Page 96 of Merging Wright

Jane is fucking amazing in bed. I loved everything I did to her, everything she let me do. She shatters me in the best of ways, and we need to talk about the future. I don’t want to lose her. The time to come clean about the partnership is soon, and I hope to convince her to consider a different kind of partnership—the permanence of our marriage.

When I finally shower and head downstairs, Jane is in the kitchen with Myles. A tense silence falls between the two of them as I enter, and I’m quick to assume they were talking about me.

Jane was still silently upset that I hadn’t told anyone about the near break-in at Adventure Dex. I informed the owners, telling them to be more vigilant, but I didn’t have honest concerns. Jane’s worry stemmed from Myles’s empty suspicion.

Fuck Myles.

I walk straight to my wife, who leans casually against the old cabinets, and rush in for a long, hard kiss, staking my claim on her.

“Good morning,” I mutter to her after releasing her lips. My own mouth stings from the sharpness of our kiss. Something is off.

Fighting everything in me, I refuse to glance over my shoulder at Myles. What has he said? What has he done now?

“You weren’t in bed,” I say to Jane, keeping my back to my brother.

“I didn’t sleep well.” Her lids lower, her focus on a mug of tea in her hand that somehow didn’t spill when I went in for the killer kiss. Jane cups her other hand around the warm ceramic.

“Did I hurt you last night?” My voice is quiet, but when Jane’s gaze shifts over my shoulder, my blood boils. Glancing behind me, Myles busies himself on the other side of the narrow portion of the kitchen.

I turn back to Jane. “I liked tying you up.”

“Mach,” Jane scolds.

“What?” I brush her hair behind her ear. “I enjoy my wife.” My voice rises, hoping the hint is clear to my twin, who stands too close for comfort. I’m certain he’s listening.

“You’re embarrassing me,” Jane mutters, her eyes moving from Myles’s back to me.

Embarrassing her? “What am I missing here?” I snap, the sharpness unable to be contained.

“I think we should—”

“Jane, lovey, there is someone here for you,” Ma interrupts Jane, and we both shift to find a woman standing at the entrance of Ma’s kitchen.

Jane rushes past me, setting her tea mug on the table as she rounds it and then envelops the woman in her arms. They hold tight for a second before the other woman tries to press Jane back, her hands moving to Jane’s sides.

“Hey. What’s this?” The sound of the woman’s voice is similar in cadence to Jane’s.

Jane releases her and stares into the newcomer’s face. “I’m just happy to see you.”

The other woman swipes at Jane’s cheeks as if brushing away tears. What the fuck is happening? Jane is quick to rub her face as well before turning toward the kitchen.

“Mach, Myles, Camilla, this is my little sister, Lindee.”

Lindee has hair the same acorn color as Mae’s. She’s shorter than Jane, and curvier than her. Instantly, I’m met with the sapphire blue eyes all the Fox sisters share. However, Lindee’s are lighter than Jane’s. Her smile is as warm as her sister’s, though.

Only Jane isn’t smiling as her arm remains around her sister. Her eyes avoid me. “Lindee is here to discuss the house.”

Ma’s mouth falls open. “What?” Her voice is pure excitement.

“She’s a hotel restoration expert,” Jane reminds us.

With a twist of her neck, Lindee is already scoping out Ma’s kitchen. “I don’t know about expert, but my specialty is restoring old buildings to their original luster while including modern conveniences.”

“She’s won awards.” Jane’s face slowly returns to a soft glow. Pride fills her tone.

Lindee shrugs. “Well, I hear you are doing great things here. I want to see everything.” There’s a gleam in her blue eyes as she looks up at Jane, and they share a moment of unspoken conversation only sisters can have. I glance at Myles, remembering when we were like that. When we thought similar thoughts, acted in mirror manners, and then fell in love with the same woman.

I press off the counter at the same time Jane speaks to Lindee. “Let me grab a jacket. We can walk into town.”