Chapter 206

Hannah

“Is this... a sex contract?” Noah lifted his gaze, looking up at me with a hint of amusement behind his eyes.

I swallowed hard and looked away. “Yes.”

“Why…?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said, about the need for regular... release during pregnancy,” I explained. “And I believe you might be right about its benefits for my health.”

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as Noah continued to stare amusedly at me, but I forced myself to maintain a neutral expression. I clasped my hands behind my back to hide the fact that they were trembling slightly, although I knew he could tell. He could always tell.

“I’m willing to give such an arrangement a shot for our baby’s health,” I continued with surprising calmness. “But I want to lay down some ground rules first.”

Noah leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly. He slowly, almost painstakingly, set the contract down on the desk. “Alright. I’m all ears,” he said, his tone carefully neutral.

I cleared my throat, pointing to a paragraph on the first page of the contract. “For example, I want to ensure that you will not use this… arrangement against me when the divorce comes. So you must sign to promise that you will not, under any circumstances, bring up our arrangement during divorce court.”

Noah nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. For a few moments, he said nothing, the only sound between us that of his fingers drumming on the arm of his chair.

“Hm. That seems fair,” he finally said after what felt like an eternity. “I have no intention of using this against you, Hannah, but if it makes you feel better, I’ll sign off on that.”

“Good. Furthermore,” I continued, my voice gaining a little bit of strength, “I don’t want this to impede on our daily two hours together. Those two hours are meant to be used for things like shopping for baby supplies, going to appointments, and having meals together to ensure that I’m getting all the nutrients I need. Not sex.”

“Understood,” Noah said, his lips quirking up into the smallest of smiles. “Anything else?”

I gestured to the contract, feeling a sudden surge of confidence. “There are other things in there, which you are welcome to read yourself. But those are just some examples.”

Noah picked up the contract again, his eyes scanning the pages more carefully this time. The rustle of paper seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet room. After a few minutes, he looked up at me, his expression unreadable.

“Okay. I’ll sign it,” he said, “but under one condition.”

I felt my stomach clench, my newfound confidence wavering. “What condition?” I asked, trying not to sound too begrudging.

He tossed the contract back onto the desk so that it slid in my direction. “I want you to add an amendment stating that we will share a bedroom from now on.”

I blinked, taken aback. The request was so unexpected that for a moment, I was sure I had misheard him. “What? Why?” I managed to stammer out.

Noah leaned forward, his elbows on his desk. The movement brought his face closer to mine, and I could see the flecks of gold in his green eyes, tiny wildfires in the forest.

“I have my own needs, Hannah,” he said gruffly. “I’m tired of sleeping in the guest bedroom, which doesn’t have as nice furnishings or as nice of an en suite bathroom. I want to sleep in the master bedroom, which has a bigger and softer bed that will be better for my back.”

I frowned. “We can just swap bedrooms if that’s the issue.”

“It’s not just that,” Noah said, his voice softening ever so slightly. “I also want to do this because I want to be in the same room in case you need me at any point during the night. I would feel safer having you close by. If you were hurt in any way, I would want to be right there to hear you call my name.”

I felt my cheeks flush again, and I looked away, considering his words. The idea of sharing a bed with Noah again was tempting, not just for the reasons he explained, but for… other reasons.

My mind flashed back to the nights we had slept together on our journey to Silvermoon, how comforting it had been to feel his heat beside me. I hadn’t realized just how much I had missed sharing a bed with someone.

After a moment, I nodded and grabbed the contract. “Alright, I’ll add the amendment. I suppose it will be more convenient for us if we sleep together, because we can... hook up before bed without impeding on our two-hour dates.”

Noah nodded. “Exactly. It’s a practical solution.”

As I turned to leave, I had to bite my lip to stop myself from smiling. Despite my best efforts to keep this arrangement clinical and detached, I couldn’t deny the flutter of excitement in my stomach at the thought of sharing a bed with Noah again.

…

Later that night, I lay in bed, my heart racing as I waited. And waited. And waited.

Noah was late coming to bed. He had signed the amended contract earlier that day, but maybe he had changed his mind.

The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast long shadows across the room, and I found myself constantly peeking at the door over the top of my book, wondering if he would come.

Finally, the soft click of the door opening made me tense, and I watched as Noah entered the room, shirtless.

I swallowed. Hard. The sight of his bare chest, illuminated by the soft light, made my thighs instinctively tighten beneath the blanket. His muscles rippled as he moved toward me with a predator’s grace, and I was suddenly very aware of my own body’s heat.

Without a word, he pulled the blankets back and climbed into bed beside me, the mattress dipping under his weight. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, smell the familiar scent of his cologne. It was intoxicating.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

I gulped again, hoping that the dim light would hide the blush that I could feel burning across my cheeks as I carefully dog-eared the page of my book and set it aside.

“Yes,” I whispered, sliding down so that my head was on the pillow.

Before I could say anything else, Noah was on top of me, his body pressing me into the mattress, caging me in. He pressed his lips to mine without preamble, his hands sliding my nightgown up around my waist, his palms hot and firm against my flesh.

When we finally pulled back for air, my knees would have buckled beneath me had I not already been laying down.

“How do you want it tonight?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

I hesitated for a moment. My heart was pounding like a war drum in my chest, my breasts heaving beneath the thin lace of my nightgown. What did I want… How did I want it…?

Before I could think twice, I simply muttered, “All of you.”

Noah nodded and closed the distance between us again. I felt his hand travel down my belly, lingering on the soft swell, before his callused fingers slipped my panties aside. I was already sopping, and his fingers slipped in easily, one at first and then two.

As his tongue slipped into my mouth next, flicking over my teeth and swirling around my own, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had made a terrible mistake or the best decision of my life.

But as he eventually climbed on top of me and slipped his throbbing member between my thighs, I quickly lost track of those warring thoughts.