TRADING MY CHEATING HUSBAND FOR THE LYCAN KING novel Chapter 90

CHAPTER 59: TLIKE YOU. A LOT

EMBER’S POV

We return to the penthouse in a daze.

The space feels different now. Lighter, maybe.

Like the weight of everything that’s been pressing down on us has lifted slightly, leaving room for

something that might be hope.

Knox disappears into the bedroom to change, and I drift to the window, looking out at the mountain vista

that’s become so familiar over the past few days.

We have one day left, or is it two? What does the new 30–days probation mean for us? For me.

The snow is falling gently, coating everything in white, making the world look clean and fresh and full of

possibility.

I’m free.

The words still don’t feel real.

I’m free and Gale is in custody and my mother’s schemes have collapsed and the council has cleared

Knox’s name and-

And none of it matters if I can’t figure out what happens next.

“Hey.”

Knox’s voice pulls me back. He’s changed into something casual–dark jeans, a henley that stretches across his shoulders in ways that are probably illegal–and he’s looking at me with an expression I can’t

quite read.

“We should talk about the arrangement,” he says.

Right. The arrangement.

୮

The thing that started all of this. The transaction that somehow became something more complicated

than either of us planned.

The thirty–day probation,” I say, turning from the window to face him.

“The council will be watching. Everything we do will be scrutinized for evidence of authenticity.” He moves

closer, his presence filling the space between us. “We need to be even more convincing than before.”

“So… same arrangement? Just longer?”

“Essentially.” He’s close enough now that I can smell his cologne–that expensive scent I’ve come to associate with safety. With him. “The Summit ends officially in 48 hours. So, we stay here. Attend the rest of the events as my girlfriend. After the Summit ends, you move in with me. For the sake of the

CHAPTER SA TUKE YOU A LOT

+25 Paints

arrangement, of course. We maintain the public relationship. I cover expenses, provide security, handle the divorce lawyers.”

“And the other part?”

His eyes darken. “The sexual component?”

“Yes.”

“Unlimited access.” His voice drops, rougher than before. “Same as before. You’re in my bed when I want

you there.”

The words shouldn’t make heat pool in my stomach. Not after everything that happened today. But my

body doesn’t care about appropriate emotional responses.

“Okay,” I whisper.

He steps closer still, his hand coming up to cup my face. His thumb traces my cheekbone, and the

gentleness of it makes my chest ache.

“Knbx?”

“Hmm?”

“In the courtroom…” I hesitate, suddenly unsure if I want to ask this question. If I want to know the answer.

“The things you said about me. About me being worthy of a king’s devotion. About me being courageous

and-” I swallow. “Did you mean any of it?”

His thumb stills against my cheek.

For a long moment, he just looks at me. Then the corner of his mouth quirks up in that infuriating

half–smile.

“Fishing for compliments already? We haven’t even started the thirty days yet.”

“Knox.”

“What? I’m just saying, if you need your ego stroked, I can think of other things I’d rather stroke first—”

“I’m serious.”

His smile fades slightly. Something flickers in his eyes–something that looks almost vulnerable before he

locks it away.

“You were brave in there,” he says carefully. “That part was true.”

“And the rest?”

The part about fighting to be with me. The part that felt too close to love.

He doesn’t answer. Instead, his hand slides from my cheek to the back of my neck, pulling me closer.

“We have thirty days,” he murmurs against my hair. “Let’s not waste them analyzing courtroom speeches.”

CHAPTERS THKE YOU A LOT

And there it is.

The reminder. The new expiration date stamped on whatever this is between us.

Thirty days. And then

I pull back from his chest, stepping out of his arms. The distance feels like torturous.

“Hey.” His brow furrows. “Hey, don’t run from me.”

“I’m not running.”

“You literally just stepped away.”

+25 Points

“Because-” My voice catches. I hate this. Hate how much I’ve come to want something I was never supposed to have. “Because this is going to end, Knox. In thirty days, this is over. And I just—”

“Ember.”

“Why can’t you just-” I stop. Force myself to breathe past the sob clawing up my throat. “Why can’t you just stay? You do all these things, Knox. You fight for me. You protect me. You hold me like you’re afraid I’ll disappear. You look at me with those eyes–those fucking eyes–like I’m the most important thing you’ve ever seen. And then you push me away. Every single time. How can you kiss me like that and not want more? How can you be inside me, calling me baby, calling me yours–and then stand there the next morning like none of it happened? How can you make me feel like everything and feel nothing yourself? Is wanting me really that hard? Is loving me really that terrifying? How can you not want more?”

The words hang between us, more honest than I intended. My heart is crushing inside me, Sapphire

screaming out her own pain.

His expression shifts. Something painful crosses his face before he smooths it away.

“Ember. Darling…”

“I like you.” The confession tumbles out before I can stop it. “A lot. More than I should. More than makes sense given how this started. And I know that’s stupid. I know this was supposed to be an arrangement. I know you never promised me anything beyond-”

“I like you too.” His voice is quiet. Rough. Then he adds, “A lot.”

My heart stutters. “But?”

He doesn’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t have to.

“Not enough for forever,” I say, and I hate how my voice wobbles.

r

He closes the distance between us, his hands finding my face again, tilting it up to meet his gaze. His thumbs trace my jaw like he’s memorizing the shape of me.

“Not enough to hurt you,” he says softly. “Ember. Please. I want this. Fuck, I want you more than I’ve wanted anything or anyone else. I want this so fucking much that it hurts, but… I also know that I’m too

CHAPTER 50–TLIKE YOU ALOT

+25 Peints

broken to give you what you deserve. I can’t drag you into my madness. I won’t let you damn yourself to

1. me. Please.”

He presses his forehead against mine. His breath is warm on my lips.

His eyes are so close I can see the flecks of silver in the blue, the storm raging behind them that he’s

trying so hard to keep leashed.

“Tell me you understand,” he whispers.

The tears blur my eyes, and I hate how pathetic I feel.

9

Comments