Chapter 259: Here, With You, Forever
[Music recommendation: No clear mind - When you’re not here]
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"Evelyn," he said in a low and rough voice, as though it had scraped its way out of his chest. The world seemed to narrow to the space between them, "Listen, baby."
His hands trembled faintly as they threaded through her hair, "I will never let you go. Not now. Not ever." Each word landed with quiet force. "So stop letting those thoughts haunt you, because they have no place in a world where we exist."
"You speak of abandonment as if it could ever be possible," he murmured. "When I cannot even bear the thought of a single second without you. Not one. From the moment you collided with me in that empty academy corridor, something irreversible happened." His voice softened, thick with raw emotions, "You seeped into every sense I possess. Every silence. Every breath."
He shook his head slowly, as if the idea alone was unbearable, "I did not know what emptiness truly was until you filled it."
He leaned forward once again, pressing his forehead against hers, "Evelyn...I would not survive a world where you chose to....leave," he admitted quietly.
Then, almost reverently, his voice dropped to a whisper, "So please....never say that again." His thumb brushed tenderly along her jaw, "And if last night swallowed my words before, hear them now."
The air between them felt so charged as Ivan finally said it again, "I love you, Evelyn."
Eve felt her heart thunder against her chest as his words hit straight to it.
She felt his hands tremble slightly as he continued, "I love you...Eve....with everything that I am. Because you are the only one who set fire to my frozen heart, and you are the only one I would be willing to defy the gods again. Or drift for eternity in an endless void or destroy this entire world if it ever dared to take you away..." His breath shuddered. "And you are the only woman I will ever choose to be with again and again. In every lifetime. Forever."
Eve was so stunned by his raw confession that it felt as though her lungs had stopped working. She had completely forgotten how to breathe, as her wide blue eyes slowly filled with fresh tears until they spilled freely, raining down without restraint and falling onto Ivan’s hands as they continued to cradle her face.
He looked at her so tenderly that even without words, his beautiful eyes revealed everything he felt, captivating and wooing her all at once. Her swollen lips trembled, yet she was left utterly speechless, as he brushed his thumb gently across her cheeks in a vain attempt to wipe away the tears that refused to stop.
"Say something....Eve," he whispered.
She parted her trembling lips, struggling to find her voice, and only after what felt like an eternity to him did she finally quiver, "I-Ivan..."
The hand resting on his cheek caressed him with such love as a breathtaking smile bloomed across her face. "You really know how to unravel me in every possible way, don’t you? From the very first time I met you across two lifetimes, you’ve known exactly how to barge into my life with confidence and utterly undo me."
Ivan’s lips twitched at her words, yet he did not interrupt her.
"You’ve been hot and cold, keeping me on my toes. From threatening me at every step I took, cautioning me to stay away from you, warning me not to fall for you, and after all that, you pulled me straight into your allure, swept me off my feet, and then punished me for refusing to leave you, for defying everything you wanted me to do."
She nuzzled her nose against his once again, smiling and sobbing at the same time. "You’ve been such an infuriating little devil, one I tried to run from with every ounce of will I could muster. I tried to keep my heart from falling for you. I tried to protect myself. But you made every single attempt fail miserably."
Her voice softened with quiet surrender. "Because you are the force I can never repel. And it’s not as though I had any will left to resist....with everything you’ve spilled from those lips of yours, I’d say you’ve made me completely....yours."
"I love you, Ivan... so much that it hurts."
She tightened her hold around his neck, rubbing her nose against his once more before planting a soft kiss there. "I love you with everything I am and everything I will ever be. And with this, you’ve sealed your fate with me forever. Because, my love, if I see any more buzzing bees around you....they would suffer a far worse fate than what that evil queen, Viva, had suffered at my hands."
Her eyes turned golden as she asked him boldly this time, "So, Ivan Ignia De Ashen, do you accept this fate of yours to be sealed with mine....forever?"
At the sight of her golden aura, Ivan’s eyes turned molten orange, and a devastating smile broke across his face. "I thought we had already established that by now... forever Eve."
They smiled at each other like two fools madly in love before sealing their vows with a deep, burning kiss. Their lips moved against each other like starved beings as their hands wrapped around one another, feeling every single inch of each other’s bodies, leaving nothing untouched. Their tongues tangled in a sensual dance as heat and burning need rose within them for one another.
Wasting no time, Ivan lifted Eve’s lovely hips with his strong arms, aligning himself at her entrance beneath the water and slammed it hard inside her. Eve moaned in complete ecstasy, pulling him fully into her warmth before she took the initiative to move against him, riding him slowly at first before gradually picking up the pace.
Their lips parted, and Ivan released a low groan as he felt her picking up the pace. He continued to hold her by the hips, assisting her movements smoothly. A strained hiss escaped him when he felt her clench tighter around him.
"You are driving me crazy, baby," he said in a strained voice as he moved his hips, causing the water in the bathtub to spill over the edge.
"Ah! So....are you," Eve rasped in a sultry voice as she continued to ride him faster, feeling herself grow tired.
But she did not want to stop. She wanted them to reach that height once again....together.
So instead of letting him take charge, she released her grip from his neck and leaned back, placing her hands behind her on Ivan’s strong, muscular thighs. She arched outward before grinding her hips once more, and Ivan forgot how to breathe.
The sight of her arching back, her body marked by him, her hips moving with unbridled need, and her full, beautiful breasts rising and falling was so intoxicating that Ivan could no longer hold himself back.
Tightening his grip around her round curves, he began to move in a wild, boundless rhythm until Eve cried out, "Ah! Ivan!"
Ivan groaned loudly, and with one final movement, they both came undone.
"Eve...." he moaned.
Pleasure exploded through them as they shuddered together, overwhelmed by another mind-blowing release. Eve slumped against his shoulder, still trembling as she panted through parted lips, while Ivan wrapped his arms around her, reeling in the aftermath of his own ecstasy.
His heart raced against his chest while she remained limp in his arms.
They stayed that way until they both finally calmed down, and once they did, Eve became acutely aware of him still buried deep inside her.
She blushed profusely at the realization and subtly cleared her throat. "Um....s-should we move?"
"Hm," Ivan replied, far too content to hold her close, even after she prompted him.
When he did not move, Eve bit her lower lip lightly and finally lifted her head from his shoulder until her face was level with his. Ivan, sensing her movement, opened his molten red eyes and looked back at her.
When he saw her glance pointedly down into the water and then back at him, he arched an elegant brow in question.
Eve stared at the man in disbelief at how shamelessly he was feigning ignorance and decided to take matters into her own hands. With a sigh, her cheeks still burning a deep crimson, she lifted herself halfway out of the water, only for Ivan to tighten his hold around her and let her fall right back where she was. The slight movement caused friction between them, and they both let out a sharp hiss.
Ivan cupped her chin, drawing her closer as he leaned in to whisper, "Is this your way of telling me you want a second round, baby?" Tilting his head, his smouldering eyes boring into hers, he added, "Because all you have to do is ask, and I’ll happily give you as many rounds as you’d like."
By now, Eve’s face looked positively like a cooked lobster. "I... you!" She grabbed the wrist of the hand holding her chin and tugged it away.
Letting out another deep sigh, she murmured, "I think we should step out of the bath now, Ivan."
"Why?" he asked unabashedly. "I was under the impression you were quite comfortable this way. Can’t we stay like this?"
Eve stared at him in disbelief. "What? N-no! I... I’m hungry!" She latched onto the first excuse she could think of to get this shameless devil to move.
Ivan looked at her for a moment, a flicker of rejection crossing his eyes before he let out a resigned sigh, as if she had just asked him for his kidneys.
"Fine," he finally relented, shifting as he wrapped his hands around her curves. He could not resist giving them a firm squeeze, making her yelp. His lips twitched at her reaction, and with effortless ease, he lifted her up and finally pulled away.
After that, they properly cleaned themselves before stepping out, wrapped in fluffy robes.
