The Billionaire's Bride [ Rewritten]

Part 17 | What are We?

Morning light filtered in quietly, brushing across the room and her.

She lay beside me, closer than I remembered falling asleep. One arm tucked under her cheek, hair slightly messy, lips parted just enough to remind me I hadn’t imagined it.

The kiss.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't see it coming.

Truth was, I have been thinking about kissing her for far longer than I'd admit.

Far longer than I should have.

Her expression—half wonder, half disbelief—did something dangerous to my composure. I had always prided myself on control. Precision. Measured steps. Nothing impulsive, nothing reckless.

And yet there I was.

I just watched her.

My eyes dropped, just briefly, to her lips again. A mistake.

Because the memory of the kiss hadn’t faded.

It came rushing back instantly—warm, vivid, impossible to ignore.

Her first kiss.

She hadn’t said it out loud—but it had been there. Written all over her. The softness, the hesitation, the way she had slowly leaned into it like she was discovering something new rather than just reacting to me.

I wasn’t a playboy—far from it. But I couldn’t pretend it had been my first kiss either.

And yet… with her, it felt entirely different.

The moment she responded — timid at first, then certain—the rush that followed caught me off guard. It wasn’t familiar. It wasn’t routine. It was something that made my pulse spike in a way I had never experienced before.

It made me feel alive.

Undeniably alive.

Lying there beside her now, watching the quiet rise and fall of her breath, I felt the realization settle deeper with a strange, quiet happiness.

I was her first.

Not pride in the usual sense, but something warmer. More personal.

Possessive, almost.

It mattered.

She mattered.

I wanted to be there for all her firsts.

To witness them, to share them… to make sure each one stayed with her, unforgettable in the best way possible.

A slow breath left me as I leaned back slightly against the headboard, careful not to disturb her.

My hand hovered for a second, before I let my fingers lightly brush a strand of hair away from her face.

She didn’t stir. A faint smile tugged at my lips despite myself.