[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 29: When Love Faces a Storm

~Alistair’s POV~

In the past, he always picked up, no matter how much they fought.

"Why aren’t you picking up?" I asked, my voice raspy from sleep. "It’s your mother."

Alex didn’t look at me. He just pulled the duvet higher. "I have no reason to," he replied shortly.

He pulled me back against his chest, his arms locking around me like a vice. I stayed quiet, my mind racing. I wanted to ask him, demand answers, why he’d changed his password, what really happened in Singapore. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t confess that I had slipped out of bed like a thief, creeping toward his phone after he’d spent the whole night begging me to trust him.

The guilt kept the words trapped in my throat.

We lay there in a heavy, awkward silence until Alex finally shifted. His chin brushed against my hair, and he pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head, his voice gentle, as if the tension from the phone call had never existed.

"Babe," he murmured. "Our seventh anniversary is next week. I want it to be perfect for us. If there’s something you’ve been wishing for, anything at all, let me know. I want to give it to you."

I smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his chest. "Thank you, baby... "I’ll think about it, Alex."

"Good." He sat up, drawing me into his lap. "Come on," he murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. "Come on, let’s shower so we can have breakfast after."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning my head against his shoulder. "Carry me," I whispered.

Alex chuckled, the vibration rumbling through his chest. "No problem, my big baby." He hooked his arms under my knees and back, hoisting me up as if I weighed nothing.

"And you have to wash me," I added, nipping lightly at his earlobe.

The shower became our little sanctuary, steam curling around us and the scent of peppermint filling the air. Alex moved carefully, his hands slick with soap as he traced over my skin and his own. He massaged my shoulders, easing out the tension of the past few days, before letting his touch drift lower. Every motion was deliberate, a quiet rhythm between us as he washed us both.

When the water stopped, he didn’t let me move. He stepped out first, grabbing a plush towel and wrapping it around me before I could feel the morning chill. He patted me dry with a tenderness that made my heart ache. He then sat me down on the vanity stool, plugging in the hairdryer. The warm air rushed through my hair as his fingers combed through the damp strands, his touch steady and rhythmic.

"Anything else, my big baby?" he teased, catching my gaze in the mirror.

"My skin," I reminded him, nodding toward the bottles. "You have to do my full skincare routine, every step."

He didn’t complain. He started with the hydrating toner, pressing his damp palms against my cheeks until the moisture absorbed. Then came the serum; he used his fingertips to tap it gently into my skin, focusing on the corners of my eyes. Next, he reached for the body lotion.

He started at my ankles, massaging the cream upward in long, firm strokes. When he reached my thighs, his hands slowed. As he applied the lotion to my inner lap, his fingers intentionally brushed against me, his thumb grazing the tip of my cock. I let out a sharp, jagged breath, my hands gripping the edge of the marble counter.

"Getting sensitive, baby?" he murmured, eyes dark with mischief as his hands continued to rub the cream in, dragging out every delicious second. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"You know exactly what you’re doing, babe," I breathed, voice shaky. "You know exactly what your touch is doing to me."

He grinned, unfazed, his hands relentless. I was close, so close that my control was slipping, but before I lost it completely, I scrambled to find a way to stop him.

"Clothes," I managed to choke out, trying to regain my composure. "Find me something comfortable. Something that suits my skin."

"As you wish." He strode to the walk-in closet and returned moments later with a silk, cream-colored lounge set. But first, he paused, giving me a teasing look. "Let’s start with something a little... fun."

I felt his fingers slide the waistband of a sleek, black silk boxer over my hips, the fabric clinging in all the right places. Then, with deliberate care, he knelt before me, pulling the lounge pants over my legs and buttoning the shirt one by one, his knuckles grazing my chest with every movement, sending shivers down my spine.

Once I was fully dressed and glowing, Alex threw on a simple pair of joggers and a t-shirt. I stood up, hooked my fingers into his collar, and pulled him down for a long, lingering kiss. "Thank you," I murmured against his lips.

He smiled, his eyes soft with affection. "I’m going to head downstairs and make your favorite coffee. By the time you come down, the French press will be ready."

"Okay, baby," I smiled. He squeezed my hand one last time before turning to leave the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, the silence pressed in on me. I grabbed my phone, planning to call my mother, it had been days since we’d spoken. But as the screen lit up, my stomach sank: 2 Missed Calls: Mother-in-Law.

I wasn’t entirely shocked. She tended to contact me only when Alex was ignoring her, using me as a shortcut into his life. I stared at the notifications, torn between telling Alex or simply ignoring them. Before I could make up my mind, the phone vibrated in my hand, she was calling again.

I hesitated for a second, then slid the bar to answer.

"Alis? Son..." her voice came through, unusually soft.

I pulled the phone away from my ear, blinking at the screen. Son? She’d never greeted me like that, her voice so... cheerful. Heart skipping, I pressed the phone back to my ear.

"Mom? Good morning... ma," I stammered. "Alex just went downstairs. I’ll bring the phone to him—"

"No, no, son," she interrupted quickly. "I called to speak to you. Not Alex."

I froze. A cold prickle of apprehension ran down my spine. "I’m listening, Mom," I said cautiously.

Then she began to speak. Her words were slow, careful, an apology for how she had treated me before, for the cold looks and cutting remarks during her visits. It felt practiced, almost like she was reading from a script she didn’t truly believe in. I stayed silent, guessing she was trying to soften me to get to her son. But once the apology was out of the way, her voice sharpened, growing more insistent.

"I’d really like to invite you over this weekend, Alis. Please, son... we need to talk. I want to apologize to you in person, I want you to see that I’m sincere."

"Mom, it’s okay," I said, trying to decline politely. "You really don’t have to. It’s fine."

"I insist," she pressed, her voice gaining a sharp edge. "If you truly forgive me, you have to come. Please."

I felt cornered. "I... I’ll try to come, Mom," I finally muttered.

"Thank you, son. I’ll be expecting you."

The line went dead. I let out a long, shaky sigh and stared at the blank screen for a minute before heading downstairs. The smell of fresh coffee filled the air, and the moment Alex spotted me, his face lit up.

"What took you so long, big baby?" he teased, already reaching for a mug. "I was about to bring the breakfast upstairs to you."

"I was on the phone with your mom," I said, watching his reaction closely.

Alex spun around so fast it made my head swim. His smile disappeared, replaced by a tense, tight-lipped expression. "What—what happened? What did she want? What did she say?" His voice wavered, cracking at the edges, each word rushing out like he feared I’d uncovered some hidden truth. His hands fidgeted nervously, and his eyes darted between mine, desperate for answers.

I was taken aback by his reaction, but I stayed silent. "She called to apologize, Alex," I said, keeping my voice steady. "She invited me over this weekend. She wants me to come so she can apologize properly, and—"

"No." Alex didn’t let me finish. His voice was cold, harder than I had ever heard it. "We aren’t going anywhere. You aren’t going anywhere. From now on, you don’t answer her calls. Do you understand me?"

He looked utterly serious, his jaw tight, eyes dark with resolve. I blinked, startled by the intensity radiating off him. "Alex... we have to go," I said, my voice wavering. "She’s your mother, and I already told her I’d come."

Alex closed the distance between us, his gaze fierce and unyielding. "We are not going anywhere, Alis. I’m your husband, and you will listen to me. You married me, not her. I said no."

I snapped, my words cutting through the kitchen air. "Alex, what is going on?"