Page 120 of Ruthless Lullaby

"That’s right.” He smirks. “Tramoxine is a miracle pill developed by my own team of scientists. It can cure any mental ailment. Addiction, PTSD, trauma, you name it. Imagine the impact it will have on the world." His eyes gleam as he leans back.

“Are you serious?” I shriek, shocked by the potential impact of his creation. "Does this thing really work on any mental health issue?"

"Do I ever bullshit you,lisichka?” He looks at me questioningly. “We're launching in a few weeks. But that's all I’m going to say for now." He pauses, his gaze turning intense. "Now it's your turn to spill. What happened on stage that made you cry?"

Shit.

Looks like he’s not letting that slide and I have no idea where to start. I don’t even know what to tell him and what to leave out. I still haven’t had time to process the things that happened to me since I last saw him. So, I take a deep breath and decide to start with the one that requires the least explanation. "I lost my mom, Maron."

His expression quickly softens and a flicker of empathy appears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mindy. I had no idea." Then he asks something that seems out of the ordinary. "What does it feel like? To lose your mother?"

I pause for a moment before answering. "Like a part of you is ripped away, leaving a void you can never fill."

“Right,” Maron sighs, his shoulders sagging under the weight of my words. "My own mother… She’s still alive, but I feel I've lost her to dementia long ago. I can’t imagine what it will feel like when she goes."

I don’t say anything. I don’t think I need to. Maron's dark, dangerous eyes bore into mine with an intensity that drills down to my core. I reach out and hold his hand, simply sitting with him in silence under the weight of our grief.

"Million-dollar question," he growls, his voice turning low and menacing.

"Go ahead," I tell him. My voice comes out steadier than I feel.

"What's going on between you and Maurice?" The underlying emotion in his tone is unmistakable, though I can tell he’s trying to suppress it. It cuts through the air like a blade.

I meet his gaze unflinchingly. "We've been through this, Maron. Nothing is going on between Maurice and me."

His jaw clenches and the muscles in his neck strain. "That's not what he says. He claims you're back together, that you're still in love with him. Says he's going to make you his wife."

What the hell?

"What?" I snap, echoing my disbelief. "Maurice told you that? If he did, he’s living in a fantasy world."

Maron's eyes narrow dangerously. "Are you saying that he’s lying to me?"

Anger bubbles up inside me, hot and fierce. I can’t believe that this is something we have to talk about. All I’ve been doing these last few weeks is trying to survive, not hooking up with Maurice of all people. "Listen, Maron, I don’t know what he told you, but there is nothing between us. Yes, I ran into him at a coffee shop downtown. He sat down at my table and tried to rekindle things, but I shut him down."

Maron leans closer, his breath hot on my face. "Why?"

Is he being serious right now?

For a fleeting moment, I want to lash out at the absurdity of this. But I can tell this is important to him, so I steady myself. The warmth radiating from his body blends with the faint scent of whiskey and cologne, filling my senses as he waits for my response.

Because I’ve moved on, Maron" I reply. "It's time Maurice did too."

And because I'm pregnant with your baby.

The words linger on the tip of my tongue, but I can't bring myself to say them. Our connection is still fragile, and I can't risk shattering it with such heavy news.

“I believe you,” he says, after scrutinizing me for what feels like an eternity. He then moves in, and I close my eyes, surrendering to his lips as they meet mine. His kiss sets my body ablaze in an instant. In his touch, all doubts and fears dissipate, replaced by pure, raw, magnetic lust. We barely finished last night’s sex marathon, yet I feel ready for round two.

As for my pregnancy, I know I can't keep it a secret forever. But there is a time for everything. Right now, at this moment, it's just Maron, me, and the unfiltered, primal desire we have for each other.

Our lips lock, our tongues dance together, and I allow my body to melt into his warm embrace. His hands glide over my skin, tracing delicate patterns on my stomach and hips as he takes control of the kiss. Desire and excitement mix with a hint of nervousness deep within me as I feel his hard erection against my thigh. I don’t know if my body can handle him so soon after the rough pounding he gave me yesterday. But his intoxicating scent, the feeling of his lips against my own, and his hands roaming my body are all telling me that I can.

“You taste amazing,lisichka,” He murmurs breaking our kiss and breathing heavily against my neck. He then nibbles his way up to my earlobe, causing me to gasp from the sensation.

The couch squeaks softly underneath us as he shifts, one of his hands caressing my bare stomach. It's an intimate gesture that sends a cocktail of emotions through me - fear mingled with hope and anticipation - because I know that our secret baby is in there, growing underneath the surface.

"Mmm," he murmurs into my ear, nipping gently at my lobe before trailing kisses down towards my collarbone. "Your skin is soft like butter." His fingers curl around mine where they're interlocked above our heads.

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