Then we both couldn't help laughing.
"Looks like we've been figured out by a five-year-old," Alexander teased.
"She's too smart," I shook my head, laughing. "Sometimes I think she's more perceptive than adults."
"She really is special," Alexander said gently. "Just like her mother."
His words sent warmth flooding through me again. In this beautiful manor, under his protection, we really did feel like a complete family.
Maybe Sofia was right. Maybe we really would have more children, a truly complete home.
The thought made me both excited and shy, but mostly happy.
Chapter Twenty
Alexander
I watched Sofia skip away, then turned my gaze back to Anna. She was still sitting at the table, her cheeks flushed from our daughter's innocent chatter, her green eyes shimmering in the afternoon light as she looked at me, all flustered.
My throat tightened. For five years, I'd never stopped wanting her, and now, seeing her like this—shy and adorable—a fierce need to protect and claim her surged inside me.
I was about to say something to break the charged silence when Anna suddenly stood and walked toward me slowly.
She didn't speak, just locked those captivating eyes on mine. Then she did something that caught me off guard—she reached out and gently took my hand.
Her palm was warm and soft, her fingertips trembling with a clear message: invitation, desire, and emotions she'd held back too long.
It hit me hard. Anna taking the lead threw me off, but mostly it flooded me with wild joy. For five years, I'd waited for her to accept me again, and now she was reaching out.
"Alexander," she said softly, her voice shaking a bit, "I think... we need to talk."
I didn't resist as she pulled me up from the dining room. We crossed the hallway, climbing the stairs to the master bedroom. I stared at her determined back, feeling a satisfaction like never before.
I'd waited too damn long for this.
As soon as we stepped inside, Anna locked the door behind us. She turned to face me, no hesitation in her eyes anymore.
"That night five years ago," she whispered, "I thought it was just a beautiful accident. But now I get it—it wasn't an accident. It was fate."
She rose on her toes and kissed me.
The kiss poured out five years of pent-up emotion—longing, hunger, hope for what was ahead. I kissed her back hard, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other wrapping around her waist, pulling her tight against me.
"Anna," I gasped between kisses, "you sure about this?"
"I've never been surer of anything," she said, her eyes blazing with certainty.
A nameless fire ignited in my chest. I gripped the back of her head, twisting her long hair around my fingers, while my other hand claimed her slim waist, molding her body to mine.
Her lips were soft and scorching. I felt her full breasts press against my chest, those soft curves making my blood roar.
My tongue invaded her mouth deeper, stealing her sweetness, sucking in her breath. Her body trembled, hands climbing my shoulders, nails digging lightly into my skin—that faint sting only cranked my excitement higher.
My cock was already rock-hard in my pants, pressing against her belly, the fabric doing nothing to hide my need.
I was about to scoop her up and carry her to the bed when Anna shoved me back hard. The sudden push stunned me, and before I could react, she knocked me flat onto the mattress.
I lay there on my back, staring up at her as she loomed over me at the edge of the bed. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, green eyes foggy with lust and a teasing smirk playing on her lips.
