Chapter 239
Chapter 239
Queenie’s Pov
I opened the door and froze.
Anton stood there, not in a suit, not with the usual heaviness of the world on his shoulders, but in jeans and a soft grey sweater. His hair looked a little messier than usual, and there was a small smile on his face. Not his usual confident grin, but something gentler, softer.
“Hi,” I said quietly, suddenly shy.
“Hi,” he replied.
There was a beat of silence between us, the kind that used to feel awkward but now felt full of everything we hadn’t said yet. The apartment felt different with him standing in it,warmer, somehow.
I stepped aside, and he came in slowly, looking around like it had been years since he’d last been here. He didn’t mention the lawsuit. He didn’t bring up the press conference, or Michael’s arrest, or how everything had exploded and then finally calmed.
Instead, he just looked at me, really looked at me. And I felt it in my chest, tight and full and overwhelming.
“I missed you,” he said, voice low and sure, like he meant every word.
My throat tightened. I didn’t expect those words, not from him. Not this soon.
But they were exactly what I needed.
“I missed you too,” I whispered, and then before I could think about it, I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around him.
He didn’t hesitate. He held me tightly, like he’d been waiting too long to do it. His hand came up to the back of my head, pressing me closer, and I let out a shaky breath against his chest.
It felt like home.
His scent. His warmth. The way his arms fit around me like they were made for it.
For a long moment, we just stood there.
I didn’t want to speak. I didn’t want to move. I wanted time to stop.
“I kept thinking about this,” he murmured against my hair. “About just… being here. With you. Like nothing ever broke.”
“It did break,” I said softly, not to ruin the moment, but because I needed to be honest.
“I know.” He pulled back just enough to look at me. “But we can fix it.”
I looked into his eyes and saw everything I had been missing, his certainty, his steadiness, his care. He looked tired, but hopeful. Like a man who’d been through war and came out determined to rebuild.
“Do you think we can?” I asked, my voice barely above a breath.
“I think we already are.”
He guided me to the couch, and we sat close, knees brushing, hands slowly finding each other again.
“It hasn’t been easy,” I admitted. “The silence. Not knowing where we stood.”
“I was scared,” he said. “Scared that after everything, I’d lost you for good.”
I looked down at our fingers intertwined.
“You didn’t.”
We didn’t need big promises or complicated explanations right now. Just the truth. Just the honesty of being near each other again.
He kissed my forehead, then leaned his head against mine.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?”
“For the way I handled everything. For the pressure. For not listening when I should’ve.”
“I’m sorry too,” I said. “For shutting you out. For running.”
He shook his head gently. “You were protecting yourself. I get it. But we don’t have to run anymore. Not from each other.”
The words settled into the quiet like warm light.
“I want to start over,” he continued. “Not forget, but build something better. Stronger.”
I smiled, tears welling up again. “I’d like that.”
Anton’s Pov
I held her close, my arms wrapped tightly around her like I could somehow protect her from everything that had ever gone wrong. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe again. She was here. In my arms. And this was where we both belonged.
I didn’t want to let go.
But after a while, I pulled back just enough to look at her face. Her eyes were damp, but they were warm. They weren’t filled with fear anymore. Just… peace. Hope.
“Queenie,” I said quietly, brushing her hair behind her ear, “our engagement was real.”
She blinked, and I watched another tear slip down her cheek. I caught it with my thumb.
“It was real from the moment I realized I couldn’t live without you,” I continued. “And it still is.”
Her breath hitched. “I know,” she whispered. “I was just so scared. Everything felt like it was crashing down, and I didn’t know how to protect myself… or Junie… or us.”
“I get it,” I said softly. “I do. But we’re here now. We faced all of it,and we made it through.”
She gave me a small nod, and then leaned into my touch. I wiped another tear from her cheek and felt something loosen in my chest. That wall she’d built between us,it was crumbling. Finally,
“Let’s do this right,” I said gently. “No more contracts, no more deadlines. Just us. Let’s plan a real wedding.”
A tiny laugh escaped her lips, and she smiled up at me,really smiled. The kind of smile I hadn’t seen in a long time. It reached her eyes and lit something inside me.
“I want that,” she said quietly, “but… not yet.”
I raised a brow. “No?”
She shook her head. “I want to wait. I want to breathe first. I want to finish setting up my clinic. I want to travel a little,see the world with Junie. Just be free for a while.”
There was no hesitation in her voice, just certainty. And how could I argue with that? She had been through so much. She deserved to reclaim her life in her own way, on her own terms.
I nodded. “Then we’ll wait.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Really?”
“Really,” I said. “You’ve earned every bit of freedom you’re asking for. I’m not going anywhere.”
She looked at me for a long moment, then leaned her head on my shoulder.
“I don’t want to lose what we have,” she said softly. “And I don’t want to rush into something just because it feels like the right time. I want it to be our time.”
“It will be,” I murmured. “When you’re ready. We’ll do it your way.”
We sat like that in silence, her head on my shoulder, my hand gently running along her back. The kind of silence that was full, not empty.
I thought about everything we had faced,Michael, the media, the doubt, the distance. And still, we were here. Still standing.
“You know,” she said after a while, lifting her head, “when I first met you, I never thought this was where we’d end up.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, you kind of hated me.”
“Kind of?” she teased. “I definitely hated you.”
I laughed, and she joined in, the sound like music in the quiet apartment.
“But look at us now,” I said. “From fake fiancés to… real everything.”
She nodded, her expression soft. “Yeah. Real everything.” Her eyes shut slowly, she placed her hands on mine and I felt heaven. I wanted her so bad, my body couldn't deny that. But she wasn't ready, so her words said… but her eyes, her lips, her stare!
I took my chances, and moved closer. My hands wrapped around her waist.
My lips merged with hers and I groaned as her sweetness envelopes my senses. She was divine and she was mine.
I ran my hands all over her back before settling for the curve of her waist. Queenie was perfect.
“Anton,” she moaned breathlessly as she pulled away from the kiss. Her eyes filled with lust and need, searched mine.
“Are you going to take me or torture me like this all day?” She said in a slightly exasperated tone. I wasn't expecting her to feel so needy.
I smirked and pulled her closer, the force of it causing her breasts to brush against my chest.
I lowered my gaze and saw them hardening through the cotton shirt she wore and my dick throbbed painfully in my pants at the sight.
“I could do the two, you know?” I murmured huskily in her ear as I spun her around, turning her backside to my groin.
My lips hovered over her neck just as my hands reached lower and cupped her pussy through the jeans she wore. I heard her soft intake of breath and I smirked.
“I could do this all day. I could torture you and make you beg for me and when you feel like you're about to lose all hope, I'd thrust in and fuck you so mercilessly till you come screaming my name.”
“How do you like that?” I whispered as I rubbed against her jeans. She let out a soft mewl. I've waited so long for this.
“I'd love to see you try.”
Her sassy remark had me growling as I pinned her against the wall, securing her hands tightly over her head.
Queenie writhed against me, trying desperately to set her hands free but she should have known it was a futile act. Now that she was within my reach, I was never letting her go.