Reborn To Change My Fate

Chapter 354 - Three Hundred And Fifty Three

His voice was a low, rough whisper. He looked at her, his hands gripping the copper edges of the tub under the water.

Marissa kept smiling. She lifted her leg and gracefully slid into the warm water of the tub. The water splashed softly over the edges. She moved through the water until she was sitting right in front of him. Their wet knees brushed against each other beneath the surface.

She leaned her upper body forward. She closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly, and aimed her lips directly at his. She tried to kiss him.

But just like that afternoon, Derek reacted with sudden, rigid panic. He quickly turned his face to the side. Her lips completely missed his mouth and brushed awkwardly against his rough, wet cheek instead.

He avoided the kiss. He pulled his upper body backward, pressing his broad shoulders tightly against the hard back of the tub to put physical distance between them.

Marissa opened her eyes. The warm, loving smile instantly vanished from her face. She sat back in the water, putting space between them.

She frowned deeply. Her dark eyebrows pulled together in hurt, confusion, and rising offense. She crossed her wet arms tightly over her bare chest, feeling incredibly exposed and rejected by her own husband.

"This is the second time," Marissa stated clearly. Her voice was no longer soft and teasing. She said in anger, glaring directly into his eyes. "Are you avoiding me?"

Derek looked at her angry, hurt face. He opened his mouth to speak, but he could not find the right words to explain his terror. "Mari, please, I..."

Marissa did not let him finish his sentence. Her pride was deeply wounded. She felt completely humiliated sitting there naked while he pulled away from her.

"Does me being sexual with you disgusts you so?" Marissa demanded loudly, her voice shaking with anger and sadness. She wondered if her body was different now, or if seeing her dead had ruined his desire for her.

Derek’s eyes widened in pure, absolute shock.

"What? No! Mari, that is not true—"

"Fine," Marissa interrupted him sharply. She uncrossed her arms and placed her hands firmly on the wet edge of the copper tub. "I’ll leave."

She was about to stand up from the tub and walk out of the room. She shifted her weight, ready to rise out of the water.

Before she could even lift herself up, Derek moved with lightning speed.

He lunged forward through the water. He grabbed her wet arms with his large hands and pulled her forcefully back down. He pulled her close to himself.

Marissa gasped in surprise as she splashed back into the water, her chest slamming gently against his hard, wet chest.

Derek wrapped both of his strong arms securely around her waist, trapping her tightly against him. He buried his face in the soft crook of her neck. He was shaking his head frantically back and forth. His wet hair brushed against her collarbone.

He slid lower in the water. He rested his head on her breast. He held onto her tightly, as if he was drowning in the ocean and she was the only piece of wood keeping him alive.

"No. No," Derek repeated, his voice muffled against her wet skin. His voice was shaking with intense, raw emotion. "It is neither of them. It is not disgust. Never disgust."

Marissa stopped struggling instantly. She felt his heart hammering violently against his ribs. She felt the slight trembling in his broad shoulders. She looked down at his dark, wet hair resting against her.

"Then what is it?" Marissa asked. Her anger melted away completely, replaced by deep, genuine concern. "Why are you pulling away?"

Derek took a slow, trembling breath.

"I’m afraid," Derek confessed. His voice was barely a whisper, filled with a deep, lingering terror that he could not shake off.

Marissa softened her posture. She gently placed her hands on his wet, tense shoulders.

"Afraid of what?" Marissa asked softly. "I am right here, Derek."

Derek slowly lifted his head from her breast. He looked up into her eyes. His handsome face was full of deep pain and extreme worry.

He said, "Afraid that if you kiss me or be sexual with me, I might lose it and hurt you."

He reached up with a wet, trembling hand. He gently pushed a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear. His fingers carefully traced her soft jawline. He looked at her as if she were made of the thinnest, most fragile glass in the world.

"You just woke up today, Mari," Derek explained, his eyes searching her face with desperate caution. "You were asleep for thirty days. Your heart stopped. You survived poison and dark magic. Your body has been through hell."

He looked down at her bare, wet shoulders.

"Your body isn’t strong for vigorous exercise yet," Derek continued, his voice thick with protective worry. "You need to rest. You need to heal completely. I don’t want to strain your heart. I don’t want to hurt you so I am..."

He did not get to finish his sentence.

Marissa did not want to hear another single word of his overprotective fears. She grabbed the sides of his face with both of her hands.

She pulled him forward.

Marissa interrupted him by kissing him.

It was not a gentle, questioning kiss. It was deep, confident, and highly demanding. She kissed him with all the burning passion and vibrant life she had inside her body. She pressed her lips firmly against his, forcing him to feel her warmth and her strength.

Derek froze in shock for a second, but then a soft groan escaped his throat. He could not resist her anymore. He kissed her back deeply, his large hands sliding up her wet back to pull her even closer against him in the warm water.

After a long, breathless moment, Marissa slowly broke the kiss. She kept her face very close to his. Their wet noses were touching.

She looked straight into his dark, wide eyes. A confident, wicked smirk formed on her lips.

"The doctor said I am fine," Marissa stated clearly, her voice steady and sure. "My heart is perfect."

To prove her point, she slowly moved her right hand. Her hand traveled down his wet chest, tracing the hard, sculpted muscles of his stomach. Her fingers slipped entirely beneath the warm water. Her hand traveled down his abdomen with deliberate, teasing slowness.

Derek sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. His muscles instantly tensed completely rigid under her exploring touch.

"I am very fit, Derek," Marissa whispered. Her voice dropped to a low, husky tone that sent a hot shiver straight down his spine. She looked at him with dark, burning desire. "Instead of worrying about breaking me... I suggest you start worrying about what I would do to you tonight."

Derek stared at her. He felt the intense, burning heat of her touch beneath the water.

He swallowed.

She is going to kill me. He thought to himself.