Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 179 - Hundred And Seventy Nine

The kiss changed. It shifted from a soft seal of gratitude into something darker, deeper, and infinitely more desperate. Derek’s lips moved against hers with a raw hunger that he had been suppressing for months. He pressed forward, his large body crowding hers, forcing her backward until her hips bumped against the edge of his massive desk.

He didn’t stop. He didn’t care about the order of his study. He didn’t care about the maps or the inkwells.

With a sudden, violent sweep of his left arm, Derek cleared the surface.

CRASH.

The sound was loud and chaotic in the quiet room. The small, carefully wrapped boxes—the beads, the wooden horse, the silk scarf—tumbled off the edge. They hit the floor with a clatter, scattering across the rug like discarded toys. The silver locket, safe in its velvet box, slid to the far corner, forgotten for the moment.

Marissa gasped, breaking the kiss. She looked down at the mess, her eyes wide. Her frugal, practical mind kicked in for a split second.

"The gifts?" she whispered, her voice breathless. "Derek, you spent a fortune..."

Derek didn’t even look at the floor. He looked at her. His eyes were dilated, dark pools of intensity that swallowed her whole. His chest was heaving against hers.

"I can always get more for you, Mari," Derek replied, his voice rough and low. He leaned in, his forehead resting against hers, trying to steady his ragged breathing. "I can buy you a thousand gifts. Even better ones. But I cannot wait another second to hold you."

He didn’t give her time to argue about money. He captured her lips again, silencing her protests with a kiss that tasted of possession.

He gripped her waist. His hands were strong, warm, and demanding. With a grunt of effort, he lifted her off the floor.

Marissa instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist to steady herself. Derek stepped forward and set her down on the edge of the desk he had just cleared. She sat on the hard wood, her face now level with his.

The position changed everything. She wasn’t looking up at him anymore. She was looking directly into his soul.

Derek stepped between her knees. He pressed himself against her, the heat of his body radiating through his thin shirt and her nightgown. His hands moved. They slid from her waist, traveling up the curve of her spine, his fingers digging into the silk of her robe.

He kissed her jawline. He kissed the sensitive spot below her ear.

"Marissa," he groaned against her skin.

Marissa threw her head back. Her hands tangled in his messy hair, pulling him closer. She felt a fire igniting in her belly, a heat she had never known in her previous life.

She thought of Carlos, and his clumsy, selfish touches. She thought of how she had lived a whole life without knowing what it felt like to be wanted—truly wanted—by a man who saw her as his equal.

"Derek," she whispered.

He pulled back slightly. He looked at her robe. It was tied tightly at the waist.

His hands went to the belt. He didn’t rip it. He pulled the knot slowly, his eyes locked on hers, asking for permission without speaking.

Marissa nodded. A small, almost imperceptible movement.

The belt came loose. The robe fell open, sliding off her shoulders and pooling on the desk behind her. She was left in her white nightgown. The thin fabric hid nothing from his gaze.

Derek looked at her. He looked at the curve of her neck, the rise and fall of her chest. He looked at her as if she were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"You are perfect," he whispered.

He reached out and touched the strap of her gown. He slid it down her shoulder. His fingers brushed her skin, leaving a trail of fire.

Marissa shivered. She reached for him. Her hands went to the remaining buttons of his shirt.

She fumbled. Her fingers were shaking. She couldn’t get the small buttons through the holes.

Derek smiled against her lips. He covered her hands with his own.

"Let me," he said.

He undid the buttons himself, his movements fast and impatient. He shrugged the shirt off, letting it fall to the floor to join the gifts.

Marissa stared at him. His chest was broad and scarred from years of training and war. He looked powerful. He looked like a god.

She reached out and placed her palms on his chest. She felt his heart hammering. It was beating just for her.

She traced a long, thin white scar near his shoulder.

"Does it hurt?" she asked softly.

"No," Derek rasped. "Not when you touch it."

He couldn’t wait anymore. He leaned down and kissed her again, his hands roaming over her body, mapping every curve. He lifted her slightly, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.

The study felt too small. The desk was too hard.

Derek broke the kiss. He was breathing hard.

"Not here," he said.

He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the desk. He didn’t put her down. He carried her.

Marissa buried her face in his neck, smelling the scent of him—soap and desire. She held on tight as he walked to the large, four-poster bed. He laid her down gently on the soft mattress.

He stood over her for a second, looking down. The moonlight from the window washed over the bed, painting them in silver.

He joined her. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He lay down beside her, pulling her into his arms. The contact was electric. Skin against skin. Warmth against warmth.

There were no more words. There was no more politics. No more plots. No more Senna or Ashlyn. There was only this.

Marissa felt his hands on her skin, exploring, claiming. She felt his lips on her neck, her collarbone, her breast. She felt a wave of pleasure so intense it made her toes curl.

She touched him back. She ran her hands over the muscles of his back, feeling the tension there. She wanted to soothe him. She wanted to excite him.

Derek groaned, unable to hold on anymore, he buried himself inside her. Marissa held onto him like she was about to shatter. He whispered something into her ear as he thrust but due to the overwhelming pleasure, Marissa couldn’t process the words.

Her fingers dug into his skin as he increased the pace. She looked into his eyes as they moved together. She saw the raw vulnerability there. She saw the love he had confessed.

She realized that she wasn’t just giving him her body. She was giving him her trust. And for the first time in her life, she felt safe doing it.

Together, they both rode the waves of pleasure as Derek kissed her nose.

" I love you." He said, his hand smoothing her curls which were tangled. He took her knuckles to his lips and gave her a soft kiss. " Very, Very much." He completed.

Marissa touched his cheek gently. " I love you too, Derek ." She said as she planted a kiss on his forehead.

Later, much later, the room was quiet again.

The fire in the hearth had burned down to embers, casting a soft, red glow on the walls.

Marissa lay curled up on her side, her head resting on Derek’s chest. His arm was wrapped around her, holding her close, as if he were afraid she might disappear if he let go.

She listened to the steady rhythm of his breathing. It was slow and deep. He was asleep.

She looked at his face. In sleep, the hard lines of the Grand Duke had smoothed out. He looked younger. He looked peaceful.

She traced the line of his jaw with her fingertip, barely touching his skin.

"You found me," she whispered softly.

She thought about the future. She knew there would be more battles. Liam was still out there. Ashlyn was still plotting in her room. The court was still a dangerous place.

But lying here, wrapped in the warmth of her husband’s arms, Marissa didn’t feel afraid. She felt strong.

She snuggled closer to him, seeking his warmth. Derek shifted in his sleep, his arm tightening around her instinctively, pulling her even closer. He mumbled something unintelligible and buried his face in her hair.

Marissa closed her eyes. A small smile played on her lips.