Elowen went rigid beneath him. She could feel the tension in his body, the unmistakable desire he was struggling to control.
Soren’s gaze lingered on her face. He wanted her so badly. After spending a lifetime away from her, being this close to her now made his restraint dangerously thin.
He ran his finger down her cheek. "What do you think I am doing?"
Elowen shuddered at his touch. Her body heated up. Even after everything he had done to her, she couldn’t stop her body from reacting to him.
"I-I didn’t know... I was moving away." She tried to slip out from beneath him, but he pinned her hands down firmly, putting her in her place.
"Last night, you hugged me and never let me go," he rasped. "I wanted to do something, but you were fast asleep. You know how torturous that was."
He leaned closer to her, his lips near her ear. "How about we..."
"No..." she instantly cut him off, pressing her hands against his chest harder. "I-I can’t be late at the office today. I have to get ready."
She pushed him away. Before he could stop her, she slipped free, jumped out of the bed, and ran into the bathroom.
Soren stared at the closed door. For a moment, he remained frozen. Then he laughed softly.
"This is crazy."
Elowen pressed herself against the closed door, her heart racing wildly. Her cheeks flushed red. Her ears tingled as if his breath still caressed her skin.
Even after getting away from him, she could still feel his closeness. The warmth of his body, the weight of his gaze, and the faint touch of his fingers against her cheek seemed to linger on her skin.
Her body still wanted him even though her mind wanted nothing but distance from him. She hated that her body had reacted to him. She despised even more that, for those few seconds, she had almost forgotten how much he had hurt her.
’Why am I reacting like this?’
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
’No, I can’t let myself be fooled again.’
Soren’s sudden tenderness meant nothing. She couldn’t forget the coldness he had shown her for years or the way he had made her feel unwanted in their own marriage.
’I won’t let him walk all over me again.’
She turned on the shower and let the water wash away tingling feelings that lingered on her body.
~~~~~~~~~~
Soren’s car pulled over in front of Elowen’s office building.
Elowen remained seated, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag.
Soren glanced at her. "Do you have something to say, wifey?"
’Wifey?’
The word sent a strange flutter through her chest. Heat crept up to her cheeks as she stared at him. She had never heard him call her that before. She wondered if he had heard him correctly.
Looking at her flushed face, he chuckled softly. He moved in closer to her. "So wifey..." His breath caressed her cheek. "If you have something to say, just say it."
His hand gently rested on her stomach.
’I know about the baby.’ He almost let the words slip out of his mouth.
Every muscle of her body went rigid. Her skin burned where his hand was. For a terrifying second, she thought he knew.
’Does he know about the baby?’
Her heart started pounding.
"What—what are you doing?" she stuttered. She tried to move, but some unseen force seemed to trap her in her place.
"That night, you wanted to tell me something. I am still waiting..." He gently rubbed her belly.
A shiver ran throughout her body. She clutched his hand.
Panic flashed through her eyes. She couldn’t let him find out about the baby.
Not yet.
"I-I don’t know what you are talking about. I am getting late."
She tried to get out of the car.
Soren caught her arm and stopped her. "I’ll come pick you up."
Elowen’s breathing turned ragged. She had once desperately wanted him to drop her off at the office and come pick her up. But now that he was doing it, she felt restless and nervous, instead of happy.
"No... You don’t have to come. You don’t have to take time out from your busy schedule. Besides, I’ll be busy today. I don’t know when I’ll finish my work."
She opened the door and stepped out of the car without waiting for his response.
"Hey, Elowen..."
But she already rushed into the building.
He let out an audible sigh. "Still not willing to tell me about the baby."
Then his lips curled into a smile. "It’s okay. I’ll make you reveal it."
He looked at the entrance where she had disappeared.
"See you in the evening, wifey."
He drove away.
Elowen reached her desk and sank into her chair. She pressed a hand over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
"This is too much. If he keeps acting like this, I’ll lose my mind."
"Lose your mind?"
Elowen almost jumped out of her seat. She looked up and saw her friend.
"Vera!" Elowen breathed. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"You were murmuring something to yourself. Is everything okay?" Vera searched her face.
Elowen pursed her lips. For a moment, she considered telling Vera everything. But then she stopped herself.
"It’s nothing. I am just nervous because the new CEO is coming today."
Vera’s face lit up. "But I am curious about him." She leaned forward, placing her hands on the desk. "I heard that the new CEO is single." Her voice dropped to a murmur. "Women here are already excited. I can’t wait to see him."
Elowen forced a fake smile. "Don’t forget what the manager warned us. If the CEO doesn’t think we are fit for the company, he could fire us."
At that, Vera’s smile disappeared. "I remember it. I hope he won’t take any harsh measures without giving us a chance. Right?"
"I don’t know." Elowen shrugged.
The commotion erupted near the entrance.
"The CEO is here," someone shouted.
"What? He is already here!" Vera grinned, bouncing with excitement.
"Let’s go. I can’t wait to see him."
She linked her arm with Elowen’s and pulled her along.
Soon, almost everyone had gathered near the entrance. The manager and the head of the departments hurried forward to welcome the new CEO.
A tall man in a gray suit stepped into the building. His presence was commanding, his expression intimidating. A woman dressed impeccably in a tailored navy blue suit and a man in a black suit followed him in.
"Mr. Knox, welcome to Aurevia Design and Development." The manager bowed slightly. "I am Margaret, the deputy manager of the design department."
Theron gave her a polite smile as he shook hands with her.
Margaret then started introducing the other department heads.
Elowen stood behind the crowd, struggling to see over the people in front of her. She rose slightly on her toes.
’This man... Why does he feel familiar?’ she wondered, her eyes narrowing.
She had a feeling that she had seen him. But she couldn’t remember where and when.