Dominic's mouth on my neck and Amos pulsing inside me tips me over the edge. My orgasm rolls through me from where our bodies connect. My fingers curl against the couch cushion and my forehead drops to Amos' shoulder.
Dominic's hand stays in my hair. His mouth presses against my temple, then against Amos' forehead, claiming both of us in succession without moving from his place on the floor.
I ease off Amos carefully and settle against his right side with my head on his shoulder, the position I've memorized over the past ten days of pillow management. Dominic stays on the floor with his head tipped back against the couch base. He reaches up and laces his fingers through Amos' on the cushion.
"He's going to cite a study." Dominic says it to the ceiling.
"The endorphin release is actually beneficial for pain management." Amos' voice is rough and wrecked and nothing like the controlled tenor he uses in meetings. "There are studies."
"There it is." Dominic's thumb moves against Amos' knuckle.
Amos' breathing is shallow but steady, the measured rhythm of a man whose ribs are reminding him they exist.
"How's the pain?" I ask it against his shoulder.
"Worth it." His fingers find my hair, tracing through the curls without any of his usual coordination. "Also, I love you. In case the last twenty minutes didn't communicate that clearly enough."
"Noted." I press my mouth against his chest through his shirt.
Dominic
Garrett'sconferenceroomsmellslike expensive coffee and leather cleaner. Mattaniah's scent has been competing with both since we sat down, drifting across the table every time he shifts in his chair. Garrett noticed it when we walked in. Her eyes moved to his stomach and then back to the documents.
Amos is beside me at the table with his left arm braced against his ribs and a legal pad full of notes. His handwriting is smaller than usual but the notes are precise. Mattaniah is on my other side in a chair he pulled close enough that his knee touches mine under the table.
"The heir clause notification was accepted by the board unanimously." Garrett sets a signed document on the stack. "The protections under Section 14.3(b) are now active."
"The asset transfer?" Amos asks it while writing.
"The transfer is complete. The amended articles reflect the updated leadership structure. Dominic Hale is confirmed as CEO with full executive authority and Amos as CFO. All governance documents have been updated to reflect the removal of Richard Hale from any capacity."
"And Richard's remaining claims?"
"He has none." Garrett folds her hands on the table. "The combination of the board vote, the forensic evidence, the pending criminal charges, and the heir clause creates a legal position that is, in the counsel's words, unassailable."
"Unassailable." Amos writes the word on his legal pad and underlines it. "I want that in the formal opinion letter."
Mattaniah's knee presses harder against mine under the table. I press back. His scent spikes warm for half a second in a way that only I'm close enough to catch.
"What about the criminal proceedings?" I direct this at Garrett.
"Richard Hale is being held without bail pending trial for aggravated assault. The trial date is set for eleven weeks from now." Garrett pulls a separate folder. "The conspiracy charges against Mattaniah's mother have been filed and are proceeding. She's been released on her own recognizance with no-contact conditions and GPS monitoring. The preliminary hearing is in three weeks."
"One more item." Garrett looks at me. "The board has requested a formal announcement regarding the pregnancy as standard corporate disclosure for a qualifying heir event. The announcement would confirm the pregnancy, name the parents, and activate the public-facing protections under the clause."
"When?" I look at Mattaniah.
"They'd like it by end of week." Garrett's gaze moves to Mattaniah as well. "It can be as brief or detailed as you prefer."
Mattaniah taps his fingers against the table twice before he speaks. "No."
The word cuts through the room, though, Garrett’s gaze remains unchanged.
"Not by end of week." Mattaniah's voice is steady but his scent has gone sharp at the edges. "The baby is seven weeks. I haven't even had the first ultrasound. I'm not making a public announcement about a pregnancy that's barely into the first trimester so the board can activate a business provision."
"Mattaniah—" Garrett starts.
"The legal requirement is confirmation and identification. That's fine. But it happens on my timeline, not the board's." His jaw is set and his knee has pulled away from mine under the table. "I spent twenty-six years having other people decide when and how my body got used. I'm not starting that pattern with my own child."
