Chapter 458: I Will Be Gentle

Quentin Blackwood decided to skip work, just lying in bed with Ivy.

He let Ivy lie in his arms, and even without a single word, there was a sense of peace.

He had successfully progressed from just getting in the door to sharing a bed with Ivy.

Ivy couldn’t sleep either. She lay with her eyes closed, her mind a complete blank.

"Maybe I should go to work after all."

It had been a long time since she’d slept next to Quentin, and it felt incredibly strange.

With this man beside her, she simply couldn’t fall asleep.

"Are you not sleepy, or is it because I’m here beside you?"

"A bit of both. Why don’t you just go home? Your place is huge. You haven’t been back to Norhaven in ages, and you’re always here."

"But you’re not at Norhaven. How about you come back with me instead?"

"I wasn’t at Norhaven before, and you seemed to live there just fine."

"It’s not the same."

’Some things, once you’ve had a taste, you can never give them up.’

’You think things are fine the way they are only because you’ve never had something better.’

"If you can’t sleep, we could do something else."

"Like what?" Ivy was all too familiar with lines like this from Quentin. Every time he suggested they ’do something else,’ he meant *that*.

"Some exercise."

Ivy: "!!"

’That’s even more out of the question!’

"No, I don’t want to! Besides, I have the baby to think about. This is a delicate stage. And don’t forget you’re still on probation. Request denied!"

Quentin chuckled. "I didn’t say what kind of exercise. Going for a walk is exercise, too. So, Ivy, what kind of exercise were you just thinking about?"

"I... I wasn’t thinking of anything! I just mean I’m not doing any kind of exercise right now." Ivy’s face flushed crimson.

She had, in fact, been thinking along another line entirely.

"Well, since you don’t want to go for a walk, we really can do something else." Quentin’s body pressed down on top of her.

The lights were off now. In the darkness, both of their breathing grew heavy.

Quentin placed his hand on Ivy’s waist and squeezed gently. Ivy felt a tingling sensation spread through her, and she instinctively tried to curl into a ball.

But she was in Quentin’s arms, and as she shrank back, she only pressed herself closer to his chest.

She didn’t know if her body was more sensitive due to the pregnancy, or if Quentin was simply too much for her, but every time he touched her, all Ivy could do was surrender.

"Quentin!" Ivy grabbed his hand to stop it from roaming, but his touch was scalding hot.

"Ivy, you’re getting turned on," the man’s voice whispered, his breath ghosting over her earlobe.

The intimate atmosphere, combined with the fact that Quentin knew all of Ivy’s sensitive spots, was overwhelming. He was being deliberate, pressing close to her ear, his lips feeling as if they were nibbling on her earlobe as he spoke.

"Quentin!" Ivy cried out in a flustered protest, like a kitten with its fur standing on end.

"I’d like to exercise my right to get off probation early. May I, Ivy?"

"N—Mmph..." Before Ivy could finish, Quentin’s lips crushed down on hers.

Quentin gave Ivy no chance to refuse; after all, he had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

’This wasn’t coercion. This was mutual consent.’

He knew Ivy wasn’t unwilling. He could feel her body’s response; she definitely wanted him, too.

"Mmph... Quentin..." Her voice escaped from the seam of their lips. ’Quentin was really too much!’

"Ivy, I’ve missed you so much. Give yourself to me. I’ll be gentle, I promise I won’t hurt our baby," Quentin’s voice was hoarse with restraint.

’Just like that night, it was impossible to hold back.’

Even as Quentin spoke to Ivy, his hands didn’t stop for a moment.

"Then... then just this once!"

"Alright." With that, Quentin kissed Ivy’s lips again.

’But how could once possibly be enough? Besides, when it came to matters like this, he never kept his word.’

Quentin tried his best to be gentle and restrained, but in the end, he couldn’t hold back at all.

He unleashed all the longing and restraint he’d been suppressing, pouring it all into Ivy, making sure she knew with absolute clarity how much he loved her.

Ivy didn’t have Quentin’s stamina. Her every protest was swallowed by his mouth, and he kissed every inch of her body.

Toward the end, just like most times before, she was exhausted and went limp in Quentin’s arms, and he carried her to the bath.

Ivy fell asleep in the bathtub before they were even done, so Quentin carried her back to bed.

Lying in bed, Quentin held Ivy, resting his hand on her stomach.

The baby seemed to sense its daddy’s presence. It seemed to stir, kicking the hand on her belly. Quentin was thrilled. ’Is the baby saying hello to me?’

The last time at the hotel, he hadn’t known Ivy was pregnant. Thank God the baby had been alright.

Quentin couldn’t believe he was going to be a father. From now on, he would protect his wife and his child with his life!

...

「The Sherwood Estate」

In Ruby Sterling and Timothy Sherwood’s bedroom, two figures were tangled together.

"Godfather... Oh, Godfather, don’t~"

Ruby Sterling cried out in pleasure, and Charlie Rhodes was enjoying himself with her. But after only a short while, he grew bored.

Although Ruby Sterling kept herself looking young, she was still getting on in years and certainly couldn’t compare to a young woman.

Besides, Charlie Rhodes’s mind was filled with the image of Ivy Sherwood’s face. He still hadn’t gotten his hands on her.

He’d heard Ivy was still in Lustre lately, and he was itching with anticipation.

After showering, Charlie Rhodes came out and asked, "The person I wanted. When are you going to get her for me?"

"You mean Ivy? Godfather, what do you see in that woman? She’s so ugly."

"You call this ugly?" Charlie Rhodes took out his phone. On it were photos he’d had someone secretly take of Ivy.

Although they were a little blurry, it was clear enough to see just how devastatingly beautiful her face was.

And this was Ivy without a trace of makeup, completely bare-faced.

"This... This is Ivy?" Ruby could hardly recognize her.

’There must be some mistake. Ivy doesn’t look like this at all!’

"Who else could it be? I’ve checked. This is Ivy. I don’t care what methods you use, you have to get her for me. The sooner, the better."

"Godfather, that little bitch doesn’t listen to me. There’s no way I can bring her to you."

"Then you don’t want the money anymore?" Charlie Rhodes threatened.

"Of course I do! Godfather, I’ve been serving you for so long, don’t you think..."

"If you get Ivy for me, I’ll double the payment. Otherwise... I seem to recall you have another daughter. Claire Sherwood, is it?"

At the mention of Claire, Ruby’s face went pale.

"Godfather, absolutely not! You know Claire is the apple of my eye. You’ve already ruined Thea; you can’t ruin Claire, too!" Ruby was terrified that Charlie Rhodes would make a move on Claire.

Claire was the pride and joy she had carefully raised; she couldn’t be destroyed at the hands of Charlie Rhodes.

Claire had originally planned to come home for the New Year, but after Thea went mad, Ruby had forbidden her from returning.

She knew Charlie Rhodes. There was no one he wanted that he couldn’t get. She couldn’t let her entire family be ruined at his hands.

Charlie Rhodes’s hand caressed her body. "That all depends on your performance. If you bring Ivy to me, I promise I won’t touch your precious daughter. Otherwise..."