Chapter 555 Don't Play with Fire
Aurelia was already pressed close enough against him, her hand sliding down to his abs, feeling the slight ridges like smooth river stones beneath her palm.
She sighed inwardly—she'd thought these months of hardship would have softened his muscles, but they were still there, firm and defined.
As her hand continued its downward journey along his abs, he caught her wrist. Nathaniel's voice carried a strained warning, "Aurelia, don't play with fire."
Aurelia rested against his chest for a moment before speaking with wounded innocence, "I'm in my second trimester now. The doctor said we can have moderate intimacy."
Nathaniel chuckled low, teasing her, "Getting a little greedy, are we?"
He remembered how in all their years together, he was usually the one making the first move in bed, rarely the other way around—except for that time by the ocean when he'd gone to Elvenia to rescue Burry.
Aurelia's face flushed crimson, her body temperature seeming to spike several degrees as she mumbled thickly, "Pregnancy has its... needs too."
She couldn't pinpoint when she'd become so uninhibited around him, able to say anything without shame. Perhaps this was what true marital intimacy meant—having no secrets from each other.
Nathaniel's eye twitched as his hand found her slightly rounded belly. Honestly, he was terrified.
The doctor had given clearance, but there was still a baby growing inside her. Making love felt like being watched by their unborn child—what if the baby retained memories from the womb? His thoughts were spiraling into the ridiculous, but his real fear was accidentally hurting her or their child.
While Nathaniel wrestled with his internal conflict, that determined hand on his abdomen slipped lower like a persistent fish, showing no signs of giving up.
He looked down at her flushed ears, his resolve softening. It had been nearly three months since they'd been intimate, and God knew he wanted her just as desperately.
Seeing his continued hesitation and distant expression, Aurelia nudged him with her elbow, clearly growing impatient. She'd deliberately chosen a front-tie nightgown tonight—one pull of the string and it would fall away. If he'd just untie that bow, he'd discover she wore nothing underneath.
Nathaniel was completely at her mercy. He shifted slightly, bracing himself on his forearms to cage her beneath him. Aurelia gazed up at him expectantly.
"You really want this that badly?"
"Yes," Aurelia replied without hesitation.
Fine then. Nathaniel began kissing her as he always did before they made love, but with more patience than ever before—starting from her forehead, her nose tip, her chin, and traveling downward to her gently swollen belly.
The bedside lamp cast a warm glow as Aurelia grew increasingly aroused, her toes curling against him. "Come inside me."
Instead of what she craved, he gave her something else entirely with his mouth.
Aurelia's mind went blank for an instant. "Don't—that's not clean!"
Nathaniel ignored her protests, continuing his devoted attention. Only when he sensed she'd reached her peak did he carry her to the bathroom to clean up.
Aurelia was too embarrassed to speak. Understanding her temperament, Nathaniel didn't push. "Aurelia, was that enough?"
Her scalp tingled. "Enough what?"
Nathaniel was truly exasperated with her relentless persistence, which had driven him to this compromise. He genuinely didn't dare give her everything she wanted, fearing harm to their baby.
"Are you satisfied now?"
Aurelia's toes gripped the floor. "Trust me, intimacy really is safe during the second trimester. When I was pregnant with Jacob and Dorothy, you were constantly pulling me into bed."
At this reminder, Nathaniel's heart lurched with retroactive terror. "Don't even mention that! You hid your pregnancy from me—weren't you afraid something might happen? I was so reckless back then."
He felt sick remembering their frequent lovemaking at the Bloom Villa, when he was young and in his twenties with seemingly endless energy. It had been truly dangerous.
Aurelia shot him a pointed look. "So you admit you were reckless?"
Nathaniel deflected, changing the subject. "Regardless, we can't risk it. Wait until after the baby's born. If you need relief in the future, we'll use today's method."
Aurelia felt like crying. After helping her wash and wrapping her in a towel, Nathaniel carried her back to bed before taking his own cold shower.
The next day, Aurelia was awakened by wonderful news—Joe's phone call. "Aurelia, Burry and Mr. Dominic Sawyer are a match! Not only can Mr. Dominic Sawyer donate, but Phoenix can too. We can start preparing for the transplant."
This was truly excellent news. When Aurelia arrived at the hospital, Dominic was already there with Phoenix, keeping vigil in the room.
After some small talk in the room, they stepped outside to discuss the situation. Phoenix stood with his hands in his pockets, his face hidden behind a mask and baseball cap, his tone casual. "I'll do it. You're getting old."
Dominic bristled. "Who's old? I'm only in my fifties."
Phoenix sighed. "Look, why are you fighting me on this? Sure, it won't seriously affect your health, but it will hurt. I researched it online—some donors experience back pain for a while after the procedure. I'm definitely more resilient than your aging spine."
"It's just a needle prick—you make it sound like major surgery. What kind of man would I be to fear a little pain? Bone marrow regenerates in days anyway."
Dominic was determined, wanting desperately to do something for Burry to make up for years of absence.
Phoenix threw his hands up in frustration. "Regenerates in days? Who gets winded climbing stairs and can't sleep at night without working out? Your physical condition isn't what it was a few years ago."
The father and son reached an impasse. Aurelia looked at Dominic. "Dad, maybe we should let Phoenix do it?"
Dominic paused, then nodded. "Alright, Phoenix it is."
Phoenix let out a cold laugh, his incredulous gaze shifting between Dominic and Aurelia. So all his pleading had fallen on deaf ears, but one word from Aurelia settled everything? Aurelia was the biological daughter while he was just the adopted one, right?
Feeling somewhat speechless, Phoenix headed downstairs to register for pre-donation medical tests. This family had no real place for him anyway—he might as well embrace his role as the doormat.
He didn't notice Aurelia following him downstairs. "Phoenix?"
Phoenix ignored her, thinking even younger brothers deserved to be coaxed sometimes.
"Phoenix?" Aurelia's voice turned gentler.
Phoenix stopped in his tracks, that tender tone sending an inexplicably sweet feeling through his chest. Ever since learning Aurelia was his biological sister, he'd felt awkward about his past behavior and hadn't spent time alone with her. But just now, she'd called his name so gently.
Phoenix's mind conjured harmonious images—would Aurelia take him for ice cream or Mexican food? Perhaps having a sister meant having someone else to lean on too.
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