Chapter 219

Serena’s POV

I gazed into Ryan’s intense eyes as his lips pressed firmly against my fingers. My heart raced, skipping a beat when he whispered those words: "I’d do anything to make you happy. Anything at all."

"Ryan..." I whispered, feeling the very air between us shift and thicken.

He pulled me closer, his hand sliding to the small of my back to anchor me. "You know what terrifies me most, Serena?" His voice was barely audible, revealing a vulnerability I rarely heard from the man who commanded the Blackwood empire.

"What?" I asked, noticing how his eyes darkened, clouded by an uncharacteristic shadow of doubt.

"That if you really are who Ethan says you are—a Quinn—you might choose to leave all this behind. Leave America. Leave..." He swallowed hard, the muscles in his throat working. "Leave me."

The admission hung in the air, heavy and raw. Ryan Blackwood, the powerful, confident CEO who forced the world to bend to his will, was terrified of losing me.

"Is that why you didn’t tell me about your conversation with Ethan?" I asked softly, reaching up to cup his face.

He nodded slightly, his jaw tight. "Selfish, I know."

Without another thought, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his. The kiss started as a gentle reassurance but quickly deepened into something desperate as his arms tightened around me, as if he were trying to pull me into his very soul.

When we finally broke apart, breathless, I rested my forehead against his. "Ryan, listen to me. No matter who I was before—Quinn or anyone else—you’re my family now." I guided his hand down to the warm, firm curve of my belly. "We’re your family."

His eyes blazed with something primal. "Then stay. Give me a reason to keep you here."

I raised an eyebrow, a small, knowing smile playing on my lips. "You’ll have to work for it, Mr. Blackwood."

Ryan growled low in his throat, a sound of pure, masculine challenge. He lifted me effortlessly into his arms. "Challenge accepted."

He carried me into the private bathroom connected to his office, kicking the door shut with his heel. My back pressed against the cool marble wall as his mouth claimed mine again, hungrier and more demanding this time.

"Ryan," I gasped as his lips trailed a path of fire down my neck. "The door—"

"Already locked when Simon left," he murmured against my skin, his breath hot. "No interruptions."

His hands slipped under my blouse, his fingers tracing patterns on my sensitive skin that made me shiver despite the rising heat.

"You’re mine, Serena," he whispered, helping me out of my top. "Not Quinn’s, not anyone else’s."

I moaned softly as his hands caressed me. Everything was heightened, my body far more sensitive now that I was carrying our child. "Yours," I agreed, my fingers working feverishly on his shirt buttons.

Ryan’s gaze was dark with an almost frantic desire. "I can’t wait until after the baby is born to marry you," he confessed, his voice rough with emotion. "I need everyone to know you’re my wife. Not my ex-wife, not just the mother of my child—my wife."

The sheer intensity in his voice made me tremble. "Then don’t wait," I challenged, unbuckling his belt.

He lifted me carefully, mindful of my condition, and set me on the marble countertop. His hands roamed up my thighs, pushing my skirt aside.

"Ryan," I breathed, my head falling back.

"Look at me," he commanded softly. When I met his gaze, he continued, "I want to see your face when you fall apart for me."

My fingers clutched his shoulders as he brought me to the very edge. The pressure built with staggering speed—the physical connection felt more profound, more electric, than it ever had before.

"That’s it," he encouraged, his voice tight with restraint. "Let go, Serena."

I came undone with his name on my lips, clinging to him as waves of pleasure washed over me. Before I could even catch my breath, Ryan positioned himself between my legs, his control visibly strained.

"Tell me if I need to stop," he said, his eyes searching mine.

"Don’t you dare," I warned, pulling him closer.

We moved together in a perfect, desperate rhythm, the room filling with our mingled breaths. Ryan whispered promises against my skin—vows of protection, of absolute devotion, and of a lifetime where he would never let me walk in the shadows again.

"Mine," he growled as he reached his limit. "Say it again."

"I’m yours," I gasped, feeling a second climax building. "And you’re mine."

Those words pushed him over the edge. We rode out the pleasure together, anchored to one another in the quiet sanctuary of his office. Afterward, he held me close, one hand protectively cradling my belly where our daughter was growing.

"I meant what I said," Ryan murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. "I want to marry you before she’s born. I want our daughter to have my name from her first breath."

I smiled against his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart. "Then we’d better start planning, Mr. Blackwood."

His lips found mine again, gentle this time. "Already have. Simon arranged for the best wedding planner in the city to meet us tomorrow."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Of course he has."

Ryan’s expression turned solemn. "I lost you once through my own stupidity, Serena. I won’t risk losing you again."

I looked up at him, seeing everything he usually kept locked behind a cold, professional exterior—the fear, the hope, and the undeniable love.

"You won’t lose me," I promised, sealing it with a kiss. "You’re stuck with me now, Ryan Blackwood. For better or worse."

His answering smile was the brightest I had ever seen. "I wouldn’t have it any other way."