Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 414

Chapter 414

Madeline’s POV

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I was sitting on the bed, watching Olivia choose clothes from the closet, when I suddenly felt the urge to say out loud what had been running through my mind for days.

“Olivia,” I started hesitantly, “I feel like I’m living some kind of teenage dream.”

She stopped rummaging through the clothes and turned to look at me, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just that…” I tried to organize my thoughts. “With Dominic, even back when I still believed we genuinely loved each other, everything was always more… practical.”

“Practical?” Olivia repeated, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

I sighed, searching for the right words to explain something I was only just beginning to understand myself.

“It felt like an… adult relationship. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, but it was all about sharing responsibilities until they completely took over our lives, you know? Conversations about investments. Which social events we should attend. When would be the right time to have kids based on our schedules. Everything calculated, planned, structured.”

Olivia nodded, encouraging me to keep going.

“With Marcus, it’s different,” I continued, feeling my face warm slightly. “It’s like I’ve fallen into a Valentian romance. Like Romeo and Juliet.”

Olivia laughed, a genuinely amused sound that filled the room.

“That was a terrible example, Madeline. They die at the end!”

I laughed too, shaking my head at my own lack of finesse.

“That’s true. I couldn’t think of another Valentian romance in the moment.”

“What about…” Olivia started, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Madeline?” Marcus’s voice came from the hallway. “Are you ready?”

“I am!” I called back, getting up from the bed and grabbing a light jacket I’d left draped over a chair.

Marcus had planned a picnic for the two of us in a more secluded part of the property, far from the main house and the bustle of the family. He was carrying a wicker basket and had a checkered blanket tucked under his arm. He was wearing a light blue shirt that made his eyes stand out even more, and when he saw me, his face lit up with that smile that always made my stomach flip.

We walked through the olive groves until we reached a small hill that offered a breathtaking view of the entire property and the mountains beyond. Marcus spread the blanket over the soft grass beneath an ancient olive tree, and we started pulling things out of the basket.

There was fresh Valentian bread, local cheeses, colorful fruit, and even a bottle of sparkling grape juice just for

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Chapter 414

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1. Marcus had thought of every detail, including the fact that I couldn’t drink alcohol.

But once we started eating, I realized I was making some truly strange combinations. I took a slice of peach, topped it with blue cheese, drizzled a little honey over it, and took a satisfied bite.

Marcus stared at me like I’d just committed a crime, blinking several times as if trying to process what he had just witnessed.

“Madeline…” he said hesitantly. “You just made the most bizarre combination I’ve ever seen in my life.”

I laughed and took another bite of my culinary creation.

“I’ve been having cravings lately,” I explained. “It sounded good at the time.”

“Cravings?” he repeated, and I saw the exact moment it clicked for him. His eyes softened immediately. “From the pregnancy.”

I nodded, feeling my cheeks warm.

“Try it,” I said, offering him half of my strange combination.

Marcus stared at the slice of peach covered in cheese and honey like it was a bomb about to go off, but he took it anyway and bit into it. I watched the exact second the flavor hit him. His eyes widened just a little, and he made an almost imperceptible face.

“Interesting,” he said diplomatically, though it was obvious he was fighting the urge to grimace.

“Horrible, right?” I asked, laughing at his expression.

“Not horrible,” he lied politely. “Just… very… creative.”

We laughed together, and suddenly he was leaning closer, his hands coming up to my face with that gentleness that always completely disarmed me. The kiss started soft, almost hesitant, but quickly deepened when I let myself relax into his arms.

It was always like this with Marcus. Simple moments turning into something magical. Connections that made me forget everything else in the world. His hands slid into my hair, his lips moving against mine in a way that made my heart race and wiped my mind completely clear.

But then, like it had been happening so often lately, something inside me tightened. An inner voice whispering warnings. Reminding me of the complications. Of everything at stake. I pulled back gently, placing a hand on his

chest to create a small distance between us.

I saw frustration flicker through Marcus’s blue eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He never said anything. Never pushed. Never showed impatience. But I could see it. The slight tension in his shoulders. The deep breath he took to steady himself. The careful way he created space between us when I signaled that I needed to stop.

Despite all these romantic moments we’d been sharing, the kisses that kept growing more intense, something still held me back from going further and sleeping with him. It was as if the weight of us being husband and wife, Marcus and Madeline, real people with real consequences, settled so heavily on my shoulders that I always pulled away at the last second.

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We were no longer Apollo and Aphrodite playing inside a fantasy in the Maldives. We were ourselves, with all the baggage that came with that. Two people who had married for convenience. Who were on the run from the law. Whose lives had been completely turned upside down. We were Marcus Kensington and Madeline Sullivan, and sometimes that felt far too heavy for me to simply give in to passion.

Marcus pulled back completely, sitting casually again as if nothing had happened, but I could feel the tension radiating off him like heat. He went back to organizing the food in the basket with carefully controlled movements, avoiding looking directly at me.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, feeling awful for doing this to him again.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he said softly, finally looking at me with those understanding eyes that only made me feel worse. “We’re on your timeline. Always.”

And it was exactly that endless patience of his that left me even more confused. Part of me wanted to throw myself into his arms and forget everything else. But another part, cautious and scared, kept pulling me back to reality.

I watched Marcus quietly as he packed things away, admiring the strong line of his profile against the Castorian sky, and wondered for the thousandth time what the hell I was doing to myself.

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