Chapter 155: Want or Out of Duty?

Evren tossed the damp white towel onto the armchair near the bathroom door.

He walked across the soft rug and stopped right beside the king-sized bed. The mattress was enormous, covered in deep charcoal sheets, but all his attention was locked onto the woman sitting on the edge.

Amber looked up at him, her dark-brown eyes wide and shimmering in the amber glow of the bedside lamp. Her knuckles were white where her fingers gripped the silk sheet, and her chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths.

Under the thin crimson silk nightgown, the curve of her bust pushed against the thin fabric with every heartbeat. A matching light silk robe was draped over her shoulders, tied loosely around her waist with a simple ribbon.

Evren sat down on the mattress right next to her.

The bed dipped under his weight, bringing them so close that he could feel the warmth radiating off her body. A faint, sweet scent of peaches and fresh jasmine drifted from her skin and hair, completely filling his senses.

He reached out slowly, resting his warm, calloused palm over her trembling fingers. "Amber," he said in a low, gentle voice. "Are you sure about this?"

Amber swallowed hard, the blush on her cheeks deepening into a dark, pretty pink that spread down to her collarbones. Her fingers relaxed under his grip, turning in his palm so she could hold his hand tightly.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life," she whispered, looking right into his eyes. Her voice shook slightly at first, but her gaze was steady.

"For months, I was trapped in that wheelchair," Amber continued. "I thought my life was over, and I thought no one would ever want me. But you took me in, cooked for me every single day, and stood in front of everyone who tried to hurt me."

She squeezed his hand tightly, her nails pressing into his palm.

"You gave me my legs and my life back," she said softly, her full lips parting. "I love you, and I don’t want to wait anymore. Tonight, I want you to take me."

Evren’s pulse hammered hard against his ribs. He looked down into her earnest eyes, his chest tightening with emotion.

"Amber," Evren said softly, reaching up to gently cup the side of her face. "You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that."

Amber leaned her cheek into his warm palm, and a soft breath escaped her lips.

"I’ve been attracted to you from the moment you started smiling again back in Veridia," Evren admitted, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone. "Every time you walked into the kitchen, or fell asleep on the couch, I had to force myself to look away."

Amber’s lips parted in surprise, her eyes widening slightly.

"I hid it because you were recovering," Evren continued quietly. "After Giselle dumped me for Prescott in that hotel suite, I thought love was just a transaction. More than that, you were vulnerable, and I never wanted you to feel like I was taking advantage of you."

He paused, looking right into her dark-brown eyes to make sure she understood every word.

"So tell me the truth, Amber," Evren murmured. "Are you doing this because you truly want me, or do you feel like you owe me a duty for saving you?"

Amber’s breath hitched, and a soft, beautiful laugh tumbled from her lips. She reached up, placing her small hands over his wrists.

"Evren, you stubborn idiot," Amber whispered. "Do you remember our first week in Veridia, before the towers and the billions?"

Evren nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. "I remember every single day."

"I had fifty dollars left in my purse, the last fifty dollars to my name," Amber said, her voice shaking with raw emotion. "I gave it to you so we could buy street food together because you had worked until midnight to keep us going."

She leaned closer, her breath brushing warm against his lips.

"I didn’t give you my last fifty dollars out of duty, Evren," Amber whispered. "And a woman doesn’t put on a silk nightgown and sneak into a man’s bed out of duty."

She looked straight into his soul, leaving nothing hidden.

"I don’t owe you my body, Evren," Amber said. "I am giving it to you because I am completely, desperately in love with you."

The last bit of restraint Evren had held for months shattered into pieces. He cupped both of her flushed cheeks in his palms, leaned in, and pressed his mouth firmly against hers.

A soft, broken gasp slipped past Amber’s lips as their mouths collided.

Her lips were soft, smooth, and burning hot. The moment their lips met, Amber melted completely against him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

Her hands tangled into his damp dark hair, pulling him down as she opened her mouth to him. Evren groaned low in his throat, pushing her gently back onto the mattress until his broad chest pressed right against hers.

The kiss turned deep, hungry, and breathless. Amber whimpered softly into his mouth, matching his pace with an eager heat that made his blood boil.

Evren broke the kiss for a second, catching his breath as he looked down at her. Amber lay against the dark pillows, her black hair spread out in messy waves, her lips swollen, red, and glistening.

"Evren..." she breathed, her chest heaving as she looked up at him. "Don’t stop."

Evren trailed his lips down the curve of her jaw, pressing hot kisses along her neck. Amber gasped, tilting her head back as his mouth found the soft hollow above her collarbone.

Her fingers tightened in his hair, her hips restlessly shifting against the bed. "You feel so good," Amber whispered, breathless. "So warm..."

Evren braced one hand on the mattress and slid his other hand down her side. His fingers found the ribbon at her waist, and with a gentle tug, the knot came undone.

The silk robe parted, sliding off her shoulders as Evren peeled it down her arms and tossed it to the floor. Under the warm lamp, Amber looked breathtaking in only the light crimson sleep dress.

Her skin was flushed with a rosy hue from her chest down to her thighs. The thin silk clung to every curve, revealing her slender waist and the flare of her hips.

Amber felt the intensity of his gaze burning into her skin. A fresh wave of heat washed over her cheeks, making her bite her lip, but she looked up at him with total vulnerability.

"Do you like what you see, Chairman?" she teased in a soft whisper, though her voice trembled with nervous anticipation.

"You are beautiful, Amber," Evren answered. He rested his warm palm on her waist, spanning the smooth skin over her hip.

The heat of his hand made Amber’s breath hitch. When his thumb stroked gently over the curve of her hip bone, a jolt of electric sensation shot straight down her spine.

Her stomach dipped, her back arching off the sheets as a sweet whimper escaped her throat. She looked up at him with flushed cheeks, her gaze hazy with rising heat.

"Evren... your hands are so hot," Amber murmured, her fingers resting on the hard muscle of his forearms.

"Does it feel good?" he asked.

Amber gasped softly, her pupils dilated. "It feels amazing."

Evren moved his hand down, letting his fingers slide slowly along the smooth curve of her outer thigh. The silk hem of her nightgown had ridden up, leaving her long, toned legs completely bare.

His calloused palms brushed against the soft, sensitive skin of her inner thigh, making her legs tremble slightly under his touch.

Amber let out a shaky sigh, her toes curling into the sheets. She remembered the months when cold numbness had made her feel like half a person.

Now, every millimeter of her skin was alive, sending waves of dizzying heat straight to her core.

"Touch me more," Amber pleaded softly, her hands sliding up his arms to his broad shoulders. "Please, Evren."

Evren shifted his weight, settling his body between her open knees. The physical contact was overwhelming, even through the thin layers of their clothes.

He leaned down, pressing his mouth to the swell of her chest right above the silk neckline. Amber gasped, her hands immediately grabbing the fabric of his shirt.

He kissed the warm curve of her breast through the soft silk, his hot breath soaking through the thin fabric. The friction of the silk against her sensitized skin made Amber arch her back off the mattress, a soft moan tumbling past her lips.

Her fingers bunched into the cotton of his shirt, tugging at the fabric desperately.

"Take it off," Amber whispered as she pulled at his hem. "I want to feel you against me. Take it off, Evren."

Evren didn’t hesitate. He sat up on his knees, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and yanked it over his head in one swift motion. He tossed it aside, letting it drop to the floor beside her robe.

Amber’s eyes widened as she looked at him. Under the amber lamp, Evren’s physique was sculpted like a bronze statue, his broad chest, shoulders, and abs corded with dense muscle.

Amber reached out with both hands, pressing her palms flat against his hard chest. The contrast between her small, pale hands and his powerful chest was striking. She felt the thumping rhythm of his heart beating against her palms, moving at the exact same frantic pace as her own.

"You are so strong," Amber whispered in awe, her fingers slowly tracing the ridges of his abs.

Evren leaned back down over her, bracing his weight on his forearms so his bare chest hovered just an inch above hers. He looked down into her dark-brown eyes, seeing nothing but boundless love and desire staring back at him.

"Amber," Evren murmured, his hand sliding up to cup her cheek once more. "There is no going back after tonight."

Amber smiled, wrapping her arms around his bare neck to pull him down until their chests pressed flat together.

"I never want to go back," she whispered directly against his lips. "I only want you."