"Are you sure about this?"

"I mean, I think I am."

"You need to be sure about this Rose."

"Ok, ok, I'm sure."

"Ok, close your eyes."

I closed my eyes and he took my hand in his before pulling it forward. My heart was racing but I really wanted to do this. The moment my hand came into contact with the scaly skin, I screamed and snatched it back, making him laugh.

"It didn't even move," he pointed out.

I opened one eye to find the damn creature just staring at me. "Can we leave now?"

"Well after that, I'm pretty sure we can," he replied.

"You are enjoying my discomfort way too much, just for the record," I commented.

"I'm sorry beautiful, but you're the one who suggested this," he reminded.

I huffed. "And given the history of our vacation so far, did you really think it was wise to let me? Everything that I've picked for us to do has not gone all that great."

"It's about the adventure and getting to spend time with you, so I don't really care," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Smooth," I giggled.

He leaned in and kissed me. "I do try."

"I'm ready to leave now," I said.

"To go back to the hotel or to go back home?" he asked.

I thought about it. "Both- you know we need to go back at some point right?"

He sighed. "Do we really? I mean, I'm enjoying myself here, and I haven't had to worry about anything for a whole week."

"Except you have a daughter and a company that's waiting for you, and I have to get back to my job," I argued.

"Can't we just fly Grace here and never leave? I mean this is technically her home," he countered as we walked towards the exit.

"No, we can't. She was born here, but this isn't her home. Her home is back in San Francisco with you," I said.

"And you," he added.

I smiled. "And Fabio."

"And Fabio," he said, rolling his eyes.

"And that?" I asked, laughing.

"He's been giving me a hard time about how he knew this would happen and blah, blah, blah. I'm ready to shoot him at this point," he explained.

"You can't shoot him for being right," I argued.

"Oh but I can shoot him for constantly reminding me that he is," he countered.

"You really need to do something about that tension," I taunted.

He glared at me. "Are you really going to be the one to point out my tension?"

"What can I say? It's made you a bit of grumpy old man," I teased.

"You know, I would never believe anyone who told me that you were this mean, and yet here you are, inflicting torture like a pro," he commented.

"Inflicting torture? Really? I highly doubt denying you sex is me inflicting torture," I said.

"Oh really? So it doesn't matter that the last time we had sex was more than three weeks ago, and that because I'm committed to you, it means that if you decide to deny me sex, I can't get it from anywhere else? It doesn't matter that you're the sexiest person to me and probably the only woman who can turn me on beyond belief? It doesn't matter that you're a walking sin and I have to control the urge to touch you every time I'm with you? It doesn't matter that I'm basically seconds from locking you up and having my way with you because every small damn thing you do is attractive to me and I don't want other men seeing you?" he questioned.

I could honestly only smile at his words as I pulled him in for another kiss. He keeps having these surprising moments that constantly throw me off and make me melt on the inside, much like with his questioning right now.

"What was that for?" he asked, breathless from our kiss.

I bit my lip seductively. "How fast do you think we can get to the hotel?"

It's safe to say that he was impatient the whole way there.

"I don't think you understand what you do to me Rose Kidman," he said lowly, eyeing me through hooded eyes as he took off his jacket. We were locked away in our hotel room, and I knew he was undoubtedly about to have his way with me.

"I'm pretty sure I don't," I purred, pulling down the zip of my dress and letting it fall to the floor, leaving me in my blood red lacy underwear.

His eyes drank me in appreciatively, roaming my body as he stalked towards me. "Well, we can't have you clueless about such important matters now can we?"

"No, we can't," I said before sliding my hands under his t-shirt.

He groaned a little as I skimmed my fingernails down his back, before moving to lift the t-shirt up. He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his torso as he stared deep into my eyes, walking towards the bed.

"You're a siren Rose Kidman. You call to my heart and I'm trapped in you, in your spell," he murmured, his lips leaving a scorching trail on my bosom area.

I couldn't even form any words as my bra disappeared to the floor. My back touched the soft bed, only to arch as this man's talented tongue had me fighting to keep my eyes from rolling to the back of my head.

"You are a Goddess, a Queen. I don't know why you picked me, but I'm forever grateful."

At his words, something in me snapped if you may, and I had a new mission in mind. I surprised him by managing to flip him onto his back. He was momentarily confused but by the time he could stop me, he was too late.

"God, Rose," he grunted, his head falling back onto the pillow.

It was a new experience for me. He's the only man I've slept with, and he's only ever paid attention to me, refusing to let me return the favour. Looking at him through hooded eyelids, I could only feel pride at getting the reaction that I was out of him.

I was in control, and I loved every minute of it. I straddled him, letting him sink into me, gasping at the sensation and just letting myself drink in the moment. He didn't say anything, and when I looked down at him, he was looking at me with a look I'd never seen from him before.

I had no time to question it as I moved, making us both react. We'd been close before, but I don't think we'd been this intimate before. I forced myself to look back into his eyes through my pleasure, and the look was still in his eyes.

I was euphoric, riding on a high that had me solely focused on this man. Tears rushed to my eyes as I rode out my ecstasy, and he reached out to wipe them away as he joined me. I slumped onto his chest, breathing heavily.

"I love you Rose Kidman. I know the thought terrifies you because of how quickly everything is happening between us, but I know what I feel. I know that I've never felt for anyone, what I feel for you. You don't have to say anything in return. I just want you to know that I love you."

And I couldn't say anything.

He proceeded to flip me over before showing me through action, the truth behind his words. I could only pray that the walls were thick enough because I didn't hold back from expressing just how in agreement my body was with what was being done to it.

I woke up hours later and it was dark outside. I was alone in the bed, and I won't deny that that sucked. However, remembering who I was dating, I pinned it down to him having to make an important phone call.

I was instead stunned as he rolled a cart into the room. There were candles on it, as well as food, strawberries, whipped cream and a bowl with something I couldn't see from where I was. He had a deviant smile on his face as he took me in.

"I don't like that look," I commented.

"And yet you'll love what I have in mind," he argued.

I raised an eyebrow. "Someone's confident."

"This is me you're trying to lie to Miss Kidman. Just by looking at you right now, I know you want me. It's funny, because you insisted that I was the one with the high stamina, except you seem to be able to match me. You can't get enough either. You're flushed as we speak. You're just sitting there, imagining all the dirty things I could possibly do to you in this very moment. Tell me I'm wrong and I won't touch you."

I was hot everywhere, and it felt like the breath had been knocked out of me. He smirked, removing the towel that was covering his glorious nakedness, before stalking towards me like the powerful, sexy predator he is.

I was definitely his willing prey.

Hours of sticky, hot, sweaty and adventurous sex later, we were cuddling. The sun was beginning to shine through, and I couldn't remember a time in my life when I'd been happier than I was in that moment.

I was drawing circles on his chest when he spoke. "Move in with us."

I was silent for a while, but even I couldn't deny that I'd been swayed. "Ok."

"Wait, really?" he asked, making me look up at him.

I giggled. "Yes. I don't know how we're going to work it out, but I don't think I can be away from you, so yes."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"You spent so long trying to convince me, and now you're unsure?" I asked.

"It's not that. I just want you to be sure. The last thing I want is for what I said to you to be influencing your answer. I want you to come willingly, not because I say so," he said.

I shot him a sexy smile. "Oh but I do love it when you say so."

"Rose Kidman!" he scolded, visibly surprised.

I laughed, snorting even. "Man, the look on your face."

"I'm not sure how I feel about this little beast I've unleashed," he said playfully.

"Well, she's your little beast alone, so really, you should feel proud," I retorted.

He looked thoughtful before nodding. "I can do proud."

"Good! I'm serious though. I don't know how we're going to work everything out, but we will. I want to be with you every moment that I can, and being in the same house works in that favour," I pointed out.

He leaned down and kissed me. "We'll figure it out."

We settled for taking a non-sexual joint shower before heading back to bed to actually sleep. We were heading back home in the evening, but he wanted to make a pit stop in the afternoon, so we tried to get in a little sleep before that.

We checked out hours later, after having eaten, before he told the driver where to take us. He wouldn't tell me and I was anxious about it for whatever reason. It was probably because I could see that he was just as apprehensive as I was.

"Do we really have to do this?" I asked lowly.

He scowled. "Why? Don't you want to?"

"I'm more concerned about if you really want to. You're tense," I pointed out.

He sighed. "You'll understand why when we get there."

I let it go and instead endured the tense and awkward atmosphere, wondering what could possibly have him like this. When the car came to a complete halt, and the driver stepped out, I took the chance to look outside.

Once I saw the name on the building, I understood.

"Is this...?" I trailed off.

He nodded. "It is."

"But why?" I asked.

"You need to see something. I need you to understand," was all he said.

I let him lead me inside, refraining from asking the questions I wanted to. I was trusting him on this, and only because it was visibly clear that it was taking him a lot to get through doing this with me. We walked all the way to the reception area, and the lady behind the desk beamed when she saw him.

"Olivier! I didn't know you were coming to visit! I wasn't expecting you for another week," she said, leaving the desk to come and hug him.

"I'm sorry Yvonne, but I was on an impromptu trip and decided to pop in," he told her.

"No need to apologize. You know you're always welcome here," she told him.

"I'd like to introduce you to someone special. This is my girlfriend Rose Kidman. Rose, this is Yvonne Mosley. She runs the orphanage," he introduced.

I smiled her way, about to say something, but she scowled. "Olivier..."

"She's different. I promise," he quickly defended.

Different from who?

"You'll excuse me dear. The last time Olivier brought a woman here, it ended badly," she told me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"My ex-wife had her first mental breakdown here, and she happened to harm one of the kids," he informed me.

"What?" I whispered, disbelief coursing through me.

He instead turned to Yvonne. "I was hoping to see him."

"Is it time?" she asked.

He nodded. "Is that ok with you? I know I'm a week early."

"It's fine with me dear. He's with Trevor right now, but they'll be back within the hour and I'm sure he's going to be overjoyed. You can take Rose for a tour in the meantime if you'd like?" Yvonne offered.

He smiled. "I'd like that."

"I'll have one of the nurses come and fetch you once he gets here," she said before heading to the phone to make a phone call.

"I'm so confused," I told him.

"I know, and I'll explain everything," he said, taking my hand in his.

Once again, I let him lead me through to wherever he was taking me. Granted how focused he was, I realized that he had a particular destination in mind and wasn't about to educate me on anything else; or at least not yet.

I was right as we reached an empty room. There was nothing on the walls, and it was painted completely white. It was spotless, even with nothing in it. I watched him carefully, watching the emotions changing on his face.

"Where are we?" I whispered.

He turned to me, tears in his eyes. "We're in the room where I first saw Grace. It's also the same room where the mental breakdown happened. I brought her here so that she could have a better understanding of my bond with Grace, and instead she lost it. For so long I wasn't sure what emotions to associate with the room, so I asked them not to put anything in it. I paid for renovations to grow the place, and I pay them monthly to keep this room absolutely empty and spotless. It makes no sense to anyone else, but it does to me."

"You don't want it further tarnished," I said knowingly.

He frowned. "How did you know?"

"If it's clean and empty, then no more pain or bad memories can come from it. I totally get it," I told him.

"I knew there was something special about you the moment I lay my eyes on you, but Rose, there's something important that I need to tell you," he said.

Before I could say anything, a shout of glee threw me off. "Daddy!"

I watched as a little boy, around the age of nine, ran into the room, heading straight for Olivier. He wrapped his arms around my boyfriend's legs, and a look I've only seen him give Grace overtook Olivier's face as he picked the boy up.

"Hey buddy! Where have you been?" he asked the little boy.

"I was out with Trevor. He took me to the barber," the little boy said happily.

"You look good," Olivier complimented.

"Thank you. Who's this? Is she my new mummy?" the little boy asked.

Meanwhile, I was frozen.

Olivier shot me a look before looking back at the little boy. "Do you want her to be your mommy?"

The little boy nodded eagerly. "She's pretty. She doesn't look as mean as that other lady."

"She isn't like that other lady. Listen buddy, I need to talk to her ok? Go and tell Yvonne that you're leaving with us today, so they should pack up your stuff," Olivier told him.

The little boy beamed with happiness beyond any I'd ever witnessed from anyone before. "The mean people finally allowed me to come with you?"

Olivier nodded as he put him down. "It was a lot of work, but I finally got them to agree."

"Yes! I can't wait," the little boy said before running out of the room.

"We came here seven years ago, when Ethan was still a baby. I wanted to show her where I first met Grace, and I was hoping that it would help her to better connect with my daughter. We'd only been married for three years, making Grace seven, but the two of them just didn't click like I hoped they would. My little girl tried everything she could to be the best daughter, but to no avail. Anyway, we were in this room when my eyes spotted Ethan. Yvonne told me his story and it was similar to Grace's, so I was instantly attached," he started, looking pained.

"You don't have to-"

"Let me finish Rose," he stopped me. I nodded and waited for him to continue.

"My wife hated my instant connection to Ethan. In the three years we'd been together, she hadn't been able to have children, something she'd apparently confirmed just before we took our trip here. I asked her if she found Ethan adorable, and before I knew it, she went into a rage, screaming about how I didn't love her and would never love her the same way I love Grace. I tried to calm her down, and before I knew it, she'd shoved the bed Ethan was on. It rolled all the way to the wall before tipping over with him in it. He didn't sustain any serious injuries, but the incident shone a light on the fact that I didn't know the woman I was married to. We tried to get her help after that, but we only learned later that she enjoys being crazy. I kept checking in on Ethan through the years, and I brought Grace here once. She wanted to know where I'd first laid eyes on her, and the moment she met Ethan, she fell in love. I enquired more about his situation and learnt that his biological father had actually heard about his existence. Ethan was four at the time. Apparently his mother had hidden him from his father, and the man came to fetch Ethan, only for a neighbour to call the orphanage weeks later, reporting that she believed Ethan was being abused. I flew here as soon as Yvonne told me and together we went to the authorities. The man was arrested just days later after it turned out to be true. Yvonne knew then what I wanted, except unlike Grace, adopting Ethan has taken longer and has taken a lot more to make happen. His adoption was only approved last week, and like Yvonne said, they were expecting me next week."

I was speechless, and that prompted him to continue.

"I didn't anticipate us Rose. I didn't expect to fall in love with you, or anyone really. I was sure that the only love I would know for the rest of my life is the one I have for my kids. So, I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that I'm in love with you, I want you to move in with us, but also that I come with two kids and not one."

So, so many things were running through my mind as I watched him wipe away fallen tears. I was doing the same, trying to process everything he was telling me. I didn't even have a starting point because of how much information had just been revealed to me.

"Say something," he said lowly after a while.

"I don't even know where to start," I admitted.

"Start anywhere," he said.

"Where is your ex-wife right now?" I asked.

He scowled. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"I want her nowhere near us Olivier. I might just kill her," I confessed.

In his entire story, that's what stood out to me the most- what he'd said about her. The woman not only sounds insane, but she clearly needs her head checked out if she has a problem with Grace and Ethan.

Grace is the sweetest little girl, and it wasn't hard to tell that the same could be said for Ethan being a sweet little boy.

"Us? Does that mean...?" he trailed off.

"It means I don't know what I'm doing or where this is going, but being without you and Grace isn't on the table, and if that means Ethan is a part of that package, then I'll take the whole package. However, I want no threat near my package either," I replied.

"She's never been to the house since she left, and I don't expect her to come anywhere near us considering how much she hates us all. I have Fabio watching out for her if it makes you feel better," he informed.

I nodded. "It does. I want to know more about your relationship with her, but I understand that you need time to open up to me, so I'll give you time."

"I promise to tell you once I'm ready to open that part of my life up to you fully. Right now, I just want to be with you, to grow with you and my kids. Do you think you can give me that?" he asked, nervous.

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "You are nothing like what I expected Olivier Myron Black."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"Honestly? I'm still trying to figure that out, but I do know that you make me happy. You come with a lot of baggage, probably more than most people, but I'd like to believe that it's baggage that I can learn to live with as time goes," I responded.

"Does this mean you accept?" he asked.

"I don't really have to be anyone's mom right?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Only time will tell that much."

"Then I accept," I replied, smiling.

He returned the smile before leaning in to kiss me. The entire day had been filled with emotions, and I was just about ready to call it a day. Ethan ran back into the room, interrupting us to alert Olivier that Yvonne was looking for him.

"Go," I told Olivier, noting his indecision at leaving me with the little boy.

"Are you my new mummy? I saw daddy kissing you," Ethan asked me once it was the two of us left.

"Do you remember your old mommy?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "I only remember my old daddy. He hurt me."

"Your new daddy will never hurt you," I assured him.

He looked deep in thought about something. "Will you ever hurt me?"

My heart broke for him as his shimmering hazel eyes stared at me expectantly.

"Never," I said lowly.

He gave me a toothy smile before coming to hug my legs. "Then you're my new mummy."

I stayed with him as he told me all about his love of cars and robots. He really is just the cutest little boy, and deep down, I was worried about his mental health. Something told me that his past would come back to haunt him at a later stage in his life.

Olivier found us sitting on the floor about an hour later. He informed me that he was tying up loose ends and that Ethan was finally able to go to the States. We collected his bags and he said his goodbyes to everyone before we left.

The little boy talked our ears off before eventually falling asleep halfway on the flight home. By then the both of us were just as exhausted, so we slept too. The three of us were woken up just before landing, and we got strapped in properly.

When we'd landed, Ethan forgot all about his fatigue as his talking took off once more. We'd landed late in the afternoon and this time he was awed by everything he was seeing through the car windows as we made our way to the mansion.

"How long do you think it's going to be before he shuts down?" Olivier whispered to me.

I giggled. "Stop it and let the child enjoy himself."

We reached the mansion and for some reason, Ethan wouldn't let go of my hand. This time he was silently taking everything in, especially once Olivier informed him that this was his new home. His eyes were wide with wonder. Fabio came out of the house and walked speedily towards us, looking panicked.

"Heads up," he said to Olivier specifically.

Before I could ask what he was on about, a beautiful woman sauntered out of the house. She looked breathtaking in the little black dress she had on as she excitedly ran towards my bewildered boyfriend. Before he could get any words out, she had her mouth over his.

Sorry what?