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Chapter Text

2011

Namor saw her long before she was in his art class. 

Twice. 

The first time was when he was in the car with his friends. It was his first weekend with his license, and he nearly crashed into another car when he saw her walking down the sidewalk. 

The second time was last year when they were sophomores. 

He was on the second level of the science and math building, looking down at the courtyard. She held her binders against her chest and wore a royal blue dress that clung to her body. She looked so mature and grown and gorgeous that he swore she was one of the student teachers on campus or something. 

He never saw her again until this year, where they now share the same elective. She sits at a table near the door and doesn’t speak much. Namor has been working up the courage for weeks to talk to her, and for a guy who constantly has girls hitting up his phone and flirting with him, he finds himself intimidated by her. 

Maybe because for once, he actually wants someone, and he thinks, for once, he’ll be rejected. 

“Ch’ah?”

He looks away from his crush and up at his art teacher. “Yes, Mrs. Moreno?”

“Garth’s buddy is coming in today to work with him. Would you mind sitting at the back table with Shuri today?” 

Garth is a student who has Down syndrome, and another student comes by once in a while to do certain art projects with him. Namor enjoys sharing a table with him, but he can’t help but perk up at the offer to sit by her. 

Shuri. 

Yes, that’s her name. 

So damn beautiful, just like her. 

Namor picks up his stuff and goes to Shuri’s table. He sits on the chair next to her, waiting until they’re given a chance to begin working on their paper mache projects. He glances at Shuri before she can stand up.

“Do you want me to get your project for you?” 

She smiles at him. So pretty. “Would you?” 

“Yeah. Which one is yours?” 

“The panther.”

He already knew that. He goes over to the storage area, searching for the panther. He hears a ginger kid, Mikey, make a comment.

“You’re not slick, bro.” 

“What?”

“You’re trying to hit, huh?”

“Shut up,” Namor laughs, shaking his head, but then he hopes that’s not the way he’s coming across to Shuri. Does she see this as a nice gesture, or him being creepy? Fuck… 

He brings the panther and his serpent over to the table. Shuri thanks him, and as she begins to paint, she continues the conversation. 

“I think you’re the best artist in here.” 

“I’m alright.”

“You’re more than alright. Your work gets constantly put in the display case. You should be in an advanced course.” 

Namor glances at her panther, which looks more like a bear, but he doesn’t say that. 

“You’re a good artist, too.” 

“Oh, please!” She rolls her eyes. “I know I suck at this, which isn’t okay. I want to be a fashion designer because I have all these ideas in my head but how can I make it come true when I can’t sketch it out?” 

Namor knows a perfect solution, but again, he doesn’t know if he should offer it. Does he want Shuri sexually? Of course. But what he wants more is something stronger and better than that. 

He wants to be her boyfriend. 

Being a friend has to come first, though. 

“I can give you a few tips whenever you’re free.” 

“Oh…” Something sparks in her eyes. “I would love that.” 

Namor tries to keep it cool. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah. Do you have anything going on after school?” 

Oh, shit. She wants to meet up as soon as this class is over. It’s their last one of the day. 

“Nope. I literally live behind the football field. My parents are at work if you want to come over.” 

She smiles even wider, managing what sounds like a soft ‘okay’. They keep stealing looks from each other throughout the remainder of class, and when it’s time to go, Namor can’t believe he has his dream girl walking down the hallway by his side. He hears his friends he usually meets up with hollering and catcalling.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “They’re stupid.” 

“It’s fine.” She holds her binder against her chest the way she did when he saw her last year. “I’m so happy we are finally able to talk.”

“Same here…” Namor rubs the back of his neck, wanting it to put his arm around her instead as he takes her through the secret alleyway for a quicker, more private walk to his house. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you since last year.”

“Last year!?”

“I saw you in the courtyard and thought you were so gorgeous. I saw you before that, too, walking with your friends to the corner store. I almost crashed my car looking at you.” 

“Wow,” she breathes. “I never thought Namor Almehen would call me gorgeous. I’ve had a crush on you since freshman year, when you were on the swim team. My big brother was on the team, too. I saw you at the meets.” 

“Who’s your brother!?” 

“T’Challa.”

What the hell!? If he would’ve known that, he would’ve attempted to start a friendship with the then-senior to get closer to Shuri. 

“Damn. I can’t believe I’m barely finding this out.” 

“Well… Now you know.” She flickers her amber eyes up at him. “I really want to kiss you, Namor.”

He stops everything to grab her face and back her up against the alley wall, kissing her as intensely as he’s practiced on others. Only this time, he’s receiving as much intensity in return, feeling like he’s floating as her tongue swirls around inside his mouth. Her binder falls when she holds the back of his head. They can’t stop, not until she needs to breathe. 

“Goodness,” she whispers with a giggle. “More of that after you teach me how to sketch?”

She laughs harder when he swoops her up like a bride and jogs to his house. 

2013

At eighteen years old, Shuri Udaku became Shuri Almehen. 

After their marriage inside the courthouse with Namor’s siblings, Attuma and Namora,  in attendance as the witnesses, her groom brought her straight to the hotel. 

They can’t properly consummate their marriage in either of their parents’ homes. 

They enter their room, and as soon as the door shuts, Shuri is tossed onto the bed, little white dress and all. Namor crawls up her body, planting kisses here and there, right on her mound, her breasts, her collarbone and neck. He cradles her face and looks down at her as though she’s the only thing that matters in this world. 

“I love you so damn much, baby.” 

“I love you, Ch’ah. It was the perfect wedding, wasn’t it?” 

“When I’m an art teacher and you’re a badass fashion designer, I’ll give you an even better one. I promise you that.” Namor’s eyes turn dark with desire as he searches her face. “I can’t believe I convinced the hottest, most beautiful girl to marry me.”

Oh, she’ll never get enough of him. Never, ever, ever. 

“I really want to kiss you, Namor.”

Her best friend, her husband, then kisses her like  he’s dying and the only cure is on her lips, in her mouth. His tongue licks between her lips, delving inside her mouth to tangle with hers, exploring her thoroughly, plundering her body as he rocks his hips into her throbbing center. 

He kisses her until her lungs are burning and when he finally pulls away, it’s only to trail even more kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Her hands roam back, diving beneath the hem of his dress shirt so she can feel his smooth, burning skin beneath her fingertips.

“Just you wait, baby,” he growls into her neck, sucking on a spot at the base of her throat that drives her wild. “I’m going to worship you like a goddess my entire life.” He rolls his hips to grind his hard length between her thighs, wringing desperate cries from her lips. “I’m going to fucking ruin you.”

His lips find hers, softer than she expects after his half-feral words, his lips pressing to hers like is something to be cherished. His mouth moves against hers with wordless devotion, his tongue slipping into her mouth to slide against hers decadently, making her body thrum with pleasure. It is the sweetest torment, her entire being needing more. 

When he breaks away, Namor lets his forehead rest against hers, his brown eyes staring deeply into hers while he ruts into her body. Her legs wrap around the backs of his thighs helps her meet him thrust for thrust, the two of them writhing together with her dress still on. She’s so wet for him that she can feel herself leaving a damp spot on his pants.

“Namor,” she cries on a gasp, her fingertips digging into his spine beneath his shirt, trying to pull him closer, trying to bury herself inside his rib cage alongside his heart. “Namor, please!” she begs, not even knowing what exactly she is asking for, only knowing he is the only one who can give it to her.

Groaning, his eyes fall close, his hands beneath her body holding her just as tightly, like he never wants to let her go. “Fuck, baby, keep moaning my name,” he rasps, his tone thready and desperate. “You’re making me so fucking hard.” 

Even though you can feel the evidence of his hardness between her thighs, pushing between her sopping folds with every roll of his hips, hearing him say it makes her desire ratchet higher. Sliding her hands down his muscular back, Shuri starts to push his pants and boxers off him, pausing a moment to cop a feel of his perfectly firm ass, pulling a low moan from him.

“Need you,” she whimpers, trying to push his clothing down further but she can’t reach, and he isn’t stopping the intoxicating rocking of his hips to help her. “Baby, please, please, I need you inside me.” 

The whining cry of her voice pierces through the haze of his arousal because he stills, capturing her lips in a searing kiss with his hot, hard length pressed into her soft pussy. When he pulls away, his hands seem to be everywhere, ripping his shirt over his head then taking her cheap wedding dress off.

His eyes go pitch black when he sees her fully bare save her underwear, his heated gaze raking down her body like a caress. 

“Don’t think we’d get in trouble now that we’ve graduated if you’re ready to become a mommy.”

“Mmm-mmm, no sir. We’re going to school first. Art teacher and fashion designer.”

“Yes, ma’am… You’re so fucking beautiful.”

The warmth of delight at his compliment floods through her chest, making her heart thump, but then the incessant ache between her thighs reminds her of what she needs. Carding her fingers through his hair, she grabs him and pulls him up until he covers her small body with his much larger one.

When he finally pushes the remainder of his pants and boxers down his thighs and off, settling between her legs, she lets out a contented sigh that devolves into a moan. She feels his cock against her most sensitive place and she wraps her legs around him, grinding herself against her husband while he hovers above her, watching where their  bodies are pressed together.

Fingers ghost up her thigh until they clench her panties at the crotch. Shuri groans at the sensation of his knuckles touching her soft, soft flesh. 

“How generous of you to be dripping for me.” The descent of the thin fabric begins. “Tell me what you want, baby.” 

“Need you fucking me,” she whispers, her fingers lightly scratching at his beard that’s starting to grow in. He’s getting more attractive with age, and more experienced. The awkwardness that was there when they first started having sex is gone. They both know each other’s bodies so, so well. “Ruin me like you promised.” 

With a growl, he ducks down and kisses her. His lips slide against hers as one hand reaches between their bodies to fist his cock, pressing the tip against her entrance. When he starts pushing inside her, she breaks away from his mouth on a gasp. 

“Ch’ah!” she cries, clinging to his shoulders. It is all she can do to lay beneath him, her thighs trembling as his stiff, large cock stretches out her tight hole and makes room inside her body for her new husband. 

“That’s it, baby,” he rasps, kissing her cheek, her jaw, her neck as he slides inside her, burying himself so slowly she can feel every inch of him. “Taking my dick so well, Princess, being such a good girl, so good for me,” he mumbles, kissing down past her collarbone to take her nipple in his mouth and lave the sensitive bud into a tight peak. “You feel like heaven.”

With a final thrust forward, he buries himself inside her entirely and they are connected, as close as two people can be. A sob tears free from her throat, getting his attention immediately.

He pushes up, his face turning slightly panicked when he sees tears rolling down her cheeks. “What is it, baby, what’s wrong?” he asks, desperation thick in his voice. “Did I hurt you?”

“I’m so happy,” she sniffles, turning her face to hide in her shoulder. But he isn’t  having any of that. He grabs her chin firmly and gently turns her back to look at him. She has to blink a few times for his expression to come into focus. 

“I love you,” he says, his voice as serious as the expression on his face. “You’re my best friend and the love of my life, and I hope you know you’ve made me the happiest man alive tonight.”

She grabs his face, pulling him down to kiss her. It is a messy kiss, with the salt of her tears stinging her lips, and her teeth knocking against his. A grin spreads slowly across his face and he rolls his hips, coaxing a filthy moan with just that one movement. 

“I could listen to the sounds you make all night,” he growls as he sets a slow pace with his hips, fucking her in long, deep thrusts that have her seeing stars. 

“Yes, baby, please,” she groans, responding more to the way he is fucking her than to his words. He shifts, bringing his knees up and planting them into the bed for more leverage. In the new position, he drives his cock deep into her pussy, hitting a spot inside her that makes her scream. “Don’t stop, don’t stop!”

He chuckles against her lips. “Don’t worry, my Shuri,” he rumbles, his tone warm and teasing and just a little strained with his own arousal. “I told you I was going to ruin you, and I always keep my word.”

He slips his hand between their bodies, fighting for space when she is pressed so tightly together, and his thumb rubs her clit in tight circles. She is so worked up, it is all she needs to send her over the edge of her release, and she comes with a shout. Her arms cling to his shoulders, hands digging into his dark hair and holding on as she succumbs to the pleasure. 

He ruts into her for a few more thrusts before the rhythmic clasping of her body tips him over the edge, too. He grunts loudly into her neck, his hips twitching and his cock throbbing deep within her body as he spills inside her. 

They disappear underneath the comforter, not a single inch of their bodies not touching as they lay entwined on the only bed in the hotel room. She’s about to say something when they hear the vibrating of his phone on the nightstand. Shuri reaches for it, making a face. 

“It’s your mama.”

“Shit,” he groans, kissing her lips lazily before accepting the call. Shuri squirms as his cock hardens inside of her all over again. He really is going to ruin her tonight. “Hi, Naa.” 

“Why did your brother come home telling me that you and Shuri eloped!?” 

“Uh…”

“So it’s true!?” 

While his mother goes off on him in Mayan, Shuri’s phone begins ringing. She makes a face at her husband as she accepts the call.

“Shuri Ramonda Udaku! Why did Namor’s father call me and tell me the two of you are married now!?” 

The young newlyweds hold back their laughter as both of their mothers curse them out now, knowing that no matter what the opinions are or what is said, nothing will tear them apart.

2025 

“You look high as fuck, Mr. A.”

Namor shakes his head to snap back to reality. He went somewhere, spaced out without realizing it. He blinks his swollen eyes as one of his favorite students, Ty, stands in front of him. 

“Don’t curse and don’t start rumors. I’m tired. That’s all.” 

“You should go to the school board and tell them not to start school early as shit, then.” 

“Go finish painting your project, kid.” 

“Can’t. Need you to unlock the storage closet. Need more paint.” 

Namor touches the key on his lanyard and motions for Ty to follow him to the closet. He unlocks the door and waits by the wall as Ty gets what he needs. 

He has been nauseous and feeling weak for a while now, but has kept it quiet from Shuri. The last few years have been difficult enough. She lost her father, and he lost his mother. She’s been advancing in her career as the assistant to the senior designer, and all the stress that comes with it has Namor ignoring his issues. 

But with it getting worse with each passing day, Namor thinks maybe it’s time to get everything checked out. They’re thirty now and both are nearly ready for a baby. Namor wants to be okay for his children. 

Everything feels so hot. 

He’s sweating straight through his dress clothes.

“Yo, Mr. A! What’s the shade of purple that looks good for painting sunsets?”

Ty screams when he turns around to see Mr. Almehen with his face down on the floor. 

“Somebody get the nurse! Call an ambulance!” 

Shuri squeezes Namor’s hand tightly as he sleeps, her other hand on her aching chest. She ran red lights to get to him, and she’s not going anywhere. Tears bleed from her eyes as she looks at him, seeing him hooked up to various machines. His face is bruised from how hard he fell in his classroom. 

“Mrs. Almehen?”

Her stomach twists as the doctor enters, wearing a sad smile, here to deliver her difficult news. 

“Yes? What’s wrong with my husband?” 

“He suffered a minor concussion that he should recover from in a few days, but there’s a bigger concern. He has end-stage renal disease, also known as kidney failure.” 

There’s a loud buzzing in her ears. She squeezes Namor’s hand tighter. 

“Kidney failure?” 

“Yes. I am recommending that he has a kidney transplant as soon as possible to avoid getting dialysis, which could decrease the quality and length of his life significantly.” 

“Okay,” Shuri breathes out, nodding. “Okay. Let’s get him that transplant.” 

“We have to find a donor first, Mrs. Almehen. We try to find a living donor who is a match to begin with, typically a friend or family member. If no matches are found, we will put Namor on a list. Be aware that list could take anywhere from 8 months to 5 years, though.” 

“5 years?” Shuri whispers. “Wouldn’t that be too long?”

“Unfortunately, yes. That is why we also encourage patients to find a living donor immediately.” 

“Can you see if I match?” Shuri asks quickly. “Please. I’d give him any part of myself in a heartbeat. I can call his siblings and his dad to come in, too.” 

The doctor nods. “Someone related to him is most likely where a perfect match could be found, but we can test you, as well. Would you like that done today?”

“Yes. Absolutely.” 

Namor hears the beeping of a monitor. 

His hands feel something soft and warm. 

Then his eyes open. 

Shuri’s upper half is slumped over the hospital bed, her cheek on his stomach, his hand on the back of her neck. She stirs when he moves, and she lifts her head. His beautiful angel. 

“Hi, Princess,” he murmurs. “I’m sorry I didn’t get checked sooner and had to scare you.” 

“It’s okay, honey. It’s all going to be okay.” She straightens up and touches his cheek. She’s holding back her tears, but her smile is so precious. “Your kidneys are failing, but we’re going to take care of that. Your baba, Attuma, Namora, and I have all been tested and now we are waiting on the results. Could take a few days.” 

“Tested for what, baby?” 

“Kidney transplant. All of us are willing to give you one of ours.”

“She’s right, mehen,” his father tells him, and Namor is just now realizing his little family is in the corner of the room. “We love you so much.” 

All Namor can do is get choked up and cry. He holds his wife as she lies on top of him the best that she can given all the wires on him. He strokes her curls, kisses the top of her head.

How blessed he is to have married his best friend. 

“Open your mouth.” Shuri drops Namor’s blood pressure medication on his tongue and gives him a glass of water. “Swallow.” 

“The hospital sent me home with the hottest nurse,” he comments, stroking her ass while she bends down near his chair to pick up his plate. 

Shuri smiles when she sees he ate everything on the plate. She was so insecure about her cooking, but her mama taught her how to properly cook sea bass. With Namor’s new diet being very strict, she’s been learning a lot. 

His hand is still on her ass when she looks down at him. She noticed his bulge throbbing in his sweatpants. The last time they had sex was before he was sent to the hospital. He’s been so fatigued and drained and in pain that she doesn’t dare ask for anything, but she knows he wants her just as badly. 

She doesn’t mind going without sex. 

She has fingers and his thigh and other ways to get off if she’s truly aching that much. 

What matters most is his health, and keeping him safe until the doctor calls to confirm a match. 

She wonders if sucking him to sleep would do anything to his blood pressure. 

“You should be rewarded for eating all your food.” 

He groans when she’s on her knees in between his spread legs, rubbing her palm over his clothed erection. 

“Baby… You’re already doing so much for me. I can’t ask for that. Not when I’m too weak to please you in return.” He reaches a hand down to caress her cheek. “After I get that transplant and I’m all better, I’m never letting you out of bed.” 

She begins pulling his sweats down, then frees that beautiful cock that she has missed so much. She strokes him tenderly, seeing that familiar darkness in his gaze, that flex of his abdomen and pecs, the drag of his tongue across his lips. 

“How’s your blood pressure? Your heart?” 

He glances at his fitness watch. 

“I’m okay, baby. You relax me.” 

“I want you to go to sleep after this, okay?” 

“Only if you lie with me.” 

Shuri nods, then swirls her tongue around the tip as her hand strokes his girth.

“Oh, yes,” he hisses, head tilting back with the look of complete rapture. Her sexy, beautiful man. Even at his worst, he’s still the most attractive person to exist in this world. 

She takes him in deeper, swallowing down his cock, working her tongue as she lets him take pleasure in her lack of a gag reflex. She presses two fingers against her hot and wet clit, flicking it and stimulating it, remembering how her husband used to touch her here. She moans around his cock, and it doesn’t take her long to have an orgasm in her panties. 

“Sounded like a good one,” Namor pants, staring down at her deliriously. “Wish I could’ve felt it, baby.” 

She sucks him harder, covers him with more saliva. His breath comes out long and slow as she’s taking complete control of satisfying him. A thrill shoots through her. She loves seeing him only becoming this way for her, because of her. His strong thighs clench. Her tongue touches all the places he’s shown her before, the underside, the head where he loves it the most, then he cries out her name as warm cum fills up her mouth. She swallows it down, then kisses his cock and inner thighs as he twitches beneath her hold. 

When she’s standing upright after pulling his sweatpants up, she offers him her hand, which he takes after returning to earth. He pulls her into him before she can move down the hall, his big arms around her waist, his breath in her ear. 

“I love you so fucking much.” 

Tears gather in her eyes as she unexpectedly gets hit with the fear of never feeling him hold her this way, of never hearing those words again. It takes all of her strength to keep it within. 

He’s going to be okay.

One of them will be a match.

The transplant will take place.

They’ll have a long and happy life. 

“I really want to kiss you, Namor.” 

He spins her out, crushing his lips against hers as she guides him to the bedroom. 

After work, Shuri stops by the high school to get Namor’s paperwork for his extended leave of absence. It’s not a surprise that there’s a plethora of gift baskets and cards from students and faculty that she’ll be needing to take home to him. Talokanda High School loves Mr. Almehen, the same way they loved him when he was a student. 

“I’ll get a shopping cart that our phys ed teacher keeps in the storage room,” the principal laughs, and Shuri smiles at him.

“Take your time.” 

Ramonda is currently at the house, taking care of Namor. She might be driving her husband crazy, but at least Namor will have a variety of options to eat from instead of the limited choices Shuri has learned. 

“Mrs. A?”

She glances at a young man, maybe around 16. “Yes, that’s me? Are you one of Mr. Almehen’s students?” 

“Yeah. I’m Ty.”

“Oh.” Her face softens. “You’re the one who called the ambulance and took care of him. Thank you.”

He rubs the back of his neck. “No problem… So is he good? He coming back soon?”

“We are waiting for the news of a match for his kidney transplant. After he recovers from that, he’ll work again.” 

“Shit. Could I see if I’m a match? I don’t mind giving Mr. A one of my kidneys!” 

Shuri laughs. Her husband truly is loved. “And Mr. A would want you to keep it and stay as healthy as possible.”

Ty sees the shopping cart getting loaded up by the principal and nurse. “Could I help you get that stuff to your car then?” 

Shuri lets him, happy to know she has a sweet story to tell Namor to lift his spirits. When she gets home, though, it seems he’s already in an amazing mood. He’s radiating joy. 

“Baby!” 

“Yeah!?” Shuri giggles as he holds her waist. Her mother is wiping her eyes with a tissue. “What is it?” 

“My dad is a match! The transplant is scheduled for Monday!” 

It feels so, so good to cry happy tears for once. 

“Wake up, baby girl.” 

Shuri sees Namor hovering over her body. Her hands reach up and she squeezes his pecs. 

“Mm, what’s wrong?” 

“Our flight to Vegas takes off in a few hours. Let’s get ready.” 

She sits up immediately, causing him to move backwards until they’re both sitting cross-legged on the bed. 

“What are you talking about!?”

“I got us tickets and a reservation at the Burke Hotel and Casino for the weekend. I want us to celebrate before the transplant.” 

“Baby, we can’t be doing too much! You need to sleep!” 

“My love, I’ll be taking three to six months to recover after that transplant. You’ve been doing nothing for the last few weeks except taking care of me and working.” He holds her cheek and melts her the way he always does when he touches her this way. “I want to spoil my fine ass wife. I promise I won’t break my diet. I just want to buy you a pretty dress and jewels and make you feel good for loving me as much as you do.” 

Shuri sighs. It’s so hard to say no to this man, especially when the light is back in his eyes. 

“Alright. Looks like we’re going to Vegas.” 

In her sexy strapless black dress and her man’s arms around her, Shuri can’t remember the last time she felt so young and carefree. 

They play the slot machines in the non-smoking area, wanting to keep Namor as far away from cigarettes as possible, though she doubts he’s going anywhere except maybe their room with the way his erection is pressing up against her ass. It gives her flashbacks to the long and hot summer nights where Namor didn’t have to teach, so all of his stamina was on her and for her, from sunset to sunrise. 

“Princess,” he hisses in her ear, adding emphasis on the ‘s’. Her pussy clenches around nothing, her panties beginning to mold against her cunt lips from how wet he has been making her. “I want to make you a mother. Tonight.” 

A shiver runs down her spine. 

She has been off birth control long enough that pregnancy is possible. 

And with Namor about to have the transplant, she knows her beloved husband is going to live a beautiful life with the baby they make. 

He licks the side of her neck. She releases a moan, reaching back to grab fistfuls of his hair. 

“After dinner?”

“After dinner,” he confirms.

“Okay, handsome. I’m going to go to the bathroom. Wait for me right here.” 

He gives her a drowning, intoxicating kiss that leaves her hot and bothered and breathless. She follows the signs to the restrooms, ending up in a white hallway. She passes by what appears to be conference rooms, and some motion catches her eye. 

There’s a man in one of those rooms, pausing what he’s doing to look at her. He’s the type of man that women either throw themselves at or run far away from. She chooses the latter, as she always does when a man stares at her a little too long. 

After using the bathroom and adjusting her appearance, Shuri travels down the white hallway again. She looks at her watch when Namor sends her a nasty text, and she’s smiling so hard and so distracted by it that she doesn’t see what’s in front of her.

She crashes into something warm and hard, and before she falls to the tiles, there’s an arm around her lower back. Her hands are clutching the biceps of the man who was looking at her earlier. 

“Are you alright, miss?”

Dark brown hair and eyes. Tan skin. A heartbreaking smile. Dressed and smelling like success. 

Shuri frees herself from him and adjusts her dress that has risen up slightly. “Y-Yes, sorry about that. I was distracted.” 

He slides his hands into his jacket pockets. The heat from his touch lingers on her lower back. 

“I’m Theo Burke, and you are …?”

“Shuri… Wait a minute.” Her stomach does somersaults when his lips curl back. “Burke as in…” She gestures to everything around her, and Theo laughs. 

“That’s right. I’m the owner of this hotel and casino and several others. And I have to say that I’ve not once seen a guest with a smile as bright as yours. Winning big out there?”

Theo has a presence that she long ago felt with Namor when she first laid eyes on him as a younger girl. A large, warm presence that can pull someone in. A thousand times more dangerous than men who make you uncomfortable. 

She needs to go. 

“My husband and I are celebrating very special news.”

His smile falters slightly. “Husband. I suppose you should get back to him. I’m sure he’s missing you. Who wouldn’t?” 

Her pulse quickens. 

Who wouldn’t, spoken so charmingly and soft, weaving through his deep voice. Who wouldn’t? 

She shakes off the encounter and hurries out of the hallway, in a rush to find her Namor and begin their celebration. He’s not standing by the slots anymore, though. He’s on a cushioned bench, his back facing her. She recognized that broad, hot body anywhere. She hugs him from behind, kissing his cheek. 

“You’ll never guess who I ran into while I was—“ She realizes she tastes salt, then goes around to Namor’s front. His phone is in one hand, resting on his thigh. His face is tear-stained. She immediately grabs his face. “What is it, baby? Who called?” 

“The doctor… He looked at our antibody bloodwork and I’m not a match with my father, after all. They’re adding me to the donor list.” 

“Oh, God…” 

Shuri silently falls onto the bench right next to him. There’s so much noise in this casino, but all she can hear is the rapid beating of her shattering heart, and Namor’s voice, hoarse and raspy, in her ear when he pulls her in for an embrace. 

“I’ll start dialysis. It’ll be okay.” 

Shuri thinks of all the side effects the doctor told her about dialysis. How Namor’s life expectancy will go down and his quality of life, developing bone disease and fractures, potential heart failure or stroke… 

That transplant was going to save her husband.

It was going to ensure she’d grow old with him, start a family with him. 

Now the chance of losing her best friend has grown exponentially. 

The tears she has been holding back since his diagnosis can no longer be kept. She cries so hard that she shakes, and her perfect husband holds her even tighter as though he’s not the one slowly dying. 

“Shh, shh, shh, Princess. Chaac has a plan for me. I’m not going down without a fight.” 

“What’s happened here?” 

Shuri hears the voice she had encountered moments ago before the devastating news, but she doesn’t remove her face from Namor’s chest. She inhales her husband’s scent, touches the muscles she feels over his shirt. She never wants to leave where she is. 

“I’m not trying to be rude,” Namor tells him. “But my wife and I need a moment of privacy.” 

“Ah. I apologize. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Theo Burke, and I own this hotel and casino. I encountered your wife very briefly and she mentioned the two of you were celebrating something. To see both of you in tears now has me concerned. Do I need to pull a few strings and get some money back that you’ve lost?” 

“N-No, Mr. Burke. But I appreciate that. Nothing happened in the casino or the hotel. Everything has been wonderful. It’s…” Namor sighs raggedly. “It’s just personal matters.”

“Why don’t you and your wife come upstairs with me to the restaurant? I have a private room with the best chefs that will cater to you both. It’s disheartening to see Shuri lose that glow she had.” 

Namor pulls her away gently, and when he speaks, it’s in Mayan. 

“Princess, I promised you that I’d give you a weekend worth enjoying and being spoiled. Let’s go eat with him. I hate seeing you like this, baby, especially when you’re crying over me.” 

“I don’t want to lose you…”

He wipes her tears away with his thumbs. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s not think that way. I’m not going anywhere.” 

She nods sadly, and Namor lifts her up in his arms. She buries her face in his neck while Theo talks to him. 

“What do you and your wife like to eat?” 

“My wife is a vegetarian and I’m… pescatarian.”

“Pescatarian?” Theo laughs, and Shuri is suddenly envious of this very rich man who probably has never experienced this type of pain. “So plenty of seafood, then?” 

“More like salmon or sea bass. No salt.” 

“Are you training for an upcoming athletic event? You’re solid.” 

“No, sir.” Namor gently pries Shuri from him as he sits her down on one of the chairs. He gives her a napkin, and helps her clean her face. He gives her the sweetest kiss, then sits on the side. She would be looking directly at Theo if she had the strength to lift her head. 

Everything feels so numb. 

“If it’s not for any specific reason, why torture yourself like that?” 

“He’s dying,” Shuri says coldly, shooting Theo a look. When his eyebrows raise in surprise, she looks down at the empty plate again and sniffs. 

“I’m… I’m very sorry to hear that. What have you been diagnosed with?” 

“Kidney failure. You have to forgive my wife.” Namor holds her hand, and Shuri squeezes it tight. “I’m not quite dying, but she loves me so much and worries. I was all set to receive a kidney transplant from my father, but the doctor called moments ago telling me that it isn’t a possibility anymore. I’m on the donor list, and it could take years for the transplant to occur. My only option is dialysis, which doesn’t have the best reputation.” 

Tears fall from Shuri’s eyes and land on the dinner plate. She can hear Theo breathing out steadily. 

“It is unfortunate how that works. It’s not fair, especially happening to such a beautiful couple. It’s not often I see a wife as in love with her husband as yours is. I bet she’s the type of woman who would do anything for you.”

Shuri’s eyebrows crease. She lifts her head. Theo is staring right at her, not at Namor. 

“She would, and she has. She’s been my rock through all of this. I married my best friend.”

“I’d give my life to save his,” Shuri says strongly, staring Theo right back down as he lifts a glass of whiskey to his lips. His throat moves when he swallows, eye contact never breaking. 

“Would you spend the night with me to save his life?” 

Chapter Text

“I know you didn’t just say what the fuck I think you said.”

Typically, Shuri would calm Namor down, given his health. But after hearing that filthy question come out of Theo Burke’s mouth, she’s just as offended. 

“What a disgusting question to ask. We’re out of here, and you can expect a thorough negative review about this place and its owner. Come on, baby.” Shuri stands up with Namor, who puts an arm around her waist and pulls her protectively and possessively against him.

Theo is quick to rise, holding up both hands. “Let me explain myself first. I have the resources necessary to get Namor the kidney transplant that he needs. All I have to make is a single call, and he’ll be scheduled for the operation as soon as possible.” 

“And the price is a chance for you to fuck my wife!? I don’t think so. You’re fucking sick! I should-” Namor closes his mouth and touches his heart, which causes Shuri to cling to him. His skin is glistening. 

“Come on, honey,” she whispers urgently, her eyes stinging. “You need to lie down and take your medication. Forget this ever happened.” 

Namor nods, and Shuri thinks everything is fine until she feels his hand slipping away from her. She screams when he collapses on all fours, dry-heaving. Shuri is quick on her knees, keeping her arms around him. 

“Oh, God! Breathe through it, baby. Breathe through it.” She’s fully crying now as she looks up at Theo, shooting him a glare. “This is your fault! You have his blood pressure going too high!” 

Theo glances at one of his men. “Go fetch Dr. Alvarez.” His dark gaze is back on Shuri. “You mentioned medication. Is it inside your hotel room?” 

“Y-yes! Room 312!”

Another man in a suit leaves immediately. Namor falls into Shuri’s lap, the back of his head on her thighs while she strokes her fingers through his dampening hair. Theo hands Shuri a cold glass of water, which she gives to her husband. 

“It’s okay.” Shuri kisses Namor’s forehead, then his lips that are left frigid from the water. “It’s okay.” 

“It really is serious, isn’t it?” Theo comments, and Shuri forces herself not to respond as she grits her teeth. “Dialysis won’t improve those conditions, either. That kidney transplant is necessary.” 

Hot tears fall from Shuri and land on her husband’s handsome face. She places a hand over his heart, which he covers with his own as his breathing steadies. Namor is still fully with her, but he isn’t talking. Responding to Theo will either work him up all over again, or he’s thinking about the offer. Truthfully, Shuri is, too. 

She’s desperate to save the love of her life, and seeing him like this has sent a bolt of fear through her heart. 

What if giving herself to this rich stranger for a night is the price she has to pay to keep her Namor alive? 

She would do anything, wouldn’t she? 

The door opening has Shuri snapping out of her thoughts. The doctor helps Namor consume his medication, then some vitals are checked. Dr. Alvarez gives Theo the order to get Namor something to eat immediately, as their dinner had been previously ruined. 

“I want the food to go,” Namor rasps, staring at Shuri desperately. “I don’t want to be in the same room as that bastard anymore.” 

“We will,” Shuri whispers, giving him another kiss. 

They stand up together, and Shuri takes the bag of food away from Theo, their flesh briefly touching in the process. 

“Forgive me for triggering anything with the offer that I made you tonight,” he tells Namor, though a gaze that reminds Shuri of a predator continuously shifts in her direction. “And I understand if you decide not to take it. Completely understand. If she were my wife, I wouldn’t give her away, either.” 

“Fuck off,” Namor mutters, then pulls Shuri along with him as they head down the stairs, leaving the private room of the restaurant and returning to the casino. He doesn’t speak again until they’re inside the elevator. “Atan.”

“Yes, honey? Do you need something? I could-” 

“What the fuck did the two of you talk about when you encountered him on the way to the bathroom for him to feel comfortable enough to make that offer?” 

Shuri blinks, caught off guard by the sudden darkness gathering around the edges of his eyes, and the roughness of his voice. 

“I bumped into him when I was distracted by a message from you. He did touch me on my lower back when he caught me, but we pulled away from one another. He asked why I looked so happy, and I told him you and I were celebrating special news. That’s it.” 

“That’s it,” Namor laughs under his breath, and his hand on her hip clutches her tighter. “Of course, that’s it. A single look at you would have any man acting idiotic. You’re too beautiful for your own good.” 

Shuri clutches his chin, and angles his head just right to plant a hot, wet kiss on his lips. She moans into it, suddenly remembering the promise he had made her about making love tonight. Her tongue slips into his mouth as she backs him up towards the wall, and right when she moves her lips to suck on his neck, he’s groaning. 

“Baby, I can’t feel anything in my fingers. They’re so numb. Everything hurts after that. My heart. is… I can’t…” 

She bites her lip and rests her forehead against his, hiding her frustration well. She knows it’s not his fault. He literally had a health scare minutes ago, and before that, they found out that his father isn’t a match and all of their hopes and dreams have been shattered. 

But she can’t lie to herself, especially when his large erection is throbbing against her aching, wanting cunt. 

She craves sexual intimacy. 

“You need to eat anyway. We’ll see how you’re feeling after that and if it’s still the same, I got you.” Shuri cups his cheek, hoping he doesn’t see this has been affecting her. “I’ll make both of us feel good.” 

“Shuri…” 

The disappointment and pain all over his face and within his voice is so different from the glimpse of a possessive man she noticed earlier. 

“You don’t understand how much I want you, baby.” His voice now cracks, and so does his wall. He’s in tears by the time the elevator door opens, and Shuri holds onto him tighter. “Plenty of people enjoy sex while receiving dialysis. I’ll find a way. I’ll make love to you the way we used to soon. I promise.” 

“I don’t care about that,” she says, meaning it now when she realizes how selfish she’s being thinking otherwise. “All I care about is having you grow old with me. I love you. I love you so fucking much.” 

They kiss again briefly before walking down the hall to their room. Shuri puts a movie on and sits on the bed with Namor, feeding him his dinner but refusing hers, saying she’ll eat it later but knowing she won’t touch it. Her stomach is so sick; from the failed kidney donation, to the offer, to everything else. 

She gets up to throw the trash into the bin, glancing over her shoulder at her amazing, beautiful husband. He’s slowly dying, and it’s destroying her. It has been for the last few months. She loves him more than she loves herself. 

She would do anything, anything to give Namor his life back. 

Her eyes shift to the business card that Theo had slipped into the food bag. It had landed on the table after Shuri took one of the styrofoam boxes out. She slowly reaches her hand down and flips it over, seeing a note on the back. 

Call me when you change your mind. 

She inhales sharply, dropping the card. 

Her head hurts so fucking much. 

She buries it in her hands, then her knees begin to shake. Her shoulders, too. Before she knows it, her palms are soaked from her weeping. 

“Baby… Baby, don’t cry,” she hears Namor calling out to her softly, and she turns around quickly when she hears him moving, not wanting him to get out of bed. 

She crawls across the mattress, and she settles on his lap as she wraps her arms around his neck, and his are around her torso. Her lip quivers as they maintain silent eye contact for what feels like hours. Is he thinking about Theo’s offer, too? 

“I want you to have that kidney transplant, Namor. I need you to.” 

“I will, Shuri. I’ll get put on the list and wait my turn, however long it takes. Chaac will find a way to keep me strong until then.” 

She bites her cheek, and looks the other way. Her husband is a firm believer of a high power, but she has always been doubtful. 

“Chaac isn’t going to give you a kidney in time. There’s only one person who apparently can.” 

When he squeezes her thigh, she looks at his face again. He’s shaking his head with his jaw clenched. 

“If you’re talking about that Theo guy, I can’t believe I have to dissuade you. You want another man to fuck you, Shuri? You want me to be okay with another man having his hands and cock all over you and inside you?” 

“If it’s to save your life, then yes!” Shuri yells, her body shifting to fully straddle his lap as she clutches his face. Her throat becomes raw as she lets everything out. “You’re dying whether you want to come to terms with it or not! It doesn’t fucking matter what he wants in exchange for that kidney transplant! Sex, a bullet to my head, all of my organs, my damn soul! I’d give anything and everything just for the man I love to be in full health and given a long and happy life! I have been by your side for fourteen years, Namor. Do you know how fucking hard it has been on me to see you suffering and to keep it silent for this long!? Now I finally have a chance to save you! Why wouldn’t I take the offer!?” 

Namor breathes through his nostrils for a few silent moments, and right when Shuri thinks he’s going to scream right back at her, he slides her off him then lies on his side, facing away from her. She dries her tears furiously, wanting to say more, but then taking in his perspective. 

How would she feel if the shoe were on the other foot, and Namor took an offer to sleep with another woman in exchange for Shuri’s life being saved? 

It would hurt. 

Excruciatingly. 

It hurts to even think about herself sleeping with someone who isn’t Namor. It’s disgusting. It’s unthinkable. 

But their marriage and their relationship has been built on a powerful foundation. She knows for a fact that nothing and nobody could ever come between them. She knows their love is the strongest that there is. 

And she knows that Namor is aware of that, too. 

She snuggles up to him, pressing kisses to the back of his head before she rests her chin on his broad shoulder. 

“It’s just my body. It’s not my mind. It’s not my heart. It’ll be for a single night without meaning anything at all. The only purpose it serves is to get you the kidney you need. Namor, baby…” She presses her lips into his skin. “Please… I need you around. I need you. Please… It’ll be one forgetful night, then you’ll have the transplant. We’ll start our family. We’ll do everything we’ve dreamed of and never have to worry about this disease again.” 

Namor eventually flips around to face her. His hand covers the entire side of head that isn’t resting against the pillow. His eyes are so red-rimmed that the patterns look like fragments of a shattered heart. 

“I’ll accept on a few conditions.” 

“Name them. You know I’ll follow them all.” 

“We will come up with rules that cannot be broken while you are with him, and when it’s over, I don’t want to hear a single word of it. Not a single thing. I never want us to talk about this night. I won’t be able to survive otherwise.” 

He said what he had to say. 

Because how could he look the love of his life in her tearful eyes and tell her that he refuses the final chance they have of saving him? 

Shuri has sacrificed so damn much since he received his diagnosis. She took weeks off of work to take care of him, she has never once said or done anything to make him feel horrible about his lack of pleasuring her, she learned to cook appropriate meals for him, she never stopped making him feel loved, attractive, and safe… 

Why wouldn’t he give her the gift of healing himself, to give her the best version he can be again? 

But the fact that it’s going to cost him handing Shuri over to a conventionally attractive and extremely rich stranger has crushed his heart and soul since agreeing to it. 

It’s just sex, she told him. It has no meaning when I feel nothing for that man. 

Namor knows his Shuri. 

He knows that she’s loyal and faithful and respectful and tender hearted and all things good. 

But he also knows men. 

And when a man wants something, especially when that something is Namor’s beautiful and hot as fuck wife, he will stop at nothing to have her. 

Shuri will behave herself. 

Theo? 

Namor has zero trust when it comes to him. 

That’s why they’re sitting in the hotel room with a lawyer, who is getting everything down in writing, and an officer, who is serving as a witness to the knowledge that Theo is whisking Shuri away for the night to his yacht located on Lake Mead. If Shuri does not return to Namor in this very hotel room in the morning, they’ll know where to look for her. 

“I’m not going to harm your wife, Namor.” 

He cannot stand the sight of Theo Burke with his arrogant smile, someone who surely has no decency or morals as all loveless, sadistic billionaires do. 

“I can’t take that chance. I want this kidney transplant to be scheduled as soon as possible and with proof before you leave this room.” 

Theo takes his cellphone out without breaking eye contact with Namor. Shuri is on the edge of the bed behind him, nervously playing with her thumbs. Namor swallows dryly. 

She doesn’t want to do this.

She wants Namor to survive long enough for them to play with their grandchildren. 

Although it still shakes him to the fucking core, the only solace he has is knowing Shuri will allow Theo to penetrate her, with protection, with no kissing, no touching, and no words. She’ll lay there like a rock until it’s over. The morning will come and she’ll fly home with Namor, never to speak of this horrible night ever again. He’ll have his surgery, and life will be even better than it was before.

He knows in his heart his wife will do right by him. 

Namor smiles at Shuri, so distracted by her beauty when she returns it to him that Namor doesn’t realize Theo is already speaking with someone. The call ends, and minutes later, Namor’s phone is going off. It’s his doctor from Santa Monica. 

“Hello?”

“Namor! Wonderful news! We suddenly have a kidney available and ready for you! Let’s schedule it for Tuesday. The day before the surgery, eat lots of light meals and then only clear liquids after noon. Plenty of water. Stay hydrated. And congratulations. Your life is going to change.” 

“T-Thank you. Would you be able to send a confirmation of all this to my email or number?” 

“Of course. Have a wonderful rest of your night. Goodbye.” 

Namor hangs up, then slowly looks at Shuri, who is running over to him. Despite what this has cost him, he can’t help but stand up and hold her so tight that he has her lifted off the floor, swinging her around. They both begin to laugh, with his face buried in her neck.

“I’m getting the transplant done on Tuesday, baby.” 

“I’m so happy,” she rasps, and kisses him multiple times. 

All he wants to do is fling her over his shoulder and run far away from here. But if Theo Burke could so easily get him a donor, Namor fears he can take it away just as fast if his part of the offer isn’t met. 

Namor purposely clutches Shuri’s ass as he rests his chin on top of her head, staring Theo down. The billionaire rubs the back of his neck, smiling at Namor’s hand placement before meeting his gaze, amused.

“You have your proof. I’m a man of my word, Namor Almehen, now I need you to be a man of yours.” 

He cannot find it in him to thank Theo. 

Not when Namor is about to let go of his entire world that he’s clinging to. 

“I’ll come right back to you in the morning,” she promises in the form of a whisper against his jaw. Even in a moment like this, she manages to send shivers up his spine. “It will mean nothing. Nothing.” 

Namor nods, sliding one hand up the side of her petite body until he’s cupping her cheek. His thumb strokes the apple. She’s such a beautiful woman and has been since he met her in high school. 

“I love you, Shuri.” 

“I love you, Namor.” 

They share one last kiss, a kiss that’s passionate and searing and painful. She gives his own cheek a reassuring squeeze and Namor fights back tears when he sees the devastation in her eyes. He remains frozen near his bed, watching as Theo’s lawyer holds the door open for everyone. The billionaire’s body blocks Shuri from view, so whether or not she tried to look back at Namor, he doesn’t know. 

Minutes pass by as Namor remains where he is.

Sweat begins to gather in his eyebrows, begins to dampen his palms. 

He thinks about Shuri underneath Theo, another man touching her body, another man getting inside of her. His wife. His everything. 

What the fuck had he just done!? 

With the sound of blood in his ears and his heart acting up, Namor races down the hallway to the elevator. He knows there’s a helicopter on the roof that will fly Shuri to the yacht. He has to get to her before it leaves. He has to. 

He pushes his way through a group of business men who exit the doors, then furiously pounds on the button that will take him to the highest floor. Tears bleed from his eyes as he runs to the staircase to get him up to the rooftop. 

He can’t let her go. 

He can’t. 

What good is a healthy kidney when he has to live with the fact that he gave his wife away to someone else in order to have it? 

His breathing is labored as he climbs the stairs, nearly tripping. His heart feels like it’s going to give out on him completely and everything feels so numb again, but he isn’t allowing himself to quit until he has her back in his arms. 

He eventually hears the sound of the helicopter over the noise in his ears, and when he opens the door to get access to the roof, the helicopter is already taking off into the sky. 

“Shuri!” Namor cries, jumping up and down like a mad man. “Shuri! Don’t go! Please! Shuri!” 

But he’s too late. 

He falls to his knees as he watches the helicopter get further and further away, taking his beloved wife with it. 

Namor clutches his chest and hunches over, practicing his breathing exercises in order to get his blood pressure back to normal. 

A part of him wants it to kill him. 

Theo didn’t speak much to her on the helicopter, though Shuri knows it’s because they had soundproof headphones on. She would’ve preferred them screaming at one another instead of the silence, because this man devoured her with those dark eyes of his the entire flight. 

An older woman on the yacht helps Shuri out from the helicopter, and she’s guided to a private room. She figures Theo has already planned this all out, and she receives confirmation when she sees the dress and high heels waiting for her in the closet. 

She releases a shaky breath, then pulls the zipper of the covering down to reveal a beautiful gown. It’s a black cheongsam, a Chinese-style dress with a slit skirt and high collar. When she takes it off the hanger, a pair of white lace panties falls to the floor. 

Her entire body heats up at the sight of it. 

Okay. 

This is what Theo wants her to wear tonight.

He lived up to his side of the offer, now it’s Shuri’s turn. 

A quick, unromantic fuck, then it’s back to Namor. The transplant happens on Tuesday. They’ll soon be making love and making babies.

Shuri’s chest aches as she stares at herself in the mirror, wearing her new outfit. She has no idea how Theo could’ve guessed her size. Maybe his guy who came into the room to get Namor’s medication checked out her clothes.

So weird.

All of this. 

But her baby is going to be okay now, and that’s all that matters. 

When she steps out into the hallway, a worker is out there to greet her. 

“Hello, Mrs. Almehen. Mr. Burke is on the deck. He’s ready for you.” 

“Thank you,” she whispers, and her heart thunders within her as she climbs up the stairs in the new heels. Her legs feel so long. And shaky. “Oh, God…” 

She wants to have a panic attack. 

Namor has been her one and only. 

She’s never had sex with anyone else, has never had a need to, and has never wanted to. 

Each step she takes is getting her closer to the man who is going to be her second. 

She clings to the railing, feeling nauseous. 

She has to be strong and keep going.

For Namor to have another donation and promise rescinded will be too devastating.

“Come on,” she tells herself, finding the courage to make it up the stairs. “It’s just sex. It’s mechanical. Nothing intimate about it.” 

The cool breeze hits her face and travels up the slit of her dress as she rounds the corner. Theo must hear either her breathing or her heels, because he turns around immediately. His eyes widen as he drinks her in. 

“Someone said you were ready for me.”

Theo walks towards her, his eyes on her chest. Her back straightens as he adjusts one of the buttons on her breast that had become loose during her climb. 

“And it seems that you’re ready for me. Come, Shuri.”

She again tenses when his hand touches her lower back. She notices that he doesn’t look forward as they walk towards the railing. His eyes are only on her. She occasionally glances up at him. He has a few inches on Namor. He’s like a giant, a looming presence she can’t shake off. 

The lights suddenly go off, and they’re trapped beneath the moonlight and stars. His hand slowly leaves her body to clutch the railing.

“So who made the decision, Shuri?”

“We both did. Our marriage is a partnership.”

Theo laughs. She hates that she finds his smile so attractive. 

“While I’m sure you two have a very healthy relationship, I have a hard time believing Namor was the one who wanted this. No man married to you could ever willingly let you go.” 

When his hand lands on top of hers, Shuri recoils and backs away. She hugs herself, thinking of her husband and her purpose and the rules and how fucked up all of this is.

“If you were a decent person, you would’ve made that call for Namor without asking for anything in return.” 

“Typically, I would’ve. But he has something I want. It’s the business man in me.” 

Shuri breathes out. Theo Burke is wearing a perfectly tailored suit. He folds his jacket over a nearby chair, and his muscles in his arms and the ripples on his strong torso are outlined underneath the tight, white dress shirt. Shamefully, her gaze drops further. 

He’s huge. 

“And I’m not a transaction. Something tells me you do this with a lot of married women. You have to buy them.”

Theo’s eyebrows furrow as he closes the distance. She has nowhere to go with her back pressed against the railing. He smells like cinnamon and black tea. 

“You think I have to buy women, Shuri?”

With a face and body like that? Probably not. He’s straight out of a Calvin Klein catalogue. 

But of course, she doesn’t say that. She continues holding herself, speaking to him sharply. 

“There’s not a single part of me that desires you. I’m doing this for my husband, who fucks me like a stallion and doesn’t stop. We’ll just have sex once and be done with it.”

Theo tilts his head to the side. His tongue glides over his lips. It’s wide, she notices. 

“Don’t be like that. You might enjoy it.” 

“Don’t bet on it.”

Theo reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls out a coin. “Alright. Heads, we head right to my bedroom. Tails, we turn this yacht around and get you back to your husband. Call it all off with no hard feelings. I’ll even let Namor keep that transplant appointment. What do you say, Shuri? Feeling lucky?” 

It’s too good to be true. 

Her final chance out of this, with the best possible outcome. 

“Fine. Flip it.”

The coin flips through the air. Theo catches it on his arm, revealing the heads side to Shuri. Her shoulders fall. 

She really does have shitty luck. 

Before she knows it, Theo lifts her up by the thighs, her crotch pressed right against his pulsing bulge. It catches her by surprise that she can’t say anything or react for a as he carries her towards his room, smiling. 

“You truly are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” 

Everything feels so hot. 

Her hands both instinctively and unknowingly clutch the back of his neck. His eyes are heavy with lust, the kind that Namor used to give her before his diagnosis. Theo’s erection throbs on her just right that she’s starting to leave a wet spot where his zipper is. 

One strong forearm supports her underneath her ass as he uses his other hand to open the door. He kicks it shut behind him then drops her onto her back. It’s not until she hits the mattress that she learns how to speak again. 

“I have rules!” 

Theo arches an eyebrow as he removes his buckle. “Rules?”

“Y-Yes!” Shuri swallows when he undresses himself. His body is sculpted by the gods, and the length of his cock has her fingers clenching the sheets already. “No kissing, no oral, no foreplay. Just a quick, singular fuck. And you have to wear a condom.” 

Her legs bend when he gets on the mattress. He pries them apart by the knees. 

“I assure you that I don’t have any diseases.”

“I’m not on birth control.”

Something flashes across his eyes.

“I’ll give you something to take once I’m through with you. I’m not wearing a condom, Shuri.”

“But I—“ She begins trembling all over when he wedges himself between her legs and strokes her over her new panties. Her head falls back and she squeezes her eyes shut when they begin to burn. “Oh… Oh, God… Stop…” 

“How long has it been since your husband satisfied you? I can’t imagine it’s been easy with his sickness.” Theo’s fingers brush her panties to the side, her pussy now revealed to him. He dips his fingers inside to gather some wetness and then firmly presses down on her clit, making her shudder. “You’ve been with him since you were a teenager. I assume he’s been your only. How do you know what pleasure is if you’ve only been with one man? You have nothing to compare it to. How can you be sure you’ve truly explored the depths of passion and ecstacy? How do you know you’re even capable of pleasing your husband?” 

He rubs her clit in circles as she sobs, alternating with pinches and presses. 

“P-Please stop!”

Her blood is on fire from his touch and his words. She feels herself get wetter as he pleasures her in a way she hasn’t felt in months. His other hand shoots forward to grope her breast over her dress. She starts to soak the sheets as he pumps his fingers inside her. He curls them, stretching her open and making her scream. That’s when he leans down, kissing her below the jaw. 

“You have such a pretty pussy. And a tight one.”

“Theo,” she whispers breathlessly, his ministrations becoming too much as his speed increases, her legs shaking, the insides of her thighs burning. She feels it coming. 

Oh, God.

She’s cheating on her husband. 

She does not want this. 

Yet she tightens herself around his fingers to feel them more.  

Then her body convulses, back arching, thighs flexing, her pussy gripping his digits in a vice. She wails from the intense pleasure, wetness dripping from her throbbing core.

“That’s it, Shuri,” Theo growls, continuing to thrust his fingers at a fast speed, forcing her to ride out her orgasm until the last second. “Moan for me.”

When he finally withdraws and she hears groaning, her heavy eyelids flutter open. Through blurred vision, she sees his tongue curling around his fingers, licking and sucking off her juices. He has a hint of a smirk when their gaze meets. 

“You’re delicious.”

“N-No more. I… I can’t do this…” 

Theo remains right where he is, undoing the buttons keeping her cheongsam together. Shuri continues to cry when her breasts are exposed, and her back arches as the hot flesh of his palms touch them. 

“So damn beautiful.” 

She covers her mouth as Theo licks over her nipples before kissing down her tummy. His fingers hook around her panties, pulling them down slowly. She shakes her head rapidly while her body trembles fiercely. 

“No, no, no, no, no!”

He gives a slow, torturous lick up her slit, dropping her panties to the side again. Her body erupts into shudders, clutching the sheets. He sucks lightly on her clit, her hips bucking, his hands moving to hold her thighs down. Her toes curl as she heaves heavy breaths and groans unexpectedly. He moans against her entrance, sending several more shudders through her body.

She gasps as his warm tongue slips inside, curling and twisting, thrusting in and out. His nose brushes her clit with every inward thrust of his tongue, a thin layer of sweat making her skin shimmer. 

She hasn’t had her pussy eaten in months. 

Namor…

Oh, her beautiful Namor… 

She… 

She shouldn’t… 

She’s enjoying this. 

Her moans grow louder when his thumb rubs circles on her clit. An intense sensation brews inside, swirling in her stomach. A brief smack on her pearl uncoils her insides, her back arching as she moans Theo’s name. Another pleasurable surge washes over her, crying out as she fists the sheets wrathfully. Her head lolls from one side to the other, core flexing as she rides out a second orgasm.

That bliss is quickly washed away when she sees Namor’s handsome face behind her eyelids. Pain overtakes her. Pain and guilt and betrayal. 

Theo situates himself on top of her again, and Shuri turns rigid when his swollen cockhead traces her aching slit. 

“Hit me.”

Her eyelids open gradually at the request, her eyebrows creasing as tremors shoot through every nerve. 

“W-What?”

“Hit me. That way you can tell yourself that you tried to resist, but I wouldn’t let you. Hit me.” 

Keeping her brows pulled together, Shuri balls her hands into tight fists and begins pounding on Theo’s back while she writhes wildly beneath him, attempting to break free from his heavy body that has her pinned down. 

And suddenly, she doesn’t feel guilt or betrayal or pain. 

There’s a thrill running through her veins, an adrenaline rush never felt before. She briefly makes contact with Theo’s feral stare before she latches her teeth onto the side of his neck, biting hard while her nails break the skin on his back, making him bleed. Theo hisses, and she doesn’t loosen her jaw until his large cock splits her open. 

“Fuck!”

Loud slaps echo in the room when he starts thrusting, holding her shaking leg tight over his shoulder as he pounds into her with feverish intent. The crescent marks of his nails digging into her skin is painful, and her body doesn’t feel like it’s under her own control as he drills in and out of her. 

She’s never had sex this rough before. 

Everywhere his cock drags against feels like it’s setting on fire as he fucks her at a frantic pace. Her mouth parts when the initial pain is taken over by an undeniable lust, her brain melting into mush with his cock bottoming out in her so hard that she can’t even think straight. 

Saliva rolls down her jaw as her mouth hangs wide, her tongue almost lolling out with each slam of his hips against hers. Her vision is blurry and she can barely keep her eyes open, fighting against the urge to close them up under the stimulation her body is being put through. His tongue licks the tears away from her cheek, then his warm breath brushes against her wet skin. 

“Crying because this is the first time a man has reached so deep inside you? Because it feels so good?” 

She tries to resist, tries to deny it, but he doesn’t waste a second to capture her lips in a passionate kiss, his tongue sliding past and stroking hers. Her hands fly up to his hair as she kisses him right back, lost to the passion this night is turning into rapidly. 

As she locks lips and tongue with a man who isn’t her husband, she feels her arousal spreading all over his thick cock, soaking both of them. She feels every vein, every curve, and every thrust he brushes her cervix with,  causing mind numbing pleasure to rupture throughout her body. 

She wants him. 

She wants this.  

The overwhelming bubbling sensation swirls  in her stomach, forming a tight knot. She wants it released, wants to feel the orgasm again. She focuses on the sounds of their skin slapping, the roughness of his hands, the sensations of his cock sliding in and out of her. 

The tip of his cock brushes over a certain spot, sending jolts of pleasure through her, and a gust of pleasure erupts as her release wrecks havoc on her insides. Her walls clamp down, feeling every pass of his cock in greater detail while she convulses beneath him. 

Theo pulls his lips from hers when she’s in need of air, and the way he stares at her is tender and delicate. Shuri’s lip begins to tremble when she wonders if she’s staring at him the same way. 

His forehead touches hers as he makes the last stretch of his orgasm, his thrusts wild, her wrists becoming pinned above her head. With a groan, Theo shoots into her, the feeling overwhelming after not experiencing it in so long. He continues to pump into her, riding his high, slowing as he comes down from his climax. Panting, he holds onto her face. 

“You’re starving, aren’t you?”

How could she possibly eat after that? She’s absolutely sick now that it’s over and she can think clearly. 

How could she have done that to Namor?

She’ll have to tell him the truth. She needs to. 

Shuri sits across from Theo. She ate as much as she could and now sips on her wine, trying not to make too much eye contact with him. They’re both dressed in robes, and his is slightly open on the top, revealing a thick and muscular chest. 

“Tell me who you are, Shuri.”

She swallows. The wine leaves a bitter aftertaste in her mouth for the first time. She sets the glass down and inhales before looking at him. 

“We don’t have to do this.”

“Do what?”

“Make small talk. Make this any less awkward. I told you that I’m fine.”

I still feel you inside me.

Theo holds her hand on top of the table. “Come on. I ask because you intrigue me. Are you a model?”

“I design the clothes models wear. Well… I’m an assistant to the person who does that. But at least it’s something.”

Theo grins. “You must have an eye for beautiful things, then. You and I have that in common. I take part in designing in all the hotels, at least adding my input.”

Shuri wants to ask more, but guilt is consuming her. She should go to bed in her room. The deed is done. 

“What does Namor do?”

Hearing her husband’s name stops her in her tracks. It gets her talking. 

“He’s an art teacher at the high school where we met.”

“Still can’t believe you’ve only been with one man. Well… Two, now.” Theo laughs while Shuri burns all over again. 

“He’s all I ever needed,” she murmurs, glancing down at her wedding ring. “Have you ever been in love, Theo?”

Theo finishes his wine. The pad of his thumb glides across her wrist.

“It’s hard to find genuine love when you’re rich. Women tend to stay for the money. I think I’ve come close, though. She’s a woman who can’t be bought, apparently.”

Shuri gradually withdraws her hand, settling it on her lap. 

“You confuse love with lust, Mr. Burke. I do not expect a man like you to know the difference.”

His gaze sparks with dark amusement, though a small amount of melancholy leaks through. 

“Maybe you’re right, but I’ll tell you this, Mrs. Almehen. When I saw you through that conference room window, I experienced the world stopping. I thought, ‘Wow. She’s single-handedly the most stunning woman I have ever seen. I have to get to know her.’ Then my meeting concludes and you crash right into my arms. I was devastated to learn you were married, then to actually see your husband holding you and loving you…” Theo leans forward, his voice low and rough. “I have never felt possessive and envious when it ever came to a woman before, especially when his hands were on your ass. So maybe it is lust, Shuri, but a deeper kind.”

She swallows to hide her breathlessness. A weight forms between her legs. Her robe feels hot and abrasive. 

So she takes it off. 

Mindlessly slipping the sleeves off her shoulders. Theo hungrily takes in her naked form from where he sits. 

“You said your husband is a stallion in bed. What do you miss the most about what he used to do to you?”

Shuri runs her hand across her breasts, meaning to calm her heart but stimulating her nipples instead.

“All of it.”

“One thing. Just name it.”

“He’d eat my pussy for hours.”

Theo removes his robe. His body is so hot, but she’s stuck on his eyes, hypnotized. 

“What do you love doing to him?”

“Sucking his cock,” Shuri whispers, her cunt fluttering and aching. “I love the taste. I love making him feel good.”

“So unselfish,” Theo says before he disappears under the table. 

His head reappears between her legs that have already spread wide for him. He takes hold of her ass and hips, dragging her up his broad frame until her knees bracket his shoulders and his lips press against her stomach, his tongue darting out to inform her of his intention. She gasps, surprised at his sudden forwardness and feeling the unwelcome sense of panic begin to well up inside of her. 

Oh, she should not be doing this. 

But she is unable to voice her disapproval. 

He plants warm, soft kisses to the inside of her thighs where his mouth can reach, his hands sliding up and down her hips, caressing her skin with a gentle touch. His eyes stay locked on hers, waiting for her instructions, to tell him to stop. 

As his kisses travel upwards, his tongue dragging a glistening pattern against her skin, Shuri sighs and attempts to release the tension from her body. She slides her hands against her breasts and stomach, relaxing against the feeling of her own smooth skin and the feel of Theo’s warm breath between her thighs.

When his mouth reaches the sensitive skin where her thighs meet her lips, he pauses again, searching her face. She takes a deep breath and presses her hips forward slightly, bidding him to continue. 

He drops his gaze, focusing on her aching, pulsing, glistening core. His tongue gently meets her lips, sliding slow and hot from the top of where her lips part, down over her clit.

“Oh, Theo,” she gasps, squeezing her breasts and touching her tummy.

He laughs, warm breath ghosting over her lips before his tongue passes over her again, making her moan, her fingers convulsing in pleasure against her breast and her stomach.

She had a taste of his oral pleasure once before. Now he’s taking his time with her, making sure she fully indulges in it. 

“More,” she commands, her hips canting down in an attempt to meet his mouth again. 

He obeys, his tongue continuing to slide against her velvety skin. His large, warm hands leave her hips and move to capture her wrists, tugging her hands away from her skin and guiding them down to his own head.

She slides her fingers into his brown hair, grabbing onto soft handfuls. She tugs up on his strands as she rocks down again, pulling his face closer to her. The force of it rips a moan from him, and with the wet of his mouth pressed against her, she feels it vibrate deliciously through her.

A heat blooms under her skin and his hands on her, hot and firm, slide up her body, caressing her breasts, her hips, her ass. Her fingers tug at his hair again, and he closes his eyes from the pleasure of it. Theo wants her so badly and she doesn’t know what to make of it. 

More deliberately, she rocks her body up against his face again, spreading her legs out wider. His mouth is open to her and she moves his head and her hips so that she feels the warmth of him slide along her lips and follow the length of one labia before moving to the other. She moans at the sight of him below her, revels in the forgotten sensations she’s experiencing. She feels his tongue slide along her entrance and she realizes that she needs more, needs to feel him inside.

She pulls down on his hair, forcing his head back slightly and tilts her hips up for leverage as his tongue slides in all the way. 

“Yes,” she whispers. “Just like that.”

His tongue moves in and out of her body at the same pace that she rolls her hips down, slow and determined, his mouth vibrating murmurs that serve to drive her higher. She continues on like that for some time, swiveling and rolling her hips, gasping for breath, lost in the feel of his mouth pressed against her pussy.

Roughly, she yanks his head back, guiding his mouth to her swollen clit. His eyes are lit up with intensity, and she feels liquid heat of lust turn in her belly. He closes his mouth around it, massaging his tongue in deliberate circles. His lips and tongue work to deliver delicious pressure, hot and wet. She cries out, bucking against his mouth. “Harder,” she whines, and he listens. 

Her hips thrust down, hands tangled in his hair, intent on keeping him in place as she rides his tongue with abandon. Theo continues to suck and lick, working her clit and moaning nearly as loudly as she is as she continues to rock forward against his handsome face. A shiver rocks through her entire body as she reaches her climax, her hips stuttering and bucking, uncoordinated at the blinding pleasure. 

She keeps him as close as possible as she grinds the last of her orgasm out against his wanting mouth. Incoherent moans dripping from her lips, she holds him there until it’s all too much to bear, and she pushes his head away from her over-sensitive skin, her body humming in pleasure, her chest heaving.

Theo then rises, large hands holding onto her face as he presses her lips to hers and she allows it. She tastes herself in his mouth. She tastes him; his saliva, his tongue. She wants to cry at her betrayal of breaking the rules she set with Namor, she wants to hate this. But she doesn’t do either. Her lips move against his, her fingers feeling the pulsing of his neck beneath the pads. 

“Stick out your tongue,” he murmurs to her, and she does so, even when he pulls her down from the chair and onto her knees while he stands in front of her. He slaps the head of his cock against her tongue, so hot and salty from how much he’s leaking. “Show me what that mouth can do, Shuri.” 

She spares no time, immediately stroking his length. She leans close, kissing the base of his cock, inhaling his scent there. She kisses all the way down before trailing back to the tip with her tongue. She laps at the crown, tasting more pre-cum, her tongue teasing the slit. 

“I’m— Shuri, that’s…” Theo runs his fingers through his hair while staring down at her with heavy-lidded eyes, laughing weakly, his gaze aroused. Shuri shoots him a smirk and then swallows him down to the root, causing him to bite back a strangled groan. “Fuck!” 

She sucks him dry, tongue sliding against the underside of his length. She bobs her head, pulling back to flick her tongue against the tip before sliding down again, greedy for more. He moans when her nose nestles into the coarse hair at his groin. She swallows around him, the tip of his cock nudging the back of her throat. 

Her lips are stretched wide around him, drool dripping from the corners of her mouth. He rolls his hips, and Shuri moans. He must love that because his next thrust is harder and sharper, making her choke a bit. She grabs his thighs and sinks her nails in, yanking him closer. 

Theo holds her face gently, cradling it in his palms. He takes in the sight of her, then his fingers clutch around the crown of her head to hold her there. His next thrust is hard and deep, his cock dragging through the wet hot cavern of her mouth. 

Her nails dig sharp marks into his thighs and she groans, letting him hold her face there as he slides deep, drowning in the feel of it. He rolls against her over and over. She chokes on occasion but meets every thrust, swallowing on every downstroke.  

“Fuck, you’re so perfect for me,” Theo grits, eyes grazing over her face, seeing her eyes tearing up as he fucks into her mouth. “Why do you have to be married, Shuri?”

His fingers tighten around her head, and she sags against him, spurring him on, keening around his cock. He fucks her roughly, spearing the back of her throat. He holds her there, pressing her head down, cradling the back of it. 

“Just like that,” he mutters with a soft hiss, repeating her words from earlier. “Just like that. Where do you want me to come? On your face? On your tits? Down your throat?”

She lets out a broken sound in reply. He fucks her throat sweeter, softer. Heat curls in her gut. Pleasure snaps white-hot and thin. She sinks him in as far as he can go, humming around him. He tumbles over the edge at last and spills into her mouth. 

He grunts as she pulls off his cock, swallowing what he gave her. She stares into his bewildered eyes as she licks the rest of him clean, and kisses the tip, swirling her tongue around the crown before rising with a smile. 

“Oh, Shuri. Now I know for sure that you being here wasn’t your husband’s doing. That mouth is a fucking gift.”

Her smile falters, then fades.

What has she just done?

She told Namor no foreplay, no kisses, no oral. She had just done every single one, and more than once tonight. 

She’s sick and evil and cruel, no better than Theo for engaging in this, too. 

“Goodnight,” she says quickly, walking away.

Her heartbeat slows when he grabs her curls, forming them into the shape of a ponytail. Her breath hitches when his front presses against her back. With a gentle tug, her head tilts to the side and his lips brush against the shell of her ear. 

“I have you for one night only, Mrs. Almehen. I’m not letting a minute go to waste.” 

Shuri’s hands are planted firmly on the carpet of Theo’s room. Her body rocks fiercely as he pistons into her from behind, her ass bouncing against his pelvis. She feels like a wheelbarrow in this position, and maybe that’s what it’s called. 

Her slender legs are wrapped around him, her heels touching as they rest against his ass. A hand leaves her hip to give her cheek a firm swat, spanking her. Shuri cries out, her skin stinging. 

Theo is hitting her G-spot and her A-spot, penetrating her so deep in this position that he’s grazing her cervix again. Shuri bites her lip hard enough that it makes it bleed a little. 

“I’m… Ah, I’m—“

“I know,” he husks, spanking her again, making her moan louder. “Let it happen.” 

Her orgasm shakes her to the core, causing her arms to weaken and give out on her. She collapses onto the floor, a smile on her face as Theo continues fucking her through it. 

She straddles his lap, her breasts against his face, her legs wrapped around him, her heels touching again. She rakes her fingers through his hair as he suckles on her left tit while kneading the right one. 

Her breath comes out in short, hot pants while her pussy clenches around his thick, thick cock. The only thing moving inside of her are her pulsating walls as they grip him tight, tight, tight due to the pressure and pleasure of having her nipples sucked. 

“Oh…”

That’s all she can whimper.

Oh.

Oh, I shouldn’t be enjoying this. 

Oh, I shouldn’t be here. 

Oh, I shouldn’t come again.

But she does, the greatest pleasure erupting within and soaking his cock and their flexing thighs. Every nerve ending is on fire as she sees white behind her eyelids. 

“I want to see you fuck me, Shuri,” his dark voice commands, and she stares at him with watery eyes as he leans back, dropping his hands to her waist to keep her right where she is. 

She breathes heavily as her fingers trace every crevice of his torso, and squeeze his pecs. A single tear rolls down her cheek before she clutches his shoulders and rides him. His eyes scan her body thoroughly. She thinks she’d die if he told her what he’s thinking based on that look of his, and she’s grateful he doesn’t say anything. He sits back and admires this happily married and devoted woman who would do anything, anything to save her husband’s life. 

She breathes out as she comes again. She’s lost count how many times it has happened tonight, but even once is too much. 

Theo pulses within her, then lowers her back onto the mattress. 

“Do you know how beautiful and sexy you are when you come?”

Her lips part for him and he drips his saliva into her mouth. She swallows it, then accepts his tongue, sucking on it gently as he finishes with a few rough thrusts. 

“Theo,” comes another whimper, and he places her on her back to come face to face with her dripping sex. His breath fans hot against her exposed skin, and he drags a finger along her damp folds. She jolts when  his nose presses to her skin. A soft moan falls from her lips a moment later when his wicked tongue flicks from his mouth and laps at her swollen, sensitive clit. Each flick of his tongue ignites like wildfire in her veins as he consumes her. 

He really took her admittance of loving to have her pussy eaten to heart. 

Right when she’s about to come, he flips her over onto her side and lies in a similar position, clutching her thigh as he lifts her leg. He forces eye contact again as he enters her, her walls stretching around him as he enters her, feeling them pulsate and throb. Tears prick at the corners of her eyes as he inches in further, slowly, tortuously slowly. 

“You did so good tonight,” he purrs, coaxing encouragement. The clock on the wall says it’s 3 in the morning. “Youre such a good wife and a good woman, Shuri. You did such a good thing.” 

She opens her mouth but the words die in her throat, emerging instead as a cry of pleasure as he thrusts into her. 

“So damn beautiful and perfect and breathtaking,” he rasps above her, fingers lowering to stimulate her wet clit as his arm keeps her legs spread far apart. “I’m never going to forget you.”  

Moans spill freely from her mouth as he fucks her sideways, the sound of skin on skin echoing throughout the room and reverberating. It feels dirty and lewd as it should. 

It’s nothing more.

Nothing more. 

It’s nothing. 

Shuri whimpers when he hits that spot that makes her see stars, and he knows he has her right where he wants her to be. He fucks her harder, thrusting deeper, faster. The sensations have her dizzy, leaving her with a heat that coils in her core, threatening to snap. 

“Please…” It’s the only word she can manage, and she repeats it like a mantra. “Please…”

An intense heat radiates between her legs, a blinding pleasure overtaking her. She succumbs to it, going limp in his grasp. While she comes down from her high, Theo keeps fucking her, unrelenting and unending, making her cry out. His breathing becomes erratic and then he comes with a groan, his hands tightening their grip on her mound and jaw as he finishes. 

As they breathe into each, they smile and kiss, tasting the salt of each other. He then kisses her on the cheek.

“Goodnight, Shuri. I’ll go to sleep in the other room.” 

She sits up as he walks away and closes the door. She brings the sheet up to her chest, covering it as though that’s going to shield her from her sins. 

Her lip trembles and she weeps, searching for her phone on the nightstand. She throws it upon seeing there’s no service out here. 

She wanted to call Namor. She wanted to tell him what happened tonight, how badly she fucked up, how fucking sorry she is, and how much she loves him. 

It’ll have to be a conversation to have face to face in a few hours, because she can’t live with herself keeping it all inside. 

As she sits on the toilet and pees, she sobs into her hands. 

She hates herself. 

She hates herself for hurting Namor. 

She hates herself for allowing Theo to have his way. 

She hates herself for enjoying it. 

In the silence of the early morning hours, Shuri brushes her teeth and wears the set of comfortable clothes she brought with her. She hears the door opening, then Theo appears behind her in the mirror, wearing nothing but a towel as he drops his boxers and shorts onto the closed toilet lid. 

“Morning.”

“Good morning,” she murmurs, doing her best to avoid looking at him but manages to get a glimpse of his big dick as he covers it with his clothing. She clears her throat and focuses on her own reflection when he stands directly behind her. 

“I put a box of Plan B inside your bag. Take it within 72 hours. The sooner the better, though.” 

She’s going to vomit. 

It’s going to be the hardest conversation she’s ever had, but she has to tell Namor everything. 

“Can you look at me? Say something? Anything?” 

She tosses the disposable toothbrush into the waste bin and faces him at last. She doesn’t stare at his chest that bears her markings, nor his throat that has the same. She doesn’t even look into his eyes, because she’s afraid of what she’ll see. She stares at his forehead instead. 

“Thank you for making a kidney transplant for my husband possible. I want to go back to him now.” 

Theo smiles small. He lifts a hand, and she thinks he’s going to touch her, but then he returns it to himself.

“The helicopter landed while you were in the shower. It’s ready to return you to the hotel. Goodbye, Shuri.” 

She inhales sharply. What else is there to say? 

“Goodbye, Theo.” 

Namor did not get a wink of sleep. 

He tried calling Shuri, but gave up as soon as he realized she most likely didn’t have any service out on that lake. Thoughts of her and Theo Burke haunted him the moment she was taken away on that helicopter. 

He has been suffering from shortness of breath and vomiting, both symptoms of his kidney failure but losing his wife to another man for a night had made it worse. He showered to cleanse himself, and attempted to look as appealing as possible, but he still feels like shit. 

He wants his baby. 

He wants to go home. 

He stares at the hotel room door as he has been doing for the last several hours. His heart beats fast when at last it opens. 

Shuri stands there, dressed in her lilac cotton shorts and her white tank top. Her eyes have dark circles underneath them as though she struggled to sleep, too. 

But she’s so fucking beautiful. 

Always. 

“Hi, baby,” she whispers, then she turns around to put her bag on the counter. 

That’s when he runs to her. 

He swings her around and captures her lips in a rough, savage kiss, branding her with his possession, rendering her defenseless. He forces one leg between hers, slanting his mouth to deepen the kiss. His hands slide into her curls, tugging her head back, plundering her mouth with his tongue. She smells of soap and nothing like Theo Burke. He’ll cover her with his own scent, reclaiming her, washing away what has happened.

But she breaks the kiss with a whimper. 

“Namor… I need to tell you about last night. I—“

“No,” he says sharply, shaking his head, nausea setting in. “No. We agreed not to discuss it.” 

“But I—“

“I told you that I don’t want to ever talk about it. It will kill me. And it's behind us now.” Namor sees a hint of her sadness before he pulls her in and hides her face in his chest, ignoring the pain, ignoring everything. “Let’s go home and get our lives back.”