A Rogue For The Quadruplet Alpha's.

Maria.

Noah was such a jerk.

A complete and absolute jerk.

Just remembering what he had said moments ago made my heart clench all over again.

When he told me another woman was important to him...my heart had almost stopped beating.

For that brief moment, it had genuinely felt as though the ground beneath my feet had disappeared.

I remembered desperately trying to remain calm, trying to convince myself that I wasn’t affected and rying to appear indifferent, as though his words meant nothing to me and as though I truly didn’t care but no matter how hard I tried..my body betrayed me.

The tears came anyway, one after another until it was completely beyond my control.

Thankfully...I had my mask on, and It hid most of my face. It concealed my expression and the tears that had escaped despite all my efforts to suppress them.

I didn’t have to let him see just how deeply his words had hurt me.

But then everything changed the moment he admitted it had all been a joke...the crushing weight around my heart finally eased.

Relief washed over me so suddenly that my knees almost felt weak. I hadn’t realized how frightened I truly was until that very moment.

And then he claimed my lips.

I had been completely caught off guard. My eyes had widened in surprise, my thoughts scattering instantly.

For a brief second, I simply froze.

I hadn’t expected him to do something so sudden.

Yet, despite the surprise...I couldn’t bring myself to pull away and Instead, I found myself kissing him back, just as deeply and just as desperately as he did because the truth was painfully simple—I had missed him.

Far more than I had been willing to admit.

I missed hearing his voice, I missed his warmth and I missed the way he always managed to occupy my thoughts.

His teasing words earlier had hurt precisely because he mattered so much to me.

If he hadn’t...I wouldn’t have cried.

"I love you, Maria." Noah’s soft voice reached my ears in between our kisses. "And no one is more important than you."

My heart skipped another beat, as those words settled deep inside me. Without thinking, I pulled him and kissed him again with even greater intensity, almost possessively and almost desperately as though I needed him to understand exactly how I felt.

He belonged to me.

Only me.

No other woman had the right to take my place beside him.

No one else should ever become more important than I was.

It was still lost in the thoughts, when Vernia interrupted me.

"What about the quadruplets?" Vernia’s voice suddenly echoed inside my head once again. "They also belong to you."

My entire mood instantly soured.

The warmth I had been feeling disappeared almost immediately.

What was wrong with her?

Why did she always have to interrupt moments like this?

Couldn’t she remain silent for once?

The thought alone irritated me, and almost instinctively, I pulled away from the kiss.

Noah blinked in surprise, as his brows furrowed slightly as confusion flashed across his face.

It was obvious he didn’t understand why I had suddenly withdrawn.

For a brief moment, he simply looked at me and then, just as quickly, whatever questions had formed in his mind disappeared behind his usual gentle smile.

Without saying anything about my sudden reaction, he slipped both arms firmly around my waist and drew me closer once again.

"I’m a bad man, Maria," he whispered softly beside my ear, his warm breath brushing lightly against my skin. "But..." His embrace tightened ever so slightly. "I won’t ever repeat something like that again."

A smile slowly found its way to my lips after hearing his words. The sincerity in his voice made the lingering frustration inside me melt away.

Without taking my eyes off him, I reached forward and gently grabbed the collar of his shirt.

My fingers tightened around the fabric ever so slightly.

At the same time, I pushed Vernia’s earlier words to the back of my mind.

This moment belonged to us.

I wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.

My free hand slowly brushed over his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my fingertips.

Our faces were only inches apart now, and my gaze drifted unconsciously to his lips, as they were so close—temptingly close.

My own lips lingered just short of touching his.

"Yes..." I murmured softly, unable to stop smiling. "You are a bad man, Noah."

There wasn’t the slightest trace of anger left in my voice, only playful affection.

I tilted my head slightly before adding,

"So... shouldn’t you be punished?"

Even as I spoke, my eyes remained fixed on his lips, refusing to look anywhere else.

A faint smile curved on Noah’s face, as his expression softened before something deeper settled in his eyes.

"I’m all yours, my love." He said, as his voice had become noticeably huskier, lower and warmer. "Do with me whatever you please."

A quiet chuckle escaped my lips.

Without another word, I released his collar.

Instead, I slowly slid both of my arms around his neck, drawing a little closer, I leaned toward him until my lips were just beside his ear.

My breath brushed lightly against his skin as I whispered,

"Do you really think you can handle it?" I said provocatively.

For a brief moment, Noah said nothing, mot a single word and his silence spoke louder than any answer could have.

Instead of replying, he suddenly pulled me flush against him.

The distance between us disappeared completely.

His arms tightened securely around my waist, holding me as though he had no intention of letting me go.

I couldn’t help smiling, and the playful smile spread across my lips as I tilted my head ever so slightly.

"Are you trying to act naughty?" I asked teasingly, one brow arching in amusement as I searched his face for a reaction.

Noah couldn’t stop the soft laugh that escaped him.

The sound was quiet and warm, carrying that familiar charm that always managed to disarm me.

"No, baby."

His answer came almost instantly, as though he hadn’t even needed to think about it.

And then he paused, only for the briefest moment.

"But..." He added, his voice dropping a little lower. "If you keep provoking me..."

A helpless smile slowly appeared across his face, making him look both amused and completely defeated at the same time.

"I’m not so sure I’ll be able to stay sane." He added firmly.

His honest confession only made me laugh softly. This time, the laughter came effortlessly. It simply escaped my lips as I enjoyed seeing him struggle to keep his composure.

"So..." I lifted my eyes and looked directly into his and for several silent seconds, neither of us looked away.

Then my gaze slowly wandered downward until it settled on his lips once again.

A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"Are you the one deciding the punishment..." I asked playfully, deliberately leaving a small pause between my words. "...or am I?"

The teasing question clearly caught him off guard.

I watched as he swallowed hard.

His throat bobbed visibly, and for a brief moment, he simply stared at me without saying anything.

The tension between us grew heavier with every passing second.

Before I could react, he gently turned me around until my back rested lightly against the nearby wall.

He stepped closer immediately afterward, leaving barely any distance between us and his eyes never left mine.

"No." He said.

The answer left his lips quickly—almost too quickly, as though he was afraid I’d misunderstand him.

A small smile spread across my face.

"Please..." He continued, as his voice softened, carrying an unmistakable sincerity. "Punish me however you please."

He held my gaze as he spoke, waiting quietly for whatever I would decide next.

Unable to suppress my smile any longer, I slowly lifted my hands until they rested lightly against the sides of his face.

For a brief moment, I simply looked at him—his eyes, his expression and the warmth that reflected in his gaze.

Everything about him made my heart beat just a little faster.

Then, without another word, I leaned forward and gently captured his lips with mine.

The kiss began softly, slowly and tenderly as there was no rush between us and no urgency.

It was as though we were both silently savoring the comfort of finally being close again.

For several quiet moments, neither of us moved much.

We simply remained there, sharing the gentle kiss while the silence around us wrapped itself comfortably around the two of us.

Little by little, the emotions we had both struggled to contain surfaced naturally.

Every unspoken feeling...every moment of longing...every apology and every reassurance...seemed to find their way into that single kiss.

Gradually, it became deeper, longer and more heartfelt.

Neither of us seemed willing to be the first to pull away.

The hallway around us no longer mattered—the walls the voices that might have echoed in the distance.

Even the fact that we weren’t alone inside the building completely slipped from my mind.

Everything beyond that moment simply faded into the background.

All I could think about...all I wanted...was him—Noah.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!