CHAPTER 111: CHAPTER 111: MARKED AND CLAIMED

Flower petals were scattered everywhere... roses, lilies, orchids, delicately arranged into the shapes of hearts that floated on the water. And in the very center, spelled out in bright, tender petals, were the words:

72 Hours With Zayn.

I turned to him, my vision blurred with tears. I wanted to speak, but my voice was trapped in my throat. All I could do was throw myself into his arms, my heart bursting. He kissed me gently, and I muttered against his lips, "Thank you, baby... I love you, Evric."

He smiled into the kiss and whispered, "I know. And I love you just as much... maybe even more."

When he pulled back, he reached into his pocket and revealed a small velvet box. My breath caught again when he opened it, a delicate necklace gleamed inside.

His voice was tender as he explained, "I thought about this. Wearing a ring while you cook might be uncomfortable sometimes... so I ordered this for you. You can keep your ring safe here, close to your heart. That way, even when your hands are busy, I’ll still be right here with you," he said softly, pointing to my heart."

I couldn’t stop the tears now. My hands trembled as I nodded, whispering, "Okay..."

He slipped the necklace around my neck, letting the ring settle right above my heart. Then he kissed me again, slower this time, pouring every bit of his love into it.

Finally, he pulled back, cupping my cheek. "Zayn... I’ll be traveling tomorrow for business. Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" I asked softly.

He smiled faintly. "Call me. Text me. Every time you’re free. Even if I’m busy, I’ll tell you. But I just want to feel you close, no matter the distance. I’ll do the same, I’ll call, I’ll text. I just... I don’t want to miss you in silence."

My chest tightened. I leaned in, pressing my forehead against his. "Okay, baby. I’ll do anything you ask. I’ll call you. I’ll text you. Because I’ll miss you just as much as you’ll miss me."

He pulled me into his arms, and for a moment, the world disappeared. Just me, him, and the love that was already becoming everything.

Then finally, I said to him, "Evric, you’re my home too. And if these seventy-two hours have already been this beautiful, I can’t imagine how much more love we’ll share in all the days to come."

I held him tightly, as if I could pour every bit of gratitude and love inside me straight into him. My heart whispered what my lips could barely form: Thank you for loving me this way.

He chuckled softly, brushing his lips against my ear. "We should swim," he suggested.

I shivered. "I’m cold."

His grin turned teasing. "Baby, you should know, I just want to fuck you, but this time, I want to do it inside the pool."

I looked at him, trying to find words, but before I could, he tilted my chin up with his hand, his gaze pulling me in. "Baby... not now. Please, don’t refuse me. Hmm? Please."

The way he said it broke down all my hesitation. I sighed and whispered, "Okay."

But just before stepping into the pool, I blinked myself back into reality and burst out laughing. "Wait, babe... who the hell celebrates seventy-two hours in a relationship? Who?"

He had already slipped into the water, smirking at me. Then he reached out, dragging me in with him. "The only Evric Draeven, baby."

That was all it took... suddenly we were kissing, splashing, and laughing like kids. He even threw some of the flower petals into the water, letting them drift around us as we played. For a while, it was just joy, no shadows, no past, only us.

Between laughter, he asked, "That lady earlier... what did she come to tell you?"

I didn’t even hesitate. "She came to confess she likes me. But I told her I already love someone else."

He raised a brow, pretending to act curious. "Oh yeah? And who’s this lucky person you love?"

I leaned in closer, my smile soft but certain. "It can only be Evric."

Something in his eyes softened instantly. He smiled... pure, unguarded happiness, and without another word, he pulled me against him, kissing me deeply.

The kiss grew hotter, hungrier, until I felt him turn me gently, pressing me close. His lips burned against my neck, sending shivers down my spine. Slowly, he slid my swim boxers down, his hands steady but tender. Then, with a gasp escaping my lips, I felt him slide inside me... slow, deliberate, filling me as his kisses trailed fire across my skin.

"Oh, baby..." I moaned, gripping onto him as the water rippled around us. His arms held me firm, his love and desire blending into every movement.

There, in the pool, surrounded by petals and laughter, our seventy-two hours became more than just a celebration.

We made love until our bodies gave out, our climax spilling into the water, leaving us clinging to each other against the pool wall. The world shrank to the sound of our ragged breathing, the lapping of water, and the petals floating like silent witnesses to our madness. He kissed me again, slower this time, his tongue brushing mine as though sealing the wild promise we had carved into each other’s bodies.

But it didn’t end there.

Back in our room, Evric wasn’t done with me. He took me two more rounds, in different positions, until I was trembling and weak. When he tried for a fourth round, I shook my head, chest heaving.

"Evric... I can’t. I’m too tired. I can’t take any more."

He brushed my hair back, his eyes burning with want and something deeper. "Babe... I’ll be away for two weeks. Just let me have you. You can rest after I’m gone."

"I can’t... not penetration anymore," I whispered. My body begged for rest, but his voice, his presence, still had me melting.

He smirked softly, leaning down to kiss my jaw. "Then we’ll do it another way. Frotting. No excuses."

I had no strength left to argue, so I let him. His hard length rubbed against mine, our hips grinding in desperate rhythm until sparks exploded through me again. I came undone under him, clinging helplessly to his shoulders as if he could hold me together while tearing me apart.

Still, it wasn’t the end.

I collapsed into the bed, thinking it was finally over, my body aching in sweet exhaustion. But even as I drifted, his voice wrapped around me like a spell. He whispered, low and commanding, and my body betrayed me. I came again, without his hands, without his touch, just from his voice pulling me to the edge, breaking me completely.

When my eyes fluttered open, he was looking at me with a satisfied, almost possessive smile. He pressed his palm against my stomach as if he could brand me from the inside out.

"I’ve filled you for the two weeks I’ll be gone, Zayn. Keep yourself for me. When I come back, we’ll do it again, together. Okay?"

I wanted to answer, but no words came. I was too spent, too consumed. All I could do was breathe, my heart pounding his name.

He kissed me gently, a contrast to the fire of before, then cleaned me with a tenderness that broke me all over again.

The last thing I remember before sleep pulled me under was his whisper... soft, unshakable.

"I love you, Zayn."

And in my dreams, that love echoed like a vow I could never escape.

~Evric’s POV~

After Zayn drifted off to sleep, his breathing steady and soft, I carefully slipped out of bed. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioning. I sat at the desk, opening my laptop to go over some files I needed for tomorrow’s trip.

Just as I began reviewing the first document, my phone buzzed against the wooden surface, breaking the silence.

I reached for it, half-expecting a work notification, but instead, it was a message.

Nicki: I’m around your estate, Evric. Can you come outside for a while?

I stared at the screen, my jaw tightening.