on a darker, more suggestive timbre. "What a dirty woman you are to swallow your children without mercy after they've come all this way, thinking your womb would embrace them."For a fleeting moment, Emmeline did feel a pang of remorse over his words. But she quickly recovered her wits, determined not to let him gain the upper hand so easily."And you're a bad father for throwing your children into my mouth in the first place!" she countered shrewdly.Zavian let out a deep chuckle that seemed to reverberate through Emmeline's very c
Emmeline leaned in towards Zavian and blew a hot breath against his earlobe. "I doubt I'll be the only loser," she said sultry and teasing.Her hands slid over his broad shoulders, kneading them gently. Even though she was standing behind him, the subtle relaxation of his muscles under her touch was clear to see."You seem to get a kick out of causing a stir when everyone's oblivious," Emmeline continued, "Just like that day in my restaurant when you asked me to stroke you under the table." She paused for effect and added with a smirk, "What I did just now is no different."Zavian turned abruptly at this. He grabbed Emmeline's left hand and pulled her towards him without rising from his seat.It was so sudden that Emmeline almost lost her balance but managed to steady herself by gripping the edge of the table."What's wrong with you?" she grumbled. "You nearly tripped me up there!" She shot him an unimpressed look."The difference is I was actually doing important work and not playing
Emmeline could feel a rush of heady power thrumming through her veins as she held his burning stare, silently communicating that this tantalizing game of cat-and-mouse between them was just beginning.The defense lawyer launched into his arguments, but Emmeline barely heard a word..."Your Honor, members of the jury, my client is an upstanding citizen who was an exemplary employee at his workplace for years. He never caused any trouble or gave anyone a single reason to doubt his character. And most crucially, he has an ironclad alibi for the time when these heinous crimes were committed.""Objection!" The prosecutor jumped up from his seat, nearly knocking over his chair in his haste.He pointed an accusatory finger at the defense. "That alleged alibi is highly dubious and suspicious at best."All eyes turned to Zavian. His penetrating gaze swept over the court before settling on the prosecutor. "On what grounds are you calling the credibility of the alibi into question?"The prosecuto
It was Monday morning and Emmeline was up at the crack of dawn, eagerly getting dolled up for her day at the courthouse.She couldn't stop thinking about her lover all the time. Even when she lay beside Richard at night, her longing for Zavian wracked her nerves like a drug addict needing their next dose.She remembered his reckless desire to visit him during a court hearing, and the thrill of risk that accompanied it.Emmeline decided then and there that she would take him up on his invitation, consequences be damned.Today, she wanted to look sophisticated and polished, yet also alluring enough to drive Zavian wild - the kind of outfit that straddled the line between professional and provocative.After much deliberation, Emmeline decided on a fitted gray skirt suit that hugged her curves in all the right places. The skirt was made from a stretchy wool blend that clung to her toned thighs, the hem falling just a few tantalizing inches above her knees. She paired it with a crisp white
"Who was that guy who snuck out the back door of your house two days ago?" Minnie suddenly asked pointedly.Emmeline's eyes widened in shock. She forgot how to breathe for a moment, feeling trapped by Minnie's question.She knew Minnie must be referring to Zavian - who else would have been leaving through her back door like that?Emmeline hadn't prepared herself to face a confrontation like this, so she was unable to find a convincing excuse right away.After a charged pause, she smiled nervously. "And who else could it have been other than Richard, my husband?"She refrained from looking directly at Minnie, afraid of what she might see in her friend's eyes."I can give you more than one reason why that guy couldn't have been Richard," Minnie replied in a confident, assured tone.Emmeline's arms were resting on top of her stomach, and she couldn't control the trembling in them as Minnie started ticking off her reasons on her fingers."Firstly, your husband arrived home just a short tim
A few days passed in a blink.Minnie texted Emmeline asking for accompany to the facial care center the following day.Emmeline didn't hesitate to accept the invitation because her skin was in a terrible state, giving her an irreplaceable opportunity for some pampering.The doorbell rang after lunch the next day. Emmeline swiftly opened it, knowing who her guest was.Minnie was wearing a short gray knit dress under her brown wool coat, while Emmeline had on fitted jeans and an olive green peacoat."Right on schedule, Minnie," she said cheerfully.Minnie always hugged her whenever they met. But this time, she just stared at Emmeline's face intently as though the latter suddenly grew two horns.Emmeline wiped her cheeks self-consciously. "Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?"Minnie snapped out of her daze and shook her head quickly. "Oh no, I was just thinking about the kitchen faucet and whether I turned it off."Emmeline didn’t think much of her friend’s behavio
Emmeline felt her blood turn to ice, the pulsating waves of the washing machine beneath her suddenly lost their allure as the reality of Richard's return hit her.Her eyes darted to Zavian, who maintained an unnerving calm."Shit, Richard's home. What should we do?" she whispered with panic.Zavian's expression shifted. His usual devilish charm was now laced with a dark intent that Emmeline had come to recognize as his plotting look."Fasten your seatbelts, we'll complete the euphoria trip spoiled by his return!" he declared with a mischievous grin.Emmeline's chest swelled with air. "Have you lost your mind, sir? My husband has come home! What if he comes looking for me?" she muttered in disbelief. However, Zavian ignored her protest.He resumed expertly teasing her breasts.Emmeline fined his touch both soothing and infuriating under the circumstances."I doubt he will come to the laundry room. Until then, I’ll drown you in ecstasy. The excitement is beyond thrilling. The feeling of