Page 137 of Scarred Queen

Before I can argue, he presses a kiss between my legs. He splits me with his tongue, touching me in a way only someone who has been touching me daily for the last six years could do. He knows my body as well as his own.

Still, foreplay has become rarer and rarer these days. Between running our own business and taking care of the girls, there’s not much time left for lovemaking. Efficiency is the name of the game.

But not tonight.

Tonight, there’s no work.

No children.

No distractions.

I curl my fingers through Arsen’s hair as he goes down on me, eating me out as though we didn’t just indulge in a private, seven-course tasting menu.

He strokes his hands up my body, gently massaging my nipples as I roll my hips against his face.

“God, yes!” My voice is small against the wide open sky—which is good, because when Arsen thrusts his tongue into me, I come with a scream for all the stars to hear.

As I return to sanity, Arsen slowly kisses his way up my body. I wind my legs around him and try to drag him higher. “It’s your turn.”

But he is content to lavish my breasts with attention until I’m all worked up again. “Oh, no… I’m not done with you yet.”

Years of getting straight to the point has apparently made me impatient. I drape my hand around his neck and pull his forehead to mine. “I want you inside of me,” I murmur. “I want you to fill me up.”

His pupils expand. “Be careful what you wish for,roza. I just might choose to misunderstand that request and put another baby in you.”

“That’s not gonna happen.”

He sighs, running his hands over my stomach. Faded stretch marks weave around my hips, mingling with my other scar. “I don’t want to pressure you, but I also don’t understand why you don’t want this. You love being a mother. And our girls are perfect.”

I press a finger against his lips. “Not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I mean, that’s not gonna happen because… it’s already happened.”

He stares at me unblinkingly for a moment. Then his eyes drop to my flat stomach. “You’re not… Are you pregnant?”

Joy, somewhere between a sob and laughter, bursts out of me. “I took a test last week.”

“But… how?” He gawks. “You’re on the pill.”

“I was… until I tossed them in the trash two months ago. I figured I’d give you a little surprise.”

Arsen tucks me against his chest and stands up, hoisting me in the air. I cry out, cold wind hitting our naked bodies as he spins us around and roars, “This is the best fucking news!” Just as suddenly, he sets me down and looks deep into my eyes. “And you’re sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” His eyes brighten, and I press my palm to his heart. “You’re going to be a papa again. I think, this time, it’s gonna be a boy.”

“Honestly, I don’t care. I just want another child that’s half you and half me.”

I stroke my stomach. “I can manage that.”

He smiles down at me, but slowly, the look in his eyes shifts and darkens. He sets me down on my feet and leads me into our room.

“You don’t want to stay on the balcony?”

He shakes his head and spreads me out on the bed, kneading his fingers over every inch of my body the way he has for years, working away the pain in my hip that hardly bothers me anymore.

Turns out, Arsen Adamov is the only painkiller I need.

“I need space for what I have planned. Space and time.” He whips a pillow from the top of the bed and positions it under my hips, making me laugh. “So you should get comfortable. We might be here for a while.”

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