Divorce The Duke, Marry The King!
Chapter 45: Seduce

Chapter 45: Seduce

In the middle of the night, Quinn stirred awake and quietly slipped out of bed. He grabbed the blanket from the bed and walked over to where Belle was curled up on the couch.

Reaching her side, he began covering her with the blanket, starting from her toes. When he reached her chest, he paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Her clumsiness hadn’t changed one bit. He had only given her the shirt to spare her from sleeping in the gown, not for her to strip off her undergarments entirely. What was she thinking?

She was still the same reckless, unthinking mate he remembered.

How was he supposed to sleep knowing she was lying there with her peaks faintly visible through the thin fabric of the shirt? Had she even considered how he might feel seeing her like this?

"Stop giving me mixed signals," he murmured under his breath with a resigned sigh, pulling the blanket up to cover her completely.

As he turned to go back to bed, his gaze landed on the drawings of sea creatures adorning the cabin walls. He stared at them for a long moment, deep in thought. Should he erase them or leave them as they were? She wouldn’t be returning to his hideout again, so perhaps it didn’t matter.

---

The next morning, Belle woke to the surprising warmth of a blanket wrapped snugly around her. She frowned, confused. She didn’t recall sleeping with a blanket, or had she?

Sitting up, she glanced around the room, her confusion growing when she realized Quinn wasn’t in bed. Her heart skipped a beat. Where could he have gone? Surely, he wouldn’t have abandoned her, right?

Panicking, she tossed the blanket aside and bolted out of the cabin, barefoot and half-dressed, scanning her surroundings as she called out.

"Quinn!" She shouted, her voice cutting through the quiet morning air. There was no response and her chest tightened. Has something happened to him?

"Quinn!" She called again, her voice more frantic as she searched the shore for any sign of him. But there was nothing. Not even a trace.

Her thoughts spiraled. That bastard had left her! But why bring her here just to abandon her? Was he working with the vampires? Had he sold her out?

Fear coiled tightly in her stomach as she instinctively backed toward the ocean, thinking it might be a trap. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she was suddenly carried off the ground. She screamed, thrashing wildly to free herself.

"Let me go!" She shouted, kicking and flailing until a familiar voice cut through her panic.

"Are you sure about that?"

Her movements stilled, and she turned slightly to see Quinn’s face. Relief washed over her like a wave, but her expression quickly hardened as she looked away.

"Come on, I wasn’t even gone an hour, and you are already missing me? What would you ever do without me?" He teased, his tone light and infuriating.

"Put me down. I can walk, and I don’t want to talk to you," she snapped, crossing her arms as best she could.

Quinn ignored her, a smirk playing on his lips as he tightened his grip. His gaze lowered, and something caught his eye, making his smile widen.

"I am far too possessive to let that happen," he said, his voice dropping to a playful murmur. "I don’t even want a fish looking at what’s mine. The view is for me alone."

Belle frowned, confused. "What view? What are you even talking about?" She asked, but he only chuckled.

Rolling her eyes at him, Belle caught the shift in his gaze and followed it to her chest. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized her nipples were peeking through the shirt so obviously that she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

In her panic earlier, she had completely forgotten that she was naked beneath the shirt. Embarrassment surged through her, her cheeks flushing deep red as she quickly averted her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. She knew Quinn well enough to predict his reaction, he would assume she had done this on purpose to seduce him, a far cry from her actual intentions.

How could she even explain that she had planned to change before he woke up? There was no way he would believe her now.

Quinn, noticing her discomfort, chose not to prolong her humiliation. Smirking to himself, he turned and began walking back toward the cabin without saying a word. His silence was a small mercy that she genuinely appreciated.

The moment they were inside the cabin, Belle yanked herself free from his arms, grabbed her gown, and dashed into the bathroom.

"Still as reckless as ever," Quinn muttered with a shake of his head, stepping back outside. He figured he might as well catch some fish for breakfast before they left.

He left the cabin to catch some fishes but was momentarily distracted by movement in the forest. Returning later to check on Belle, he had been surprised to see her frantically running around the shore, calling his name. He had watched her for a moment, wondering if she would cry when she didn’t find him. However, when she moved closer to the water, his patience ran out, and he approached her before she could fall in.

This time, he stayed within her line of sight while fishing, not wanting her to panic again. Once he caught a few fish, he smoked them over an open flame and headed back into the cabin.

The moment he entered, Belle asked abruptly, "When are we leaving?" Though the question was quickly followed by a quiet, regretful ’Ah...’ when her gaze landed on the smoked fish, guilt creeping into her heart. She avoided his gaze, her discomfort obvious.

Quinn set the fish down and replied calmly, "We don’t want your husband thinking I mistreated you, so eat this first. Besides, the fight isn’t over yet. You will need the strength to wait for his return."

At his words, Belle shot to her feet, alarmed. "Wait? He’s not at the castle?"

"You think the vampires are fools?" Quinn asked, arching an eyebrow. "If they were bold enough to bring their men to a truce meeting, they had likely set up an ambush. While it would be easy to wipe them out, it is fun letting them lead. I will take you to the castle, then head back to the king."

His explanation did nothing to ease her nerves. If anything, it worried her even more. "No! I am not going to the castle. Take me with you!" She protested, stepping closer to him.

"This isn’t the time to play love games," Quinn said firmly. "Getting you to safety is my priority. Having you with me would only distract me, and probably lead to more injuries, like these." He gestured to the sword cut and the arrow wound on his back.

"What if you dress me as one of your men?" Belle suggested, desperation creeping into her voice.