Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Routine
We both wake up late on Monday morning, so everything starts completely wrong.
When I finally open my eyes, the clock on the nightstand says seven-forty. I just stare at the numbers for a second, my brain trying to process the math. The presentation review with Elliot and Zhu Yi starts at nine o’clock sharp at the Dingshan office, and the Monday morning traffic coming from the estate is always a complete nightmare.
I try to pull the heavy blanket off my legs to get out of bed, but Bael’s arms are already wrapped around my waist from behind. He tightens his grip, his flat palms sinking into my hips, and pulls me right back down against the mattress until my back hits his chest.
"Bael, let go," I say. I try to make it sound like an order, but my voice doesn’t have any real bite to it. It is incredibly hard to sound serious or hurried when the person you love is holding you exactly the way you like to be held. "It’s late. I seriously have to get up."
Bael just buries his face straight into the back of my neck, his breath warm against my skin, and lets out a low, stubborn grunt. "No."
"The team session is in an hour," I say, my hands just resting over his fingers on my hips instead of actually trying to pull them off. "I can’t be late for the first big layout alignment. Zhu Yi is going to be tracking the minutes."
Bael opens one eye, looks at the clock on the wall, and then looks down at me. He doesn’t say anything. Instead, he throws the covers off both of us with one quick movement, shifts his massive weight, and picks me up right off the mattress before my feet can even touch the floorboards.
"What—"
He carries me out of the bedroom in a steady princess carry. His chest is completely bare and hot against my side, and I have to grab his shoulders just to keep my balance as he walks. He marches straight into the bathroom, kicks the door shut with his heel, and puts me down carefully on the edge of the big marble bathtub.
The water is already running, filling the room with a quiet rushing sound.
"We don’t have time for this," I mutter, my face getting warm as he steps into the tub and pulls me down into the water right between his legs.
"I know," Bael says softly against my hair, his arms sliding around me from behind, anchoring me against his chest. He doesn’t sound rushed at all, completely ignoring the clock.
The warm water makes the dull ache in my lower back feel better right away, taking the pressure off my joints.
My heart is beating fast, but it’s a quiet, heavy sort of rhythm because Bael is sitting right behind me, his chest flat against my spine. He picks up the cloth and begins to wash me, his movements slow and totally unhurried despite the time.
He washes my shoulders and the back of my neck, but then his mouth moves to my ear, his lips brushing the sensitive skin there before tracing a line down to the side of my neck. He presses a firm, slow kiss into the crook of my shoulder, his warm breath making my skin prickle.
"Bael, not today," I say, trying to twist my head away, but the movement only makes him lean into me more.
I gasp as his palm moves down over my stomach, lingering on the firm curve where the baby is for a long moment, before sliding lower between my thighs. His fingers slide directly over my cock under the water, his grip secure and hot.
"Bael, I’m late—nngh!"
My breath hitches in my throat. I lean my head back against his shoulder, my eyes closing as I hold the edge of the tub. His thumb strokes the head of my cock with a steady, heavy pressure, over and over, completely sure of what he’s doing.
I stay completely still in the water. For a second, I think he is going to pull me onto his lap and fuck me, I can feel how hard and rigid he is against my lower back, so I know exactly how much he wants to.
My skin is prickling with the anticipation of it, waiting for him to shift my weight. But he doesn’t push me to do anything, he doesn’t try to rush my body. He just keeps his hand between my legs, moving his fingers faster and working through the friction under the warm water until I suddenly cum right against his palm.
I am completely out of breath, my head resting against his wet shoulder while my body shakes a little bit from the release. The water around us is still, and the tight knot of stress I woke up with is entirely gone.
Bael presses one more quiet kiss to the side of my neck, letting out a rough breath near my ear. He washes his hands in the bathwater and uses the shower head to rinse the soap off both of us, lifting me out of the tub and wrapping a fresh towel around my waist.
He grabs his own towel, his gray eyes looking down at me with a lazy, satisfied spark. "Hurry up," he says, his voice a low rumble as he opens the bathroom door to head back into the bedroom to get dressed. "You don’t want to be late."
I just stare at his back, my mouth open a little bit. I feel entirely flustered because he’s acting like I was the one who just caused this whole delay, even though he knew exactly how tight our schedule was.
***
The drive to the Dingshan office is totally quiet, but the air inside the car feels heavy and warm.
Qiao Jin is driving, moving smoothly through the busy morning traffic, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Liang Feng is sitting in the front passenger seat, staring straight at the windshield.
I am sitting in the back seat, and Bael is right next to me.
He isn’t reading his tablet or checking his emails today. He just keeps his left hand flat on the leather seat between us, locking his fingers tightly through mine. His palm is firm and warm, and he doesn’t let go for the entire trip, anchoring me next to him while the city buildings flash past the window.
When the car finally pulls up to the curb in front of the Dingshan office building, I let out a slow breath. Looking through the glass doors of the lobby, I can see Elliot standing near the reception desk, holding his leather portfolio and checking his watch.
"I’m going now," I say, turning my body toward the door to open it.
Bael squeezes my hand tightly, stopping me in my tracks.
I look back at him, confused. Bael is staring straight at me, his gray eyes completely serious, his jaw set in a quiet line.
"What?" I ask, keeping my voice very low.
Bael doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilts his face toward me a little bit, his gray eyes looking right into mine, and raises an eyebrow. He taps a large finger once against his cheek, nudging his head slightly toward me.
"Didn’t you forget something?" he asks, his voice perfectly flat and deadpan.
My mouth falls open slightly. My face goes so intensely hot I feel like my ears are actually burning under my hair.
He is doing this completely on purpose. Surprisingly, Bael actually has this side to him...this stubborn, childish side that will completely halt a multi-billion dollar schedule just to tease me. It’s ridiculous, but looking at his face right now, he looks almost cute.
"Are you serious?" I whisper, my eyes darting to the rearview mirror. "They are right there."
Liang Feng doesn’t blink. Qiao Jin doesn’t move a muscle. They look like stone statues, but their forced silence only makes the back of my neck feel hotter. They are clearly trying as hard as possible to pretend they are invisible.
"They’re blind," Bael says, his tone completely deadpan. He doesn’t move back an inch, and his gray eyes keep that steady, teasing look. "Hurry up, Runze. You’re going to be late."
"You are ridiculous," I snap, my teeth clicking together.
But I know exactly how he is. He will keep the car door locked until he gets what he wants, and Elliot is still waiting inside.
I lean forward quickly, my heart doing a stupid flip against my ribs. I press my lips against his cheekbone, giving him a fast, dry kiss before pulling back immediately to my side of the seat.
Bael lets out a low huff that sounds like a tiny laugh. His fingers finally let go of mine, and the car door clicks unlocked.
"Go on," he says quietly.
I grab my bag, push the door open, and step out into the cool morning air.
My face is completely on fire as I walk toward the building entrance. My steps are fast and a little clumsy because I can feel his gray eyes watching my back through the dark windows of the car. I don’t look back, but the weight of his stare is entirely clear against my shoulders.
The car doesn’t pull away from the curb until I walk completely inside the lobby.
The moment my feet hit the polished marble floor, the phone in my pocket vibrates sharply.
I pull it out and unlock the screen, my thumb shaking a little bit against the glass.
*Bael: Message me when the session is over. I will come to take you home.*
I stare at the text for a long moment. My chest does a strange, sudden skip, and the heat on my face spreads all the way down under my shirt collar until my skin feels completely warm.
I quickly shove the phone back into my pocket, press both hands against my hot cheeks to try and make them behave, and walk toward the elevator where Elliot is waiting for me.
