Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 298 - Two Hundred And Ninety Seven

The passion on the desk had burned hot and fast, a sudden storm that left them both breathless and spent in the quiet sanctuary of the study. But as the adrenaline faded, the chill of the late winter night began to creep back into the large room, seeping through the stone walls.

Derek lifted Marissa from the hard, polished surface of the oak desk. His arms were strong, scooping her up as easily as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. He held her high against his chest, her legs dangling, her skin flushed against his.

Marissa let out a small squeak of protest, tapping his shoulder with her hand.

"Derek," she whispered, her voice still husky from their cries. "I can walk. Put me down. I am not an invalid."

"No," Derek said simply. His voice was a low rumble against her chest, vibrating through her. "The floor is cold. Your feet are bare. I will not have you freezing on my watch."

He walked over to the massive stone fireplace. The fire had burned down to a bed of glowing red embers, pulsing with a gentle, rhythmic heat that warmed the immediate area. He sat down on the thick, plush rug that lay before the hearth, pulling her down with him.

He didn’t just sit next to her. He arranged her so she was sitting between his spread legs, her back resting against his broad, bare chest.

He pulled a heavy fur blanket from the nearby reading chair and wrapped it around both of them, tucking the edges in tight under

her chin and around her feet to create a warm, secret cocoon against the world.

Marissa tried to wiggle free to sit on the rug herself, feeling a bit overwhelmed by his size and heat.

"Derek," she complained, though there was no real bite in her tone. She leaned her head back against his shoulder. "You are treating me like a baby. I am a grown woman. I am the Grand Duchess who manages your entire estate."

"In this room, right now, you are just Mari, my wife." Derek corrected gently. He wrapped his powerful arms around her waist, locking her in place, his hands resting on her stomach. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek pressing against her wild, messy hair. "And I am treating you like a treasure that I don’t want to break. Besides, the floor is hard. You need a cushion."

Marissa laughed softly, leaning back into him, surrendering to his strength. "You mean you are the cushion?"

"I am whatever you need me to be," he murmured into her neck, kissing the sensitive skin below her ear. "Chair, bed, sword, shield. Whatever you need."

They sat there for a long while in comfortable, companionable silence. The storm of their earlier coupling had passed, replaced by a deep, abiding peace. The silver tray of food Marissa had brought sat on the floor beside them, forgotten. The steam had long since stopped rising from the chicken soup. The crusty bread was cold. The cheese had hardened slightly in the cool air. But neither of them cared about food anymore. They were fed by something else.

They stared at the fire. The logs popped and hissed occasionally, sending tiny orange sparks shooting up the chimney like miniature fireworks. The light danced over their skin, casting long, flickering shadows on the walls of the library.

Derek shifted slightly, pulling the fur blanket tighter around her shoulders. He turned his head and kissed Marissa’s hair. It smelled of the lavender soap she used, mixed with the musk of their lovemaking and the faint scent of woodsmoke.

"Marissa," Derek said softly, breaking the silence.

"Mmm?" she hummed, her eyes heavy, half-closed as she watched the embers glow. She felt safe.

"Winter is ending," he said quietly. "The snow will melt soon. The roads will clear. The flowers will return."

He tightened his arms around her waist, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles on her stomach through the blanket.

"What would you like to do," Derek asked, his voice filled with curiosity, "once spring comes? When the flowers bloom and the air is warm? We have spent so much time hiding, fighting, and plotting. What do we do when there is peace?"

Marissa blinked. She stared into the flames, letting her mind drift away from the plots, the poisons, and the dangers of the estate. She let herself imagine a world where she didn’t have to be the Grand Duchess every second of the day. She thought about the simple joys she had missed in her past life, the things she had been too busy or too afraid to enjoy.

She thought hard. She chewed on her lower lip.

"I want to go outside," Marissa said dreamily. "Not to the city. Not to the palace. Not to a ball where I have to wear a corset and fake a smile for people who hate me."

She turned her head slightly to look at him. Her dark eyes reflected the firelight.

"I want to go on a picnic," Marissa said. "With you. Just us. On a hill with green grass and no snow. We can bring a basket with wine and cheese and strawberries. We can lie on a blanket and watch the clouds move. I want to feel the sun on my face without worrying about who is watching."

Derek smiled against her hair. The image was simple and perfect. It was a normal life, the kind they rarely got to live.

"And festivals," Marissa added, her eyes lighting up with a sudden excitement. "Yes. I want to go to the Spring Festival with you. I want to wear a mask and buy cheap sweets from the stalls. I want to dance in the street with the commoners without anyone knowing who we are. I want to just be a girl in love with a boy."

Derek chuckled. The sound vibrated against her back, deep and warm.

"That’s beautiful," Derek said. "We will do it. I will find the greenest hill in Eudora. And I will buy you every sweet at the festival until you are sick of sugar. I promise."

Marissa smiled, shifting in his arms. The movement caused the blanket to slip, and Derek quickly pulled it back up, protective of her warmth.

She reached out from under the blanket. She picked up the silver spoon from the cold tray. She scooped up a little bit of the cold chicken soup. It had congealed slightly, but she didn’t mind.

"What about you?" Marissa asked.

She turned her body as much as she could within his embrace so she could face him better. She held the spoon to his lips, offering him sustenance.

"What would you like to do?" she asked softly. "Aside from working on ledgers? Aside from going to the barracks to yell at soldiers? Aside from fighting with the Council? What does Derek want? Just Derek."

Derek looked at her. He looked at her delicate hand holding the spoon. He looked at her face, soft and open and vulnerable in the firelight.

He looked at the woman who had saved his life, the woman who had claimed his heart.

He didn’t open his mouth for the soup. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

He reached out. His large, calloused hand covered hers, stopping her from feeding him.

He took the spoon from her fingers gently. He dropped it back into the bowl with a soft clink that sounded loud in the quiet room.

He didn’t let go of her hand. He wrapped both of his large hands around hers, sandwiching her small palm between his warmth. He lifted her hand to his lips. He kissed her knuckles, one by one. Then he turned her hand over and kissed her palm. Then he kissed the inside of her wrist, right over her pulse point.

His expression changed. The playfulness vanished. The smile faded. His eyes became dark and serious, filled with a longing so deep it made Marissa’s breath catch in her throat.

"I would like to hear," Derek whispered, his voice rough with emotion, "that you are with child."