Chapter 41
With that, Noah extricated himself from my arms and turned on his heel, stalking off into the crowd without another word or backward glance. The song hadn't even ended.
Hours later, long after the guests had gone home and the servants had cleared the ballroom, I paced the bathroom connected to my private chambers like a caged lioness. Every few moments, my fingers would drift to the soft silk robe draped over my nude form, toying with it as I considered, and dismissed, the notion of leaving it open. With a huff, I whirled to face the mirror again, examining my reflection with a critical eye. Loose waves of hair tumbled freely over my shoulders, rich and glossy from the indulgent bath oils I had lathered in my hair. The whole room smelled like lavender and sage, a dizzying, heady combination.
Noah should have been here by now. He had told me he would stop by my chambers before he left for the night, but… Goddess, why was I anticipating his arrival like a lovesick schoolgirl? I wasn’t in love with him anymore—and hadn’t been for a long time—and it wasn’t even our intimacy night.
Suddenly, a sharp rap against the bedroom door made me start, my gaze swinging to the ornate wood. Noah. Drawing a steadying breath, I pasted on my most sultry smile—the one that always made Noah’s pupils go wide. Then, with a little extra sway in my hips, I drifted towards the door and pulled it open a crack.
Noah stepped into the room without so much as a “hello,” his demeanor all business. I sighed, shutting the door behind him, and turned to find him standing in the middle of the bedroom. “I—” he began, but his voice trailed off. His eyes dropped lower, toward my robe. I followed his gaze and instantly felt all my blood rush to my face. At some point during my rush to open the door, my robe had fallen open, revealing one round, milky-white breast. They were starting to get just a little bit bigger already, although whether it was from the pregnancy or eating more lately, I couldn’t quite tell.
I held my breath for a moment, watching the rhythmic bob of Noah’s throat as he swallowed hard, forcing his stare upwards to meet mine again, his jaw clenched hard enough to shatter stone. For a long moment, tense silence stretched between us. Then, finally, I slowly lifted my hand and pulled the robe closed, making sure to let my finger trail lazily across my hard nipple on the way.
Once I was decent again, Noah ground out in a strained rasp, “We need to talk. About the necklace.”
I quirked a brow at him, my lips curving upwards in a sultry smirk. “I know. You mentioned it earlier. Go on.” I sauntered over to the settee and sat down, leaning back on my palms and crossing my legs. The robe fell open around my thighs.
Noah wet his lips, his gaze flickering tellingly over my parted robe again as he visibly steeled himself. “You were right earlier; there was… an ulterior motive behind my gift. I want something from you.”
My heart stuttered in my chest, my pulse kicking up ever so slightly. He wanted something from me? I couldn’t deny it; being here with him now, in the intimacy of our bedroom where we had spent one night every month making passionate love—if one could even call it lovemaking—part of me did secretly wonder if what he wanted from me was… well, me.
Angling my body further, I let the robe slip even more open. Noah’s eyes raked upwards where the robe nearly exposed my hip bone, but then he quickly snapped his gaze away and turned to face the window instead.
“And what do you want?” I finally asked with a sigh, realizing that the moment was over—and that it had indeed been brief.
Noah cleared his throat, staring out the window for a moment before turning once again to face me. This time, the redness in his face had dissipated, and his eyes had taken on that businesslike quality once again. “I want you to call off the divorce.”
Chapter 42