The next day...

A heavy sigh escaped Ashley as she collapsed onto the bed, bouncing lightly on her back. She caught her breath, staring at the ceiling for a moment.

Beside her, Lucian was doing the same.

The two of them had only just woken up.

Clearly, they had slept in.

Yet the moment they opened their eyes, they had simply picked up where they had left off the night before.

After another deep breath, Ashley turned her head toward Lucian.

He looked back at her.

The corners of their lips curled up almost at the same time.

Lucian rolled onto his side and propped his head against his knuckles. His free hand reached out to gently brush the corner of her mouth.

"Hungry?" he asked.

Ashley studied his face.

She couldn’t tell whether it was because of their rather eventful night—or morning—but Lucian looked like he was glowing.

Or perhaps the treatment was finally flushing the poison from his system.

"I just had my husband for breakfast," she quipped as she rolled into his arms.

Resting a hand on his chest, she looked up at him. "Do you want to eat something?"

Lucian nodded.

"Okay." Ashley was about to get up when Lucian pulled her back against him.

He smiled, his eyes creasing.

"Not that," he emphasized, raising his brows knowingly.

Ashley opened her mouth to answer before narrowing her eyes. She lightly smacked his chest.

"Don’t you ever get tired?"

"Maybe." He smiled. "After this one."

The moment the words left his mouth, a playful yelp escaped Ashley as he rolled over, pinning her beneath him.

She giggled as his face drew closer, grinning when their foreheads touched.

Then she teased, "That’s exactly what you kept saying last night."

Lucian chuckled before capturing her lips in another lingering kiss.

One kiss turned into another.

And another.

Before long, the two of them disappeared beneath the sheets once again.

It didn’t end there.

They somehow found themselves laughing and kissing their way into the bathroom, tangled beneath the warm shower far longer than intended.

Neither of them could seem to get enough of the other.

Their usual half-hour shower stretched into nearly an hour.

Even while preparing brunch, Lucian ended up sitting Ashley on the kitchen counter—the very same spot where he’d sat her the night before. While the food reheated, the making out continued.

"You’re impossible." Ashley stood in front of the mirror, fixing her hair. "I don’t think this is normal."

She wasn’t exactly an expert.

Even during the times she felt most affectionate, it was difficult keeping up with Lucian’s seemingly endless energy.

If not for how much she loved him, she wasn’t sure she would’ve survived him whenever he got into this mood.

It no longer intimidated her the way it once had.

Still, she wasn’t sure whether it was something she should be concerned about... or whether it was simply talent.

Lucian walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

He buried his face beside her neck, inhaled the scent of her hair, kissed the side of her neck, then rested his cheek against her shoulder.

"It’s talent," he shamelessly declared. "You smell nice."

Ashley glanced at him before narrowing her eyes.

Looking into the mirror, she noticed his hand slowly wandering upward.

Sure enough, a second later, he was absentmindedly cupping her through her shirt, wearing the most innocent smile imaginable.

"You still have treatment," she reminded him, tilting her head toward him.

She didn’t stop him.

Instead, she relaxed into his embrace while his chest rested comfortably against her back.

"Aunt Liza said we don’t have to worry about Primo. The three of them are getting along really well."

Liza had been sending updates all morning.

Every photo showed Primo smiling from ear to ear.

The thought softened Ashley’s expression.

Unfortunately, the moment Lucian slipped his hand beneath her shirt, her smile disappeared.

When she looked back at him... he was smiling again.

Just like Primo in those pictures.

Lucian had smiled more in the past day than she had seen in a long time.

It was almost hard to believe this was the same man who had nearly died not long ago. Or that he was still undergoing treatment for poison that could have taken his life.

Surely, this had to be a man’s nature.

"Darling," Ashley hummed.

Rather than asking him to stop, she carefully turned around to face him. His hand naturally slid to the small of her back, his warm palm resting against her skin.

"Yes?" he asked, pulling her closer.

He lowered his head. "Anything I can do for you?"

Ashley hummed thoughtfully before draping both arms over his shoulders.

"What did Raka say about your treatment?"

"He ran some blood tests yesterday," Lucian replied.

He glanced upward, remembering he was supposed to stop by Raka’s office to hear the results.

Then he shrugged. "I’ll know more later, but he said everything seems to be working better than expected."

"I know, right?" Ashley grinned. "I mean, just look at you."

She poked him lightly. "After everything we’ve done... you’re still trying to flirt with me."

Lucian let out a quiet laugh. "Do you hate it?"

The image of Ashley from the previous night had already carved out a permanent place in his mind.

Every time he looked at her, he found himself captivated.

She could simply be standing there, and he’d already have ten different excuses to pull her close.

After what happened last night, it only made things worse.

"No." Ashley shook her head with a grin. "I’m flattered."

Lucian raised a brow. "You are?"

"Mhm!" She nodded enthusiastically. "Because I know you’re only like this with me."

Ashley blinked a few times before leaning closer. "Right?"

Lucian tilted his head. "Who else would I be like this with?"

He genuinely looked puzzled.

Truthfully, he’d never been with another woman before.

Yes, he had gone on a handful of dates for Dominion’s sake. But none of them had ever interested him. Nor could he honestly claim he’d been saving himself for Ashley.

He had treasured the little girl from his past.

Yet it had only taken one look at the woman she’d become for desire to bloom into something he could barely contain.

Ashley chuckled until her eyes curved into crescents.

"It’s nothing." She laughed it off.

Deep down, however, she couldn’t help wondering if there had always been another side to Lucian—a side she had never seen in her previous life.

And somewhere in her heart, she had begun believing there was far more to the story between him and Nikki than she’d once believed.

Perhaps she’d only ever seen what Nikki wanted everyone else to see. Or what other people had assumed.

"Anyway," Ashley continued, "I actually need your help."

She rested lightly against his chest and smiled.

"I need to focus on the party for a while. Until then, I might need you to help with some work at the company."

"I can take over again—"

Ashley immediately shook her head. "No, no. It’s okay."

Lucian raised a brow.

He knew that look.

His wife was plotting something.

"Whatever you’re planning..." He trailed off as he effortlessly lifted her by the waist.

Automatically, she wrapped her legs around him. As he carried her toward the bed, he never took his eyes off her.

"Will you tell me?"

"No." Ashley giggled. "But you’ll find out soon. It’s a surprise."

Lucian paused, studying her face.

Then he shook his head with an amused smile. He had already been considering returning to the company.

Temporary retirement was beginning to bore him.

If not for the quiet investigation he’d been conducting into the child abduction case and "Ghost" involvement into this, he probably would’ve gone crazy already.

The corners of his mouth lifted.

"Let’s not leave the house today."