Rebirth: My CEO Husband's Thoughts Are Too Shameless

Despite discovering yet another side of Dominic, Clara stubbornly kept her cheeks puffed in annoyance.

She deliberately stayed silent.

Dominic carefully dabbed antiseptic over the tiny cuts on her hand.

When several seconds passed without a single complaint from her, his brows almost imperceptibly furrowed.

[...Why did she suddenly go quiet?]

His thoughts echoed in Clara’s mind.

[I want to hear her whining again.]

[Did I tease her too much?]

Clara nearly laughed.

So you actually like it when I talk.

She quickly bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling.

Dominic, completely unaware that every thought was being exposed, continued cleaning the cuts with feather-light movements.

”What exactly are you planning to complain to Dad about?” he asked calmly.

He wrapped a small bandage around her hand with surprising gentleness.

”That I treated my wife after she disguised herself and crashed someone else’s wedding?”

Clara pouted harder.

”I didn’t crash it.”

Dominic raised an eyebrow. ”No?”

”I attended it... creatively.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

”I see.” He secured the bandage before looking up at her.

”If you complain to Dad...” He paused deliberately. ”...he’ll probably scold you instead.”

”...”

Dominic’s eyes gleamed.

[The cat finally caught her tongue.]

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Clara suddenly burst into a peal of laughter, leaving him completely stunned.

Still smiling, she slipped an arm around his waist and leaned closer until only a breath separated them.

”Are you sure, Dom? Because as far as I know, he was the one who encouraged me in the first place.”

Dominic’s expression froze.

For a brief moment, he wanted to dismiss her words, but recently Clara had stopped hiding behind lies and excuses. She had started speaking whatever was in her heart, making it impossible for him to brush her off.

[That old man is getting naughtier with every passing day. I seriously need to have a word with Mom.]

”You can complain to Dad if you want,” Dominic replied with a helpless sigh. ”Not me. I would’ve helped you too.”

The possessiveness in his voice made Clara’s smile deepen.

”You can still help me now, Dom.”

The playful expression on her face slowly disappeared, replaced by unmistakable yearning.

Dominic swallowed hard, refusing to let the seriousness slip from his face.

”And how exactly do you expect me to do that?”

The moment Hannah had sent him the photograph, Dominic had immediately recognized the woman standing beside Clara. Figuring out her identity hadn’t taken long.

What truly worried him wasn’t the woman in the picture—it was the trouble Clara had willingly walked into.

The last thing he wanted was to see her hurt.

[If I can shield her from even a fraction of that danger, I’ll do it without hesitation.]

Clara looked into his eyes without flinching.

”Kiss me, Dom... and make sure I remember my mistake.”

She tried to sound calm, but guilt lingered beneath her steady voice. She knew how much trouble her reckless decisions had caused him.

Yet she didn’t regret protecting the people she cared about.

She had made countless mistakes in her previous life. This time, she wanted to make the right choices. Dominic had spent every Chapter of her life protecting her, and now she wanted to become someone worthy of standing beside him.

Dominic’s gaze darkened.

Without another word, he cupped her face and captured her lips in a slow, lingering kiss.

One arm wrapped securely around her waist before he effortlessly lifted her into his arms.

Thud.

With a sweep of his free hand, he cleared the clutter from the kitchen counter and gently set her down on it.

His palm rested against the small of her back, holding her close as their foreheads touched, his lips lingering only a breath away from hers.

[You’re impossible, Clara... but letting you go has never been an option.]

Dominic’s hand reached for the zipper of her uniform.

With one swift tug, the zipper slid down, and the disguise Clara had been wearing fell away in seconds.

Before she could say a word, Dominic captured her lips once more.

Clara’s arms slipped around his neck while her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, eagerly returning the kiss.

Only she knew how much she regretted keeping her plan from him. Everything had happened so suddenly that she hadn’t found a chance to explain herself.

Now that he knew the truth, she didn’t mind accepting whatever punishment he decided to give her.

[Damn... she’s irresistible.]

No matter how many times he kissed Clara, Dominic could never get enough of her.

Yet he also knew he couldn’t let things go any further.

He knew Clara too well. The moment she sensed how much he wanted her, she’d ignore everything else just to make him happy.

And that was exactly why he had to stop himself.

[Besides... she’s still on her period. I can wait. There’ll be plenty of time once she’s feeling better.]

The kiss gradually slowed, their breaths mingling as the room grew quieter.

Just when Clara thought he was about to pull her even closer, Dominic suddenly stepped back.

”You should go clean up first.”

The words landed like a bucket of ice-cold water.

Clara blinked at him.

”...What?”

Her mind took a second to process what he had just said.

Dominic stared back just as blankly.

Then realization struck him like lightning.

His eyes widened.

[W-What did I just say?]

For a second, he wished the ground would swallow him whole.

He hadn’t meant it that way at all.

He only wanted her to freshen up and get comfortable after everything she’d been through.

But hearing those words out loud...

[Great. Brilliant, Dominic. Of all the things you could’ve said, that is what came out.]

He cautiously lifted his gaze.

The dark cloud gathering over Clara’s face made his heart sink.

Her smile disappeared.

The corner of her lips twitched into something that looked dangerously close to a glare.

”Dom...”

She called his name so softly that it somehow sounded even more threatening.

Dominic instinctively took half a step backward.

”Clara, listen. That’s not what I—”

Too late.

With surprising strength, Clara planted both hands against his chest and shoved him toward the doorway.

”Wait—”

The next thing Dominic knew, he was stumbling out of the bathroom.

Bang!

The door slammed shut right in front of his face, while Dominic felt a chill run down his spine.