Текст книги "Union of Sin"
Автор книги: Eden Summers
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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 13 страниц)
Chapter Fourteen
“T.J.!” Cassie screamed at the door her husband had closed behind him and sank back into the pillows. Humiliation assailed her, dragging tears from her eyes to trail down the side of her face.
He wasn’t coming back to untie her.
She was alone. Sobbing. Trying in vain to fight herself free of the silk scarf he’d tied her hands in. Her skin already burned from the friction, and the pain came nowhere near what she felt inside her chest.
The far-off beat of footsteps approached, the click of a door releasing and the squeak as it was pushed open an inch.
“T.J.?”
“You decent?” Brute. Perfect. Her night couldn’t get any worse.
“Not really,” she muttered. Her nose was a running mess, her skirt raised to her hips, displaying her silken underwear. The only saving grace was the panties that covered her intimate parts…the same parts that still throbbed from her husband’s touch.
He’d never had a problem arousing her. He’d always made it his mission to make her come before him. Usually more than once. So walking away while she was wild with need was a sign she finally needed to sit back and listen to. Her husband was gone, and the man who’d taken his place wasn’t afraid of making her feel worthless and dirty.
“Too bad.” Brute shoved into the room, his features schooled, not showing shock or disgust at how she was tied to the bed, her cheeks tear-streaked, her clothes and hair disheveled. “Looks like you had fun.”
She glared at him as he came to the side of the bed and untangled the scarf on her right wrist. “Yeah,” she grated. “It’s like fucking Disneyland in here.”
He paused, at her uncharacteristically bad language or the crack in her voice, she wasn’t sure. Her wrist fell free with the release of the material and she looked to the far side of the room, unable to stand his impassive scrutiny.
“You took a risk by pushing him.” Brute made his way to the other side of the bed. “Unfortunately, it backfired.”
She glared straight ahead, tugged down the hem of her skirt with one hand while he approached her other wrist.
“Are you going to give up now? I assume it would be better to maintain some sort of friendship, or whatever you normal people have, instead of being unable to communicate at all.”
Neither option had been acceptable before she’d come downstairs. Now she wasn’t sure if never seeing T.J. again was such a bad idea. He’d tainted memories she’d never thought could be spoiled. He was not only destroying their future, he was contaminating their past.
“I couldn’t believe he’d give up on us.” She wiggled her wrist free as he loosened the scarf. “I had to fight for what we had.”
He inclined his head, his expression devoid of care. She would’ve denied he had compassion at all if it wasn’t for the cotton handkerchief he pulled from his trouser pocket and thrust in her direction.
She blew her nose and dabbed at her cheeks. “I was here the night of the masquerade party. He kissed me.”
“You think I didn’t know you were here?” He gave a harsh laugh. “Nobody passes through those doors without me knowing. Although, you did a good job on the fake ID, I wasn’t entirely convinced it was you until you showed up.”
“You knew?” Her voice rose. “Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you tell T.J.?”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t my place to do so. You obviously went to great lengths to gain entry to the club, and I had no doubt it was to try to win him back. And besides, I wanted to see if you had the balls to show up. I never thought you were the devious type.”
He settled onto the bed at her side, reached for her with a furrowed brow and swept the tear-soaked hair from her cheek, as if the gentle gesture was foreign. “He doesn’t want to hurt you.” The words were barely audible, barely believable from such a harsh man. “We all know that. This is his way of protecting you. Let him. That’s all he has left.”
She growled and pulled away from his touch. “Protecting me from what?”
“The past.” His lips tilted. “The present.” His grin increased. “The future.”
“Is this a game to you?” she snapped, sliding from the bed.
“No.” He stood, facing her from the far side of the mattress. “Kinda feels like I’m in an X-rated soap opera, though.”
She scowled, seeing his actions for what they were—a diversion. He’d shown too much sympathy, and now he was making up for it by being an asshole. Hiding the softer side of himself in an effort to protect his vulnerability.
“I feel sorry for you.” She did. She really did. He was cold. Heartless. Lacking the ability to step out on a limb because he was too scared to be hurt. “You must be lonely.”
“Lonely? Why? I have everything I need—money, prestige and innumerable women at my disposal.”
“You don’t have love.”
He scoffed. “Does it even exist?”
It was her turn to look at him with pity. “Sure it does. I should know. I experienced it with T.J. for years.”
She gave him a sad smile in farewell and then strode for the door. Once she reached the threshold, she paused, realizing she was unable to leave without making her way back up those stairs toward her husband.
“Need me to get something for you?” Brute spoke over her shoulder.
She sagged and nodded. She needed to leave out the back entrance. To scamper away like the dirty vermin T.J. had made her feel like. “Please,” she murmured. “My purse and keys are under the main bar.”
Brute squeezed past her, doing her bidding without a falter in his step. He was probably happy to see the back of her too. The secured door clunked in the distance, cocooning her in silence. She sucked in a breath, waiting, the minutes ticking by like slow, dreary days. She memorized her surroundings, strolling around the furniture, brushing her fingers along the sofa backs.
She refused to glance toward the mirror behind the bar. Her reflection would tell her what her aching heart already knew—it was over. There was no more will to fight. All hope was lost.
In a few weeks, she would be single. Alone. Broken. As if she could shatter any more than she already had.
The swoosh of the door opening startled her, and she made her way toward the newbie area.
“This it?” Brute asked, holding out her purse and keys.
“Yeah.” She nodded, taking her belongings from his hand before wrapping her arms around her chest. “I guess this is goodbye.”
He pressed his lips together, the harshness of his features becoming more sterile as he frowned down at her. “I guess so.”
She held in a caustic laugh and turned on her heel. A Shot of Sin had been a big part of her marriage when it first opened. Now it would be a memory. A brief flicker of remembrance.
“Cass, wait.”
She glanced over her shoulder, to the steely expression that hadn’t faltered. The only difference was Brute’s stance, his arms were raised, held open in front of him.
She pivoted back to him, frowning.
“Come on,” he growled. “This is more uncomfortable for me than it is for you.”
His discomfort brought a brief smile to her lips. “You’re a confusing man, Bryan.”
He rolled his eyes and stepped forward, engulfing her in a hug. For a long time, they simply held each other, her head on his shoulder, his arms around her back.
“I’ve always admired T.J.,” he murmured into her hair. “He puts himself last, no matter what the situation. And he’s far too kind for his own good. He’d rather push you away and torture himself in the process than expose you to something hurtful. I envy his selflessness.”
Cassie pushed back from Brute’s chest and looked him in the eye. “Right now, I loathe it.”
“Understandable.” He inclined his head. “But even though he’s acting this way, deep down I think he’d want you to know your pain is killing him.”
“I thought you didn’t get involved in personal matters.” She gave a halfhearted grin, unable to keep it plastered on her face for longer than a few seconds.
“I guess I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress.”
“No.” She shook her head, sliding from his embrace. “You’ve got a big heart. You’re just too afraid to show it.”
“Nah. I really don’t.” He glanced toward the bar, denying her his gaze. “If you leave out the back door, I’ll lock it behind you.”
She wanted to laugh at the abrupt change in conversation. Instead, she thumped his shoulder with her purse, lightening the mood. “I’ll see you around, big guy.”
He nodded, his features returning to their emotionless state. “Look after yourself.”
“Will do.” She headed for the staircase leading to the parking lot, ignoring the impending breakdown she could feel pressing on her shoulders. The time had come to move on. No more second-guessing. No more trying to fight an unidentifiable opponent. Her marriage was over. And after tonight, she was determined to move on.
T.J. leaned against the wall beside the upstairs entrance to the Vault, waiting for Brute to return. As soon as the door opened, he straightened, watching as his business partner strode for the bar.
“Is she gone?” His voice echoed through the empty room, taunting him.
“Yep.” Brute’s tone was too blasé for T.J.’s liking. “For good.”
Fuck. He ran a hand over his face and tilted his head to the ceiling. “Is she okay?”
“You don’t want to hear how she is.” Brute continued across the dance floor, heading for Shay and Leo who stood behind the bar.
“Yeah, I do.” T.J. pushed off the wall. “Tell me.”
Brute swung around. “She’s fucked. Is that what you want to hear?” He threw his hands up in the air and let them drop to his sides. “You’ve broken her. She’s done. Gone. Congratulations.”
“Jesus,” Shay whispered.
“You stay the fuck out of this.” T.J. stormed for the bar, pointing a threatening finger in her direction as his mental stability splintered. “It’s your fault she was here.”
Shay balked at his vicious tone. “What—”
“Have I disrespected you in some way? Was this retaliation for something I’ve done? Or were you just being a heartless, nosy bitch, thinking you knew better because I’m merely a male and have no clue what it’s like to feel?”
The words flowed from his mouth like he was stuck in an out-of-body experience. They were his thoughts that never should’ve been spoken. His torment that should’ve remained his own.
Her mouth opened, closed. She glanced to her left, to Leo at her side, before returning to face him. “It was neither. I—”
“You encouraged her to come tonight, didn’t you?”
“I…I…” Her shoulders fell and she gave a brief nod. “I know you love her. I thought the two of you could work things out if you spent some time together.”
“Fucking hell, Shay,” Brute muttered.
“It’s not her fault.” Leo came around the bar. “Her heart was in the right place. She was only trying to help.”
“Well, she didn’t. She made me spit in the face of my marriage. And I want to know what the fuck you plan to do about it. She can’t work here anymore. I want her gone.”
“That’s the pain talking,” Leo growled. “Shay’s far more than an employee to us, and you know it.”
T.J. raised his chin, refusing to agree.
“Look, you’re pissed. We know that.” Brute strode around the back of the bar and pulled a can of Scotch and dry from the fridge. “But Cass is out of your hair now. She’s moving on. You’ve got what you wanted. Don’t go blaming anyone else for something you put into motion.”
T.J. clenched his jaw, breathing heavily through his nose in an effort to keep the hateful words in his chest. It was his fault. He was to blame.
“What was I meant to do?” he asked. “I can’t tell her the truth. It will kill her.”
“What is the truth, T.J.?” Shay asked.
Leo winced and shook his head, but the silent protest wasn’t enough to stop the words that inched up T.J.’s throat. “Six months ago, the man who assaulted her was charged with a brutal rape. The woman almost died.”
Shay gasped. “Cassie doesn’t know?”
“No,” he grated. “And I don’t plan on telling her either. She would blame herself when it isn’t her fault.”
It was his.
If only he hadn’t taken her to that sex club. If only he would’ve listened to his gut and not allowed her to walk from his side to use the bathroom. She never would’ve been assaulted and he wouldn’t have the guilt of two tortured women weighing down his shoulders.
“Then don’t tell her…but you can’t divorce her because of this either,” Shay begged.
“So I should hide it from her for the rest of my life?” He glared. “I love her, Shay. I’d do anything for her. But what I won’t do is create a marriage based on lies. She deserves more than me. She deserves more than a man who would put her in that sort of position.”
He’d only found out about the charges because he’d employed an investigator to do some digging. Almost six months to the day after that night in the club, he’d received an email with images attached. A twenty-six-year-old, shy and beautiful, had been dragged into a car. She hadn’t stood a chance.
“Cassie currently thinks this divorce is hard,” he continued. “If she found out what this man could’ve done to her, or what could’ve been avoided if only we’d gone to the police, she won’t recover. I can’t do that to her.”
He ground his teeth together and focused a lethal stare on Shay. “And I won’t allow you to shove your nose into our business and risk her finding out just so you can push your own agenda.
“I’m sorry.” Her face crumpled. “I didn’t know.”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it.” Fucking hell. The things he’d said to Cassie downstairs… The things he’d done. Even God couldn’t forgive him for betraying her like that.
“The offer to fuck him up is still on the table.” Brute drank from the can, not even bothering to focus his full attention on the way T.J.’s life was ending.
“No. Thank you,” T.J. grated. “He was caught and prosecuted. Once he was sent to jail, the story died, and that’s how I want it to stay.”
“He deserves some form of retaliation.”
T.J. inclined his head. “Yes, but at the risk of Cassie finding out? I’d prefer him to rot in his cell.”
Shay turned to Leo. “You knew about this?”
“Yeah. Since the masquerade party.”
“But, T.J., you love her so much.” Her voice rose. “You can’t leave her.”
He’d spent months trying to determine if he could live a lie just to stay with Cassie. Counselling hadn’t helped. He either had to tell the truth and watch her suffer through the consequences, knowing with each passing day that he was to blame. Or he could leave and allow her to find a brighter future with someone else.
“There’s no other option.”
Brute slammed his can on the counter and pulled another from the fridge. “I still think that bastard needs to suffer.”
“And you think I don’t? He’s in jail. What’s done is done.” Cassie was gone. He’d pushed her to her breaking point and doubted she’d have the heart to fight back.
“Then I suggest we let it go.” Leo crossed his arms over his chest. “Let her go.”
Words were so easily spoken. It was the pain they inflicted that made it hard to breathe. “Yeah, just dust that shit off, right?” As if it would ever be that easy.
Leo snarled. “Look, we’re trying to be here for you, but you’re making it fucking hard.”
“Leo,” Shay chastised and made her way onto the dance floor. “I made a huge mistake, and I’m incredibly sorry. I never would’ve placed Cassie in this situation if I knew. Please forgive me.”
T.J. looked away. He didn’t want to hurt her. It was the pain, the anger and the desperation making him volatile. “I can’t even forgive myself right now.”
She nodded. “Then tell me what I can do to help. I know you have to pick up your belongings on Sunday. Let me do that for you.”
To hell with that. He’d do it himself. He was becoming accustomed to seeing his wife pained beyond recognition. Nobody else deserved to experience her anguish like he did. “No, it’s okay.”
Misguided or not, these people were his friends, and he was punishing them for something that was his fault. “This is my mistake. Let’s just pretend like tonight didn’t happen.” And the years with Cassie were only a dream. “I’m going to go home. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
Silence followed him as he walked from Shot of Sin. Silence and mourning. He’d done the right thing…maybe not in the right way, but protecting Cassie from the past had been his aim, and he’d achieved that. Now all he had to do was live with the consequences.
Chapter Fifteen
Cassie spent three days in hiding. She didn’t answer the door when Jan came over, or pick up the phone when Shay called. She didn’t even turn on the television to let the outside world in.
Instead, she packed T.J.’s things. Piece by piece, she placed her husband’s belongings into empty boxes. She could’ve thrown them on the front lawn, giving him a taste of retaliation, but she wasn’t convinced he’d even care anymore. She no longer knew how he would react, or if he was even going to show up to claim what she’d packed.
She hadn’t spoken to him since she’d run from the club on Thursday night. Hours later, she’d started removing his things from her life. The process had been cathartic. Each item of clothing, pair of shoes and personal object had received a silent goodbye to the memories they held.
His wedding tux had been the hardest. She’d unzipped the clothing protector, flattened the familiar outfit on the bed and lain on top of it. With softly falling tears, she’d closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around the waist of the coat, pretending she was back there. On their special day. Speaking vows of love and commitment.
She was stronger now though. All that remained of T.J. were stacked boxes at her door. She’d blocked him from her mind. Pushed him from her heart. And would proceed to carry on with her chin held high.
But as Bear began to bark from the backyard, she wasn’t sure who she’d been kidding. This was it. There was no reason for him to come back after today. There was nothing to keep him here.
She sucked in a deep breath and yanked the front door open.
“T.J.,” she murmured.
He gave her an awkward smile. “Hi, Cass.”
She broke eye contact, unable to stand the familiar man who acted like a stranger. “I’ve packed your things and stacked the boxes inside the door. There’s a few more in the dining room.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
No, she didn’t. She owed him nothing. “I’ll leave you to it.”
He inclined his head, his face solemn as he leaned inside and grabbed the first heavy box from the stack.
He walked away with too much ease. She didn’t understand it. Couldn’t contemplate how a man who’d once claimed to love her with all his heart could find it so easy to cut ties. But she wasn’t going to think about that anymore. Nope. Not even once.
She strode for the back of the house, breathing through the pain overtaking her lungs. She refused to cry. Not after all the tears she’d shed. She was done. D-O-N-E. Or maybe it was spelt differently. More like D-A-M-A-G-E-D. She didn’t know anymore. Everything felt like varying degrees of numbness.
She hid in the spare bedroom at the rear of the house for over an hour, nestled upon the corner of the bed, her feet tucked beneath her as she stared blankly out the window. This was the furthest point in the house from him, and still the scrape of cardboard taunted her as he slowly dragged boxes of memories from her life.
“Cassie?” His call floated softly down the hall.
She remained quiet, unwilling to see him again. She had no more time for his pity. Or the pain he inflicted.
“Cassie? I’m done.”
She sighed. He was done. They were done. Everything was done.
“Okay,” she called out, unmoving. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
She held her breath, waiting for the front door to close. When the sound of his footsteps approached, echoing up the hall, her heart climbed to her throat. She pushed from the bed, scooting to the window to pretend she’d been caught staring at something fascinating as his frame came to stand in the doorway.
“I’m leaving now.”
She nodded again. Leaving here. Leaving her. “Good luck with everything.” The words burned her throat.
“Are you okay?”
His tone mocked her. Their marriage too. Of course she wasn’t okay. He shouldn’t be either.
“Peachy,” she drawled.
He approached, his broad shoulders taking up her peripheral vision. “Is there anything you want me to do while I’m here?”
Hold me. Love me. Stay. “I think you’ve done enough.”
The room fell silent, the cloying thickness of memories filling the small space. She wanted to open her mouth, to remind him of all the precious moments he’d ruined with his recent actions. He’d tainted it all. Nothing was left unscathed. She didn’t even know if anything they shared was real.
“I never wanted it to end this way.” He came to stand in front of her, cocking his hip against the windowsill. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Really?” She turned her focus to him. “I’ve never been hurt more than what you’ve put me through in the last few weeks. Three nights ago, you used my love for you against me, tied me to a bed and left me there, humiliated and more devastated than the day you arranged for a stranger to give me the divorce papers.”
“I know.” His forehead creased into a mass of tension lines. “I hate myself for what I’ve done.”
She hated him even more. And she still loved him all the same.
“Then why do it? Why tear apart everything we had?”
He glanced away, focusing out the window. He had something to say, she could see it in the strain of his features. Yet, his lips didn’t move.
“I guess you can tell Leo and Brute,” she seethed. “You just can’t tell—”
“You deserve better,” he growled.
She jerked back. “Do you think our relationship was that bad? That we couldn’t have worked through whatever this problem is together?” It seemed a vivid black-and-white scenario to her—you talked through issues and resolved them, or you kept them bottled up and slowly drowned. “Did you have that little faith in us that you couldn’t even discuss it with me?”
“No.” His tone was sharp. “Being with you was everything to me. It always will be, Cass. I just can’t risk hurting you anymore.”
The tension in his features increased. He wasn’t lying, she knew that much. “Then tell me. Explain.” She stepped forward, unable to resist his sorrow. “I know our marriage is over. We’re done. Just please tell me why.”
He reached out a hand, stroked his calloused finger along her jawline. Her skin tingled along the trail of his touch, every nerve awakening while her heart ached for more.
“I shouldn’t have come today.” He streaked his other hand down her cheek, killing her with kindness. “Going to sleep at night, knowing you hate me is the worst feeling in the world. I knew once I saw you again I’d succumb to my own selfish need to touch you.”
Cassie closed her eyes. This was her husband. This was the man she’d married. With his heart on his sleeve and his love pulsing from him in waves, he made her toes curl with his affection. “Go on,” she whispered, opening her eyes to his dark gaze.
“You’re right about me holding on to my guilt. I hated myself for not protecting you in Brisbane. And I loathed myself even more for not being able to help you after.”
“We could’ve gotten through it, if only you’d talked to me.”
He inclined his head. “Maybe. But you never should’ve been there. My stupidity could’ve cost you everything.”
“Could’ve, but it didn’t.” The words were a breathy exhale. She needed to know what haunted him, only the agony in his eyes made her second-guess if she really wanted to know. “You’re still not going to tell me, are you?”
“No.”
She winced, and scooted back to sit on the windowsill to space herself from the burn. His admission broke her heart. Collapsed her chest. “I need to know what you’re going through, Tate. I need to know what’s dragging you away.”
Her nose began to burn, her vision blurred. She still refused to cry. There was nothing tears could do to stop the damage that had already occurred. But everything inside her ached with the unfairness of what had happened.
“I do love you, Cass. But our marriage is over.”
The reminder of his love hurt more now than ever. They’d done so many things wrong. From the night of the club, to the way they reacted, to the underhanded way she’d first entered Vault of Sin, and everything in between. It was a tangled mess. One that would never unravel.
“But I…” She didn’t know what to say. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she had more will to fight. “What if—”
“No.” He gave a sad smile, announcing a myriad of emotions in one simple glance. “Please don’t fight this anymore. I can’t take it.”
She tried to mimic his calm, and was sure she came up short. It wasn’t easy when her insides were putty and the pounding in her veins felt like the world was going to end. She needed to touch him. Just once. To feel the strength under her palm and the heat to warm her frigid soul. She reached for him, running her fingers over his chest, sinking under the hypnotizing beat of his heart.
“I won’t stop loving you.” She continued to cling to his shirt, bowing her head to his shoulder. She closed her eyes, sinking into the rhythm of his heartbeat, wishing they were in another place and another time.
“I know. But will you ever forgive me?”
His whisper spread right through her, touching every nerve. She squeezed her eyes, gripping the material in her fists until her knuckles hurt. “I don’t know.”
There was so much to forgive—the way he’d shut her out for months after their trip to Brisbane, the way he’d tied her to the bed in Vault of Sin and left her blanketed in humiliation, and most of all, the unanswered questions.
“I’m so sorry, Cass. I wish I knew how to explain my guilt so you would understand.” His breath brushed her ear, his lips a delicate caress against her skin. “I never should’ve introduced you to all this. I should’ve been happy with what we had.”
If only they hadn’t pushed the boundaries. If only she hadn’t enjoyed it enough to want more. If only they weren’t lost to breathtaking, heart-palpitating love, none of this would’ve happened.
If only.
She pulled back, her fingers still tangled in his shirt. “Your lifestyle choices were what I chose for myself too. I wanted everything you offered. I would’ve told you if I didn’t.”
He winced, the harshness crumpling his strong features into something heartbreakingly vulnerable. “I wish…” He sighed. “I should go.”
He moved to pull away and she increased her grip. Yes, this was goodbye, but she couldn’t lose his warmth just yet. She needed to hold him, to breathe deep of his scent so her memory never faded.
He was beautiful. His face a picture of torture and devotion. Grief and adoration. She loved this man. Always would. And now she had to let him go.
“Goodbye, Tate.” She leaned into him and brushed her mouth over his. The delicate sweep scorched her all the way to the tips of her toes. It was exquisite in its softness. A purely instinctual glide of lips.
He returned her affection, sinking between her thighs, weaving a hand around her neck. She knew this was goodbye. The end. And still, she couldn’t stop herself from deepening the connection, sliding her tongue into his mouth.
Her fingers gripped tighter on his shirt, her body unable to get close enough, her heart too far away. She adored this man. Always would. But they were over now. This was all they had left.
She moaned against his mouth, kissing him harder. The parts of her soul that had died when he’d walked from her life reawakened with the force of a million tiny nerve explosions. He was everywhere—in her mind, in her heart, his taste on her lips, his love in her veins.
She couldn’t get enough.
He groaned and pulled back, snapping her from the pleasured daze. His eyes were filled with heat, his breath coming in short, shallow pants. He was on the brink, just like her. Wanting to take this further, yet needing to walk away.
“This is the end, Cass. I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”
“I know,” she spoke against his lips. “But I’m already dead inside. Make me feel alive again, one last time.”
He closed his eyes, his forehead etched with lines of pain as he winced. When he looked at her again, she glimpsed determination. Desire. Passion so wild and unrestrained that it caught her off-guard when he slammed his lips back against hers.
He grabbed her hips and yanked her forward to the edge of the windowsill, his body sinking between her thighs. “God, I’ll miss you.”
She released his shirt, sinking her hands into the lengths of his hair like she’d done so many times before. “Make love to me, T.J.”
He growled and shook his head.
“Please.” She met his gaze, showing him the resignation she felt for their marriage. She knew it was over. He’d never let her jeopardize her future, even if she weighed up the risks and threw caution to the wind.
“I don’t want you to think—”
“We’re over, T.J.” She kissed the side of his lips, his cheek, his earlobe. “Show me how much you love me before you leave.”
He froze, his spine stiff as her pulse echoed in her ears. Please don’t walk away.
“I’ll love you forever.” The clatter of his belt was a melodic frenzy, followed by the grate of his zipper.
She pulled at his shirt, tugged it over his head and let it fall to the floor. He was more defined than she remembered. His muscles were honed, his skin taut and inviting.
She grappled for the waistband of his boxer briefs and yanked them forward to expose the tip of the erection begging to be freed. Her mouth watered at the sight of it. The thick, bulbous head she wanted to get her mouth around.
“Cass…” He scrunched the material of her dress, tugging it up her thighs. “I haven’t had sex in a long time. I haven’t been with anyone but you.”
She grinned, enjoying his pained lack of self-control.
“You think this is funny?” he taunted, hitching a finger under the crotch of her panties. “You seem just as defenseless, pretty lady.”
She nodded, jolting her hips toward his touch, striving for the briefest glimpse of penetration to sooth the ache in her pussy. “I’ve never wanted you inside me as much as I do right now.”
She lifted her dress over her head and threw the material aimlessly. She didn’t care if the neighbors could see her in her underwear. Instead, she sank under the spell of lust and love her husband was bathing her in, refusing to believe this was the end.
“You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
