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He was still sucking on her nipple, and she could feel her body tingle all over, the pleasure overwhelming her.

His finger pumped faster, and she also quickened her pace. The faster she moved, the more intense her pleasure grew until her arm shook and ached. She had no choice but to hold on to him.

She moaned and whimpered, but he continued until she forgot everything except the feel of his mouth on her breast and his finger inside her.

Her hips bucked wildly, as though they had a mind of their own. And when her pleasure finally reached its peak, she felt her walls clench down on his finger.

Edwin withdrew his finger one final time and slipped it back in, and she ground her hips against it. The pleasure washed over her like a tidal wave. She had even stopped breathing for a second.

Her body trembled, and she felt him nip her nipple. That was her undoing.

She cried out loud.

The pleasure overtook her, consumed her, her breathing ragged and shallow. She clung to him until she was spent.

Edwin held on to her, and she felt him pepper kisses all over her hair and face. She was happy in his arms, at peace.

“Ava,” he whispered against her skin, “that was beautiful.”

Ava smiled weakly.

When he pulled away from her, she was overcome with emotions.

Even though she could not quite see all of his face, the crinkles at the corner of his eye told her he was smiling.

But at that moment, guessing what he was feeling was not enough for her. She needed to see him—tofullysee him and know what he was feeling. She wanted to be able to read his face in the same way he could read hers.

Even though she had never felt as intimate with him as she did at that moment, she knew that with his mask always in place around her, she could never quite feel as close to him as she wanted to be.

So, she reached out her hand and gripped the edge of his mask.

“Ava!” he warned, his fingers clamping around her wrist.

Even though his grip was not tight or painful, and she could still pry the mask away if she wanted, she knew he did not approve.

Therefore, she let go, and he let go of her wrist too.

Something shifted between them at that moment. The mask was a wall between them, and as long as it was still up, her husband could never be plain and open with her.

He must have sensed the change because he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

At first, Ava did not reciprocate. However, the harder he kissed her, the more she struggled to hold on to her resentment. And when he cupped the back of her neck and groaned into her mouth, the last thread of her resistance snapped, and she finally let him in.

She had only just begun to let go and enjoy the kiss when he suddenly pulled away.

“I know you are frustrated by my mask,” he murmured.

Ava nodded. “I am. I cannot help but feel like you are shutting me out.”

He shook his head. “Oh, Ava, I truly am not.”

“Then why won’t you let me see you?Trulysee you.”

Edwin sighed before pulling back and sitting on his chair. “Come here.” He patted his lap.

Ava climbed off the desk and sat on his lap, still naked.

“I do not suppose I have told anyone this,” he began, “but I will tell you now.”