Chapter 305: Intimate Promises

Runze’s POV

I stretch my legs across the mattress, adjusting the soft collar of my cotton nightgown.

The loose fabric drapes across my lap, settling around the firm, rounded curve of my stomach. My tablet rests on my knees, displaying the final floor plans for the luxury hotel project my architectural team submitted yesterday. The client approved every single layout without asking for a single revision.

With three new staff members joining R.Z Studio next month, our current space is already getting tight. I need to start drafting blueprints for a dedicated building, a place I can design and build from the ground up rather than leasing another commercial floor.

The door to our bedroom opens.

Bael steps inside, wearing a simple pair of dark lounge trousers and a thin white shirt with the top button unfastened. He carries a small plate holding neatly sliced pieces of fresh peaches.

He walks over to the bed, and without a word, his fingers gently take the tablet from my hands, setting it down on the nightstand right beside the small plate of fruit. He sits down on the mattress beside me, his gaze lingering on my face for a moment before shifting down to my lap.

“Did she finally fall asleep?” Bael asks, his lips curving as he looks down at me.

“Of course,” I answer, letting out a soft sigh as I adjust my position against the pillows. “Though right before I finished reading, she spent ten minutes trying to convince me that she urgently needs a real bicycle with training wheels before the end of the month.”

“Naturally,” Bael remarks, his expression softening. “She claimed she needs to practice riding in the courtyard so she can teach the baby later.”

He picks up a slice of fresh peach from the plate, holding it out to my mouth. I lean forward, taking the fruit between my teeth. The cool, sweet juice bursts against my tongue as I bite down.

“…Is it sweet?” Bael asks, watching me chew.

“Yes,” I tell him, swallowing the fruit. “Wanna try?”

Bael nods once, his eyes lingering on my lips. “I should.”

He reaches down toward the plate to pick up another slice, but I catch his wrist, taking the piece right from his fingers and popping it into my own mouth instead.

Without giving him time to react, I reach up, wrapping both of my arms around his shoulders. I pull him down to me, pressing my mouth against his while I eat the fruit, letting him taste the sweet juice directly from my lips in a slow, lingering kiss.

When I break the seal of our lips, I look up into his dark gaze, a small, knowing smile touching my mouth.

“How is it?” I ask.

Bael braces one hand against the headboard beside my shoulder, looking down at me with an unhurried, dangerous charm.

“Hmm…” Bael murmurs, his thumb brushing over my lower lip. “I suppose it is sweet, but let me try again to confirm.”

He leans down, capturing my mouth in a deep, fiery kiss that steals the breath right out of my lungs. His tongue moves against mine with a possessive, thorough intensity, tracing every corner of my mouth until my heart thumps wildly against my ribs.

He pulls back an inch, and a smirk touches his lips.

“It truly is very sweet,” Bael says, putting a deliberate emphasis on the ‘very’.

A pleasant heat rises along my neck. I laugh, my fingers tightening in the fabric over his shoulders as I pull him back down for one more brief, lingering press of our lips.

Bael shifts his weight on the mattress, moving the plate of fruit to the far side of the nightstand before swinging his legs fully onto the bed. He positions himself behind me, settling against the headboard so my back rests against his chest. His knees rest comfortably against the sides of my thighs.

His arms circle my waist, and his fingers slip beneath the hem of my cotton nightgown, settling against my bare skin.

“Your waist was tense when you stood up after dinner,” Bael notes, his thumbs beginning a slow, deliberate rhythm against my lower back, working over the tight muscles near my spine.

I let out a long breath, leaning my head back against his shoulder as the ache slowly uncoils under his touch. “My lower back has been sore all evening.”

“Then don’t do anything else for the rest of the night,” Bael instructs, his fingers applying exact, deep pressure until the knot near my hip gives way. “I’ll be here too. Shen Rui knows not to call my line unless the company is burning down.”

I turn my head slightly, my cheek resting against the front of his shoulder. “You cleared your entire evening schedule for this?”

“I cleared my schedule to be with my husband,” Bael says plainly, his eyes fixing on mine with a quiet intensity.

The word settles in my chest with a deep, familiar comfort. He lowers his face, pressing his mouth against my temple, then down along the side of my neck in a series of slow, lingering kisses. His hand resting over my bare stomach shifts as a firm, distinct movement presses outward against his palm.

Bael pauses, his fingers freezing flat against my skin.

He looks down at his palm where our child continues to stretch against me.

“I used to think I didn’t deserve this kind of life,” Bael says, his voice dropping into a low, reflective cadence. “For a long time, every time I looked at you or Siying, a part of me expected something to go wrong within a few weeks. I kept telling myself my only job was to protect this happiness before it disappeared, as if it was something I had stolen and wasn’t allowed to keep.”

I shift slightly, my head turning to look up at him. “…And now?”

Bael presses his lips against the sensitive skin behind my ear, holding me against his chest.

“Now I know that even if I never deserved it, you do,” Bael murmurs against my neck, his chest expanding against my back as he takes a deep breath. “Which means this happiness is here to stay. It belongs to us, and nothing has the right to take it away.”

My heart beats a little faster against my ribs, a gentle wave of heat spreading outward into my chest. Hearing him admit the quiet fear he carried for so long aches, but knowing he finally feels safe brings a profound relief that makes my throat feel tight.

I rest my cheek against his jawline as I lace my fingers through his over my stomach.

“You deserve every bit of this happiness, Bael,” I tell him softly, pressing a kiss against the side of his neck. “I love you.”

Bael lets out a low breath, his arms tightening around me as he buries his face into the curve of my neck.

“Hmm,” Bael murmurs into my skin, holding me flush against his chest. “I’m glad I have you, Runze. I love you too.”

I close my eyes, leaning my full weight back against him as the late hours settle over our room, holding each other close while our house rests in complete peace.