Page 32 of One Vow

My mind whirled. Would a pre-divorce bang be so out of line? Would a long, slow, goodbye screw be considered wrong on any level?

He closed his eyes. “Since I met you, Lis, all I’ve wanted to be is good enough to be with you. I didn’t have money. Or a good name. In a relationship, I bring one thing to the table.”

Oh yeah. And it was quite the thing. I smiled. Remembering the talent with which he used the thing he brought to the table. Vividly. My leg twitched against it. But it wasn’t all he had to offer. I wanted to tell him, but he continued.

“And even when I went off course, you never made me feel like I wasn’t enough. You made me feel like I was everything.” Because he was. Then. Now. Probably always would be.

“But I can’t be with you, Lis, because if I do, I’ll be happy…” he brushed his hand down my cheek. “So happy, but I won’t be the man you deserve because that guy wouldn’t use you to break his commitment to Beth.”

And that just burned my ass. “What about your commitment to me? You didn’t have a problem breaking that.”

I yanked my leg away and sat up.

“I’m not that guy anymore. And I would die to take it back, to not hurt you or make you feel like…” He shook his head, breath heavy and eyes dark. And my blood went cold then burned through my veins.

“Well, isn’t that just freaking dandy? Ten years later, you get your shit together for Beth Cooper.” If I had anything handy, I might’ve thrown it at him. Instead, I walked out of the bedroom, slipped my shoes on, and grabbed my coat.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to get some air.” And a life apparently. Because dammit, he’d gone out and found one that didn’t include me. It was time I did the same.

One Decade Ago

Water sloshed over the side of the tub, and I giggled as Finn’s fingertip circled my nipple. The water was still mostly warm, but I was on fire. Again.

“You’re getting me all wet.” He was on his knees outside the tub, shirt and lap soaked.

“Back at ya.” He grinned, and I could’ve swooned. “You could just get undressed and get in here with me.”

My bath had started before he came home, when all of my muscles were achy and strained from the three days of non-stop sex before he had to leave this morning for a meeting with the football coaches and staff.

“The water’s cold now.” And even though he smiled, it didn’t reach his eyes. Didn’t transform his face. He stood and bent to kiss me before he walked from the bathroom to the bedroom.

I stood, stepped out of the water and slipped on the tile floor, smacking my head against the side of the tub. “Fuck!”

He ran back in to find me bent at an odd angle with blood pouring from a cut on my scalp. He snatched the towel I’d planned to use to dry off and held it against my head.

“Are you okay?” He helped me sit up then pulled the towel away for a look. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

He took my hand and put it on the towel.

“Hold this.” Then, he ran his palms over everywhere else. “Anything hurt?”

“I’m naked on the bathroom floor, my head’s bleeding, and my husband is only interested in my ouchies. My pride is hurt.” I shoved his hands away. “The rest of me is fine.”

Except for the cool wooziness making my bathroom spin so that I swayed into him.

He took control of the towel at my head and peeked under it as he held me, naked and dripping against him.

“You need a couple stitches.” Because of course I did.

“And to get checked out because you might have a concussion.” He held up his hand. “How many fingers?”

“Eight and two thumbs.”

He shook his head. “Smartass.”

With my luck, now that I was happier than I’d ever been, I’d probably just given myself a brain aneurysm and had seconds left to live. But before the angel of death had the opportunity to come knocking, Finn helped me get dressed, held my hand when the doctor sutured my head closed, waited in the hall during my CT scan, then drove me home after the hospital doctor gave the all-clear.