Page 116 of The Reluctant Wife

He licks into my mouth. "You’re mine, Empress. My wife. My soulmate.”

“Oh Ryot,” A tiny moan escapes me. “You mean more than anything in my life. It’s why...” I glance away then back at him. “It’s why I need time and space to think things through.”

56

Ryot

"Wait, what?"Am I hearing things?"What’s wrong? Talk to me, baby."

Her gaze is troubled. She tries to move away, but I hold her in place.

I belong to my wife wholeheartedly… But my declaration has not had the desired effect.

The beeping of my heart monitor grows more insistent. With a grimace, I tear the sticky patches attached to my chest and throw them aside. Instantly, there’s silence.

She looks at me in shock. "You shouldn’t?—"

"Fuck that.You’remore important. Tell me what’s on your mind."

"I…" She tries to speak, but no words emerge. "It’s just…" She shakes her head. "I feel overwhelmed by everything."

"It was a shock when I collapsed in your arms bleeding. I understand that."

"It’s more than that." Her gaze grows haunted. "I realized, if you didn’t make it, if something were to happen to you, I’d never be the same again. The fact that I have become so dependent on you is something I’m going to have to get used to.”

"I’m dependent on you too, baby. You’re my heart. My life. You know that."

She purses her lips, and a shiver engulfs her. "It makes me feel so vulnerable."

"Tell me about it." I cup her cheek. "We can do this together. We’ll be there for each other. Us against the world. I’ll always be in your corner. When you fall down, I’ll pick you up. When I lose hope, you’ll be my shining light. When you lose confidence, I’ll be your support. When I act like an asshole, you’ll shut me down." I look into her eyes. "And then there are those orgasms."

She snorts through her tears, then laughs. "I’m sorry, I slapped you while you were out. It was the only thing that occurred to me to keep you awake."

"You can do anything you want with me, baby." I take her hand and flatten her palm into my face. "I’m yours. Body, mind, and soul. All of me is at your command."

Her gaze intensifies.

I wink. "Except when it comes to your pleasure. On that point, you obey what I tell you to do."

Her lips tremble, and a small smile curves her lips. "And I believe you. I do." She frames my face with her hands. "It’s why I need to step back and revaluate.”

Footsteps sound and a nurse comes running into the room. She stops when she sees me and the Duchess. "The heart monitor."

I wave a hand without taking my gaze off my wife. "I’m fine." Then, I force myself to swallow down the impatience welling up my chest. "Please, can you give us a few minutes, and then you can hook me back up?"

She hesitates. But something in my voice must convince her, for she leaves. The door snicks shut behind her.

"Time, you said?" I prompt my wife. I’m trying to make sense of her words. I have a sense of where this conversation is going, but I don’t want to second guess her.

She lowers her hands, then nods.

"Just…a little while to process everything that’s happened." Once more, her gaze turns haunted. "I’m not abandoning you, especially not when you’re wounded. I promise, I’m here for you. But it would be wrong if I weren’t open with you about this. For our future together, it’s important that I think things through. I need a little time to come to grips with my feelings for you."

I want to say no. I want to say that now we’ve found each other, I will not spend one moment away from her. I was stupid not to recognize my feelings earlier. I should have committed to her right way, but I also recognize that she needs time—just like I did—to process what happened.

She needs time to work through seeing me shot and bleeding out in her arms. I can’t begrudge her that. All I can do is make sure she understands what she means to me.

"I love you." I clamp my hand over the nape of her neck and bring her in for a deep, drugging kiss that has the blood draining to my groin.

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