Se connecterCiara’s POV The doorbell rang like it had a personal grudge. I was still in one of Cain’s old t-shirts, hair in a messy knot, trying to coax the baby into finishing her bottle when Seraphine barged in without waiting for me to answer. She took one look at me and wrinkled her nose.“Jesus, Ciara. You look like a hot mess who lost a fight with a laundry pile. We’re fixing this. Right now.”I blinked. “Seraphine, I just fed her. I haven’t even showered—”“Exactly.” She plucked the bottle from my hand, set it down, and scooped my daughter up like she’d been doing it for years. “Your man can handle ten minutes of dad duty. Mom makeover day. No arguments. Alice is covering if we run late.”Before I could protest, she was already texting Cain and herding me toward the bedroom. Ten minutes later I was in jeans that actually fit again and a sweater that didn’t smell like spit-up. My body still ached in places that reminded me the birth had only been a few weeks ago. Everything felt… different
Ciara’s POV The lamp on the nightstand cast a low, warm glow across our bedroom, but it wasn’t enough to push back the shadows crawling in my head. I sat on the edge of the bed with my knees pulled up, arms wrapped tight around them like that could hold everything together. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Every breath felt too shallow, too quick, like my body remembered things my mind tried to bury.Cain stood in the doorway watching me. He hadn’t said anything yet. He never rushed these moments. That was one of the things that still undid me about him. No demands. No fixing me like I was broken property. Just that steady presence, leather jacket slung over the chair, dark t-shirt stretched across his chest, those biker-calloused hands loose at his sides.“Ciara,” he said finally, voice low and rough like gravel under tires. “Talk to me.”I swallowed hard. The words stuck. “I keep thinking about her. The baby. What if I’m just like my mother? What if I ruin this the way everything el
Ciara’s POV The ballroom sparkled under massive chandeliers. Crystal glasses clinked. Soft music floated above conversations. This was our first big public event as a married couple since the baby arrived. Cameras had flashed outside. Questions about our “whirlwind” marriage and new daughter. We smiled through it all like we had practiced.But under my long gown, I wore nothing underneath. Just like Cain had ordered in the car.“You’re tense,” he murmured as we took our seats at the head table. His hand settled on my thigh under the heavy tablecloth.“People keep staring,” I whispered. “Like they’re waiting for us to slip up.”His fingers traced higher. “Let them stare. They don’t get what we have.”Dinner began. Speeches droned on. Course after course arrived. Under the table, Cain’s hand slid between my legs. I parted them slightly. His fingers found me already wet. He pushed two inside without warning.I gripped my knife tighter, forcing a polite smile at the woman across from us.
CIARAThe dare started with a lazy smile over morning coffee."Stay naked," Cain said. "All day. Penthouse only. Just you."I nearly choked on my drink. "You're serious.""Dead serious." His eyes dragged down my body like he could already see me bare. "You’ve been healing. Reclaiming shit. This is part of it. No clothes. No hiding. Just you and me."My stomach flipped. Part fear. Part thrill. The idea of being completely exposed, even here where no one could see, made my skin heat. But the way he looked at me pushed me over the edge."Alright," I said. "But you touch me whenever you want."His grin turned wicked. "Deal."I stripped right there in the kitchen. Let my robe fall to the floor. The cool air hit my skin and my nipples tightened instantly. Cain's gaze burned over every inch. The stretch marks on my belly. The softness of my hips. The way my breasts sat heavier after having our daughter."Fuck," he muttered. "Perfect."He didn't touch me right away. He let me walk around like
Ciara's POVAlice showed up right at six with a bottle of wine and that nervous smile she got when she was trying too hard. I hugged her at the door longer than usual. She smelled like hospital soap and the same perfume she’d worn since college.“You look good,” she said, pulling back to study me. “Really good. Motherhood suits you.”I laughed but it came out shaky. “Come in before the baby wakes up and proves me wrong.”Cain was in the kitchen finishing the pasta. He wiped his hands on a towel and greeted Alice with a nod. “Good to see you. Wine’s on the table.”Dinner started normal enough. Forks clinking. Alice asking about the baby’s sleep schedule. Cain giving short answers while his hand rested on my thigh under the table. But every time Alice looked at me, really looked, I felt the old stuff rising up.“So,” she said halfway through her second glass. “You seem... settled. Happier than I’ve seen you in years.”I pushed pasta around my plate. “It’s been a process.”“Yeah.” She he
CIARA'S POVSix weeks postpartum turned into eight, then ten. The walls of our house started closing in. I loved our daughter more than I thought possible, but the constant cycle of feeding, rocking, and worrying was wearing me down. I needed air. Real air. Normalcy.“I want to go out,” I told Cain one morning while he was making coffee. “Just for a few hours. Mall. Something normal. Seraphine said she’d watch the baby.”He looked at me for a long moment, eyes searching my face. “You sure you’re ready?”“I’m going crazy here. I need to feel like me again. Even for one afternoon.”He nodded slowly. “Alright. But we do it my way.”That “my way” turned out to be a sleek black remote vibrator nestled between my legs under my dress. I stood in front of the mirror adjusting the straps of the sundress while Cain watched from the bed, eyes dark.“This is insane,” I whispered, cheeks already hot. “What if someone hears?”His smirk was pure trouble. “That’s the point. You wanted normal. This is
Ciara's POV I woke up sore in the best way, every muscle humming with the memory of last night’s claiming. My thighs ached, my core felt tender and swollen, and a deep, satisfied throb pulsed between my legs. Cain was already awake, propped on one elbow beside me, his dark eyes fixed on my face l
Ciara's POV Natalia had finally moved out, but her awful scent still lingered in the air. I couldn’t breathe in this house anymore. I emptied the last piece of my breakfast into my mouth as I got up from the dinning. Last night, after I deleted the scandalous picture of Cain and I from Simon's p
Ciara's POV The energy of the car gets stronger, nearer, as if someone is driving straight to the stairs that lead into the front entrance. I glance down at Cain, who’s still snoring heavily on the couch beside me.I hit him once. “Cain.”He stirs and mumbles something inaudible in his sleep.“Cai
Cain's POV. Boris’s tensed voice crackles through the speakerphone. "Hyde family’s circling closer. They’re sniffing around the old accounts. If they find the file, we’re fucked." I pace the cafeteria inside the Bridge Hotel with my set jaw tightly. "How close?" "Close enough that someone ins







