Page 37 of Break Me: Smith and Belle

“Could you be any more cliché?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Everyone had joked about hiring a beautiful, young nanny, but I’d had no reason to worry about my husband. It hadn’t occurred to me that she might betray me. “I suggest you enroll in school immediately, because I’m going to make certain that you never hurt another family again.”

“I need the money,” she shrieked as if finally realizing the damage she had done. She took a shaky step forward. “I don’t expect you to understand. Not with your mansion and your luxury cars and your ridiculous shoes. Some of us don’t have that.”

I was beginning to understand what had really driven her to make a play for my husband. I’m sure she did find him sexy—how could she not? But his money had to be at least as attractive. “I want you gone in the morning. We’ll send your final check to the agency and inform them what you did.” There was no point continuing this argument. There was only finalizing business. “Please be gone before we wake up.”

“I want to say goodbye to Pen—”

“You won’t go near my daughter.” I finally snapped and took a menacing step toward her. Jabbing my index finger into her chest, I made myself clear. “Or my husband. We will never see your face again once I walk out of this room.”

I turned to leave and caught Mrs. Winters watching us from the back staircase. She said nothing before fading back into the shadows. At least, she had the sense to not get involved. I walked deliberately back to the stairs, counting each step to try to calm my pounding heart. Blood roared in my ears, and no matter how much space I put between me and her, I didn’t feel any calmer. Instead of going to my bedroom, I went to the nursery to check on Penny.

She was sleeping on her back, her arms spread to her sides, fists clenched, as if she’d been preparing for a fight, too.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to her, my fury shifting to sadness. I’d put us all in this position. I had endangered her. I’d forced Smith to turn to someone else for help. A bottomless pit opened in my stomach, trying to drag me to the dark places I’d barely escaped. “No one will come between us. Not anymore. I’m your mother, and I love you. I’m sorry that I failed you before. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making that up to you.”

Her eyes fluttered in her sleep, and she smiled softly, as if she understood me.

I checked the baby monitor and made my way back to bed. Smith was still sleeping. He’d shifted, throwing one leg out from the covers, so that his body was on display. I regretted making him prove his innocence. There was only one person to blame for this. I swallowed before making my choice. I had to be the wife he deserved. I had to be the mother Penny needed. Padding into the bathroom, I opened the medicine cabinet and took out the bottle of sleeping pills. Just for tonight. I watched myself swallow one in the mirror and promised my reflection the morning would bring a new day and a chance to correct the mistakes I’d made. I had to believe in second chances. I had to believe I could make this right.

17

Smith

Light filtered through my eyelids, gently drawing me back to the world. I stretched my legs before rolling to the side and hooking an arm around Belle. I pulled my wife against me, shifting to press my cock against her backside. She squirmed in my arms, wiggling against my engorged shaft.

“Good morning, beautiful.” I kissed her shoulder. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve waking up next to this woman every morning, but I would spend my life proving I deserved to keep her.

Belle turned her head, nuzzling against my neck. “Good morning, sir.”

“So, I’m sir again?” I smirked and buried my face into her hair.

“For now,” she said in a coy voice.

“In that case…“ I flipped her over and moved between her thighs. Belle’s hands slid up my chest, but as they reached my shoulders, her eyes widened. “What’s wrong?” I looked down, seeing exactly what had caught her attention. Beneath me, she began to shake, trembles rolling through her.

I sat up and she bolted up next to me, raising her hands. Our eyes locked for a moment.

“Smith,” she said in a strangled voice as we stared at the blood and dirt smeared all over her hands, caked under her fingernails, and staining the sheets where she had slept.

I didn’t think. I was out of bed and headed toward the nursery before I could process her calling after me. I heard Belle behind me, but I didn’t stop until I reached Penny’s room. Fussing noises came from the crib and I rushed over, lifting her into my arms to comfort her. Pressing her close, I drank in her soft scent, pressing my cheek to her warm head. I turned in time to see Belle collapse with relief.

“I don’t understand,” she said, her voice ratcheting in breathless panic.

“Did you sleepwalk again?” That might explain it, but it didn’t explain the matter of the blood on her hands.

“I took a pill,” she confessed softly. “I couldn’t sleep after seeing…“

A horrible realization crashed through me. Belle gripped her wrists, sinking her guilty fingers into her flesh, her face mirroring exactly how I felt.

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Still, I recognized the single word she spoke:

Nora.

I carried the baby into the hall and spotted something I had missed in my mad dash to reach her: a trail of blood splattered on the floor. My eyes followed it, my heart stopping when it led to the nanny’s bedroom door. I walked slowly toward it, cradling Penny carefully to me as I went. Instinctively, I moved as quietly as possible, hoping we hadn’t woken anyone else in the house. Her door was unlocked and I opened it, bracing myself for what I might find. The room was empty. I walked to the bed and threw back the covers to discover more blood.

There was movement behind me, and I turned to find Belle sag against the door as she saw the scene in front of her.

“What did I do?” She asked in a hollow voice.