Stella’s POV
"Mr. Lancaster..." I shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I need to..."
His eyebrow rose as he studied my squirming. "Yes?"
"The bathroom," I finally managed, mortified. "I can't really walk with these knees."
A dangerous smile curved his lips. "And?"
"And..." I gritted my teeth. "I need help getting there."
Without warning, he scooped me up like I weighed nothing. The sudden movement sent my heart racing, though whether from surprise or something else, I refused to examine too closely.
"Don't squirm." His voice held that commanding edge that always made my pulse jump. "Or I am not sure what will happen later."
Last night. The memories hit me like a tidal wave – my drunk self's boldness, the way I'd practically thrown myself at him, those kisses that had made me forget my own name...
"Stop thinking so hard." His thumb traced circles on my hip as he carried me to the bathroom. "You'll give yourself a headache."
"I'm not—" But the protest died as he set me down with surprising gentleness.
"Can you manage from here?" His eyes held an unfamiliar warmth. "Or do you need more... assistance?"
Heat flooded my face. "I can manage!"
His laugh rumbled through his chest. "Is Mrs. Lancaster being shy?"
"You're my husband," I shot back with more bravado than I felt. "What do I have to be shy about?"
Wrong thing to say. His eyes darkened as he stepped closer, backing me against the marble counter. "Careful, Mrs. Lancaster. That almost sounds like an invitation."
My heart did that annoying little skip it always did when he got too close. "I didn't mean—"
"No?" His fingers traced my jawline, making it really hard to remember what I was protesting. "Then maybe you should be more careful with your words."
"Maybe you should stop being so..." I gestured vaguely at all of him.
"So what?" His smile was pure predator. "Handsome? Charming? Irresistible?"
"Insufferable!" But even I could hear the breathlessness in my voice.
"Yet you couldn't resist kissing me last night." His thumb brushed my bottom lip, making me shiver. "Multiple times, if I recall correctly."
"I was drunk!" The memory of my boldness made me want to crawl under the sink and die.
"Was it?" He leaned closer, his cologne making it impossible to think straight. "Should I help you recall it?"
Before I could come up with a coherent response, he pulled back with that infuriating smirk. "Take care of your needs, Mrs. Lancaster. I'll wait outside."
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with my mortification and racing heart.
\---
"Make sure Mrs. Lancaster doesn't attempt any more drunken adventures," Adam's voice carried through the bedroom door as he prepared to leave for his morning meetings. "And change her bandages every four hours."
"Of course, sir." Joseph's voice held barely concealed amusement. "Shall I have the maids prepare Mrs. Lancaster's room?"
"No need." Adam's tone brooked no argument. "My wife will be staying in my room."
The emphasis he put on "my wife" sent an inexplicable shiver down my spine.
"Very good, sir." Was that a hint of approval in Joseph's voice? "And regarding last night's... incident?"
I buried my face in the pillows, wishing the earth would open up and swallow me whole. The entire staff had witnessed my embarrassing behavior?
"It doesn’t matter." Was that actual fondness in Adam's voice?
Kill me now.
After Adam left my room, I could heard some whisper outside.
"Oh yes!" A younger maid couldn't contain her giggling. "And when she refused the expensive bag offer because she wanted more of that 'sparkly drink' instead!"
"The same drink that led to her falling asleep in the bathtub?" The older maid's voice carried motherly disapproval.
My entire body felt like it was combusting from embarrassment. I'd fallen asleep in the bath? And Adam had found me there?
"Though the cutest part," the young maid continued, oblivious to my silent prayers for death, "was when she wouldn't let the doctor treat her unless Mr. Lancaster held her hand!"
That's it. I'm never leaving this room again.
\---
"You can't hide in here forever." Sam's voice carried clearly through the phone. "Though I have to say, drunk you sounds hilarious."
"Not helping." I buried deeper into the absurdly comfortable mattress that still smelled like Adam's cologne. "I made a complete fool of myself!"
"Please. From what I hear, you finally showed some genuine interest in your husband. About time, if you ask me."
"I did not—"
"Oh really?" I could practically hear her smirk. "So you didn't kiss him first? Or tell him his muscles were—"
"Can we please talk about something else?" I interrupted desperately. "Like, I don't know, the weather?"
"Fine." Her tone turned serious. "But you might want to hear this – two of Thomas's strongest supporters just got hit hard. One's under investigation for insider trading, the other's having mysterious funding issues in the Cayman Islands."
That caught my attention. "GT Group?"
"It seemed to be." She paused meaningfully. But I could not consider the reason why GT Group would target at Thomas.
Before I could process that news, Taylor appeared in the doorway. "Mrs. Lancaster? Mr. Lancaster asked me to inform you he'll be leaving for London tonight. Business at the UK branch requires his immediate attention."
The relief that flooded through me was probably inappropriate for a wife hearing her husband would be away. But at least now I could leave this room without dying of embarrassment.
"It's fine," I told myself as I finally ventured out of the suite. "We're married. Married people do... married things. Nothing to be embarrassed about."
But my treacherous mind kept replaying the feeling of his lips on mine, how safe I'd felt in his arms...
Stop it, I told my racing heart. It doesn't mean anything.
\---
Adam's POV
The quarterly reports from London demanded immediate attention, but my mind kept wandering to more... distracting matters-all was Stella.
"Mr. Lancaster?" Taylor's voice broke through my thoughts. "Your mother's doctor is on line one."
Mother. The word hit like ice water. After five years of carefully maintained fiction, why was she suddenly demanding to meet Stella?
"Put him through." I kept my voice controlled despite the anger simmering beneath the surface.
The doctor's words confirmed my suspicions – someone had deliberately ensured news of my marriage would reach Mother's facility. Someone who wanted to destabilize her carefully managed condition.
"Mr. Lancaster?" The doctor's voice carried barely concealed worry. "She's quite insistent about meeting your... wife."
Wife. The word still felt strange on my tongue.
"Tell her we'll visit when Mrs. Lancaster's injuries have healed." The memory of Stella's scraped knees made something dark twist in my chest. "And find out who's been feeding her information."
As I prepared for the London trip, my eyes kept straying to the bed where Stella had spent the night. The sight of her curled up in my sheets, wearing my clothes, had done dangerous things to my self-control.
"Your flight is ready, sir." Taylor's voice pulled me back to reality. "Shall I have the car brought around?"
I nodded, gathering the last of my papers. Part of me – a larger part than I cared to admit – was reluctant to leave while Stella was still recovering.
Besides, I had other matters to attend to. Like ensuring Thomas and his supporters understood exactly what happened to those who threatened what was mine.