Dedicated to Vidya_Vahini, Sunny_Shumail and Ranch64! Thanks for the overwhelming support!
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The next morning when Arella woke up, she felt like screaming! Why was she holding Adrian? And why was her face in his chest? Ahh!
Arella became stupefied! She went still for a moment. And thought that it was an illusion. But the soft breaths of Adrian caressed her hair. His chest swayed with each breath. She could even hear his core vibrating!
This couldn't be her hallucinations. She wasn't that detail oriented!
First, she took two long breaths to calm herself down. Then, she checked her clothes. Fortunately! She was still wearing her gown from the last night. That means nothing embarrassing happened between them. But why was she hugging him?
Never mind, the most crucial issue was to leave! So, she stealthily retraced her hands from his waist. Umm, she had to agree that it felt wonderful touching his toned body!
She was too busy concentrating on her escape. That is why, she didn't notice the slight upward movement of Adrian's lips. He was awake. In fact, he had been up for approximately a quarter of an hour by now. But, when he saw a quiet girl burrowing her head in his arms, he couldn't move.
One, he was afraid of waking her, and two, he didn't have the heart to move. He felt warm and comfortable with her in his arms. It was one of the rare occasions, when Adrian, the Major General, ditched his morning routine and decided to laze around in bed.
Watching the startled girl, making thief like movements, looked extremely amusing to him. His smile widened unconsciously. A glint of mirth appeared in his eyes. He kept looking at her till she entered the bathroom.
Meanwhile, the flustered girl thought that she had made a successful attempt. She assumed that Adrian was fast asleep. She thanked her stars for it! Otherwise, things would have become awkward for both of them!
Looking at the closed door of the bathroom, Adrian decided to give her some time to settle her state of mind. He made his way to the bathroom of the guest bedroom. And marked this morning as one of the best mornings of his life.
When Arella freshened up, she came out to find that the sleeping Adrian had left. Stunned, she moved to the hall. As she opened the door, she found Adrian coming out of the bedroom of the other room.
At the sudden meeting, both stared at the other quietly. Arella's core started vibrating at a louder rate. Adrian's hair was wet. Unlike his prim and proper appearance, his casual look was exceptionally tempting!
Her eyes moved from his wet hair to his hypnotic blue eyes. His eyes encompassed an entire world in them. How much she longed to drown in them!
Looking at her admiring and unobtrusively scrutinizing eyes, Adrian gulped.
Arella noticed his action. So sexy! He looked so sexy! She couldn't help but move her eyes from his Adam's apple to his toned abdomen. It felt great holding him. His every muscle screamed for strength.
He was the epitome of perfection! And he was hers! At the revelation, Arella felt proud. Yes, he was her husband! She could legitimately wake up in his arms every morning.
Great! He was a heaven sent gift. And he belonged to her. Only hers. A tremor of expectation and possessiveness coursed her veins. She could hold him whenever she wanted. Not only embracing, she had the right to do more than that! And they could do it anytime. They had all the time in the world!
Arella was pumped up with expectations and excitement, but Adrian's next words drenched her down in cold water!
"Good morning! I will be leaving for the expedition in three hours! Let's have breakfast before that!" Adrian's calm voice penetrated the walls of her fantasy.
"Oh! Right, the expedition! How long will you be gone for?" She tried her best to resist the temptation of smacking her own head!
How could she forget about that? He had told her on the very first day of their marriage that he had an expedition planned! And look at her! What kind of wife was she? She didn't even prepare anything for him! Gods, she didn't even help him pack his luggage!
"This time, we are going a little far, to an unexplored planet. Pardon me, for I cannot share the details. As for the duration, it could take anywhere between a fortnight to a full moon." Adrian entertained her questions as they made their way to the dining area.
"A fortnight to a full moon? Okay. Do you need help in preparing anything? What about your luggage?" She inquired politely, wanting to undertake the task of being an obedient wife.
As they settled down on the table, the cook started serving them.
"No, don't bother. Everything is ready. I will head to the headquarters from here and then directly leave for the expedition." He didn't want to trouble his wife with these mundane tasks.
It would be better if she could just eat and have plenty of rest to regain her health. Because frankly speaking, though she wasn't paper thin, she looked very delicate. As if, she would break with just a tight embrace! And looking at the scenario, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold himself back any longer. He was in shambles because he was doubtful whether she could handle him. He didn't want to break her.
"Oh, right! While I am away, the cook will stay overnight. She is very capable. If you need anything done, simply tell her." He informed her about the short term arrangements he had thought of as safety measures.
Whatever inspired last night was still freshly engraved in his core. He was still terrified. He would only be at ease if there was somebody next to her the entire time. The cook was the best candidate. She was powerful, elderly, and experienced.
As they had their breakfast, Andrew made his arrival known. He was here to pick his chief up. It was time to go. But, for the first time, Adrian felt the reluctance to leave. He was a soldier and an elite one at that. He would move when asked to and stop when requested. All the orders never impacted him emotionally.
But today, he hated the order of going on the expedition. He didn't want to move at all. For the first time, he wanted to stay. But orders were orders. No matter how much he wanted to resist, he still had to follow.
At this time, both of them were alone in the hall. The cook was in the kitchen, cleaning up, and Andrew was waiting for the chief in the airship.
"So, have you kept everything necessary? Are your shoes, clothes, etc, all packed? You sure don't need anything else?" Arella, though feeling down at his departure, wanted to squeeze every moment of their togetherness.
"Hmm, everything's packed. But there is one thing that I am lacking." He spoke slowly.
"Huh? What is it? I will get it for you right away." She beamed at the thought of being of service to him. Finally, she could do something worthwhile of being called his wife.
"I don't have any token." He looked into her eyes and calmly stated his thoughts.
"You need a token?"
She panicked for a while because she didn't have one!