Fate.
The word settled deep in his bones, solidifying what he had always known. This wasn’t just desire, wasn’t just inevitability—it was something greater. Something binding. It shifted something inside him, not changing his perception of their bond, but reinforcing it. Strengtheningit.
She wasn’t just his because he had claimed her. She was his because fate had made it so, sealingher to him in a way that went beyond vows, beyond touch, beyond anything and everything. And he had never wanted restraint more than he did now.
He hadn’t needed proof—he’d known from the start—but now it was written into his skin. Written intohers.
He brushed a thumb over her hand, bringing their palms close together. The moment they aligned, afaint buzz, like static electricity, crackled betweenthem.
His satisfaction deepened.
Mine.
Jazz stirred, her breathing shifting. Her lashes fluttered, and a soft sigh left her lips, the sound soft, almost vulnerable. She shifted again, pressing herself more fully against him, her body seeking his warmth even in sleep. Asatisfied hum escaped her, and Titus felt it vibrate against his skin, awhisper of contentment that sent a rush of possessiveness surging throughhim.
Titus watched, unmoving, waiting. He could wake her now, claim her again before her mind fully surfaced from the haze of sleep, before she hadthe chance to form a single thought that wasn’t about him. But he wanted this moment, wanted to feel the way she instinctively reached for him, the way her body molded to his without hesitation.
She stretched slightly, her body shifting closer, her thigh sliding over his own, her skin hot against his. The movement was unguarded, unthinking—trusting.
His jaw tensed. Heat burned low in his stomach, but he tamped it down. He had time. He had all the time in the world to teach her what this meant, to make sure she never thought of pullingaway.
Fuck.
The rush of heat was immediate, his body reacting instinctively. She was soft, warm, completely relaxed against him, her body trusting his in sleep in a way she hadn’t yet allowed herself to while awake.
A mistake she’d learn not tomake.
He slid a hand up her back, slow, deliberate. Jazz made a small noiseof pleasure.
Green eyes flickered open, hazy with sleep, blinking against the soft morning light.
For a moment, she stilled, her body relaxed in his hold, as if waking in his arms was the most natural thing in the world.
Then she registered where shewas.
Who she was with.
Titus saw the moment it hit her. The moment awareness erased the softness in her gaze. Her breath caught, the faintest parting of her lips betraying the thoughts forming behind those green eyes. Aflush bloomed across her cheeks, spreading down her throat, areaction she couldn’t hide, couldn’t prevent. It wasn’t just embarrassment. It was something deeper, somethingraw.
He owned every reaction.
A slow smile curved his lips. “Good morning, wife.”
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she swallowed, her lashes lowering as if she could hide from the intensity in his gaze, as ifshe could escape the significance of what had settled between them. But there was no escapingit.
No escaping him.
Instead, her gaze dropped—to his chest, to where her hand rested against his skin. She flexed her fingers slightly, as if testing the reality of it, before looking back up athim.
“Titus.” Her voice was soft, sleep-warmed.
His name on her lips sent another wave of heat throughhim.
He slid a hand into her hair, tilting her face up toward his. “Did you sleep well, wife?”
Something flickered in her eyes. Uncertainty. Awareness. Aslow, creeping realization of what last night had truly meant. Her breath shallowed, her lips parting as if she might speak, but no words came. Instead, she studied him, her gaze darting between his eyes, his mouth, as if searching for answers she wasn’tsure she wanted.
Her fingers twitched against his skin, tentative, hesitant, as though testing the import t of the bond between them. What had changed? Why did she feel different? The answer was simple. Everything had changed. And she could feel it, just as hedid.
