AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The car ride is silent, only the sounds of late night talk radio blare through the speakers as we move towards my house. Charlotte is pressed up against me, her lips having found my cheek every few seconds soothing the searing pain shooting through my face. I hadn’t looked at the damage yet but I could feel my cheek swelling up and the fire bubbling under the surface.
Fuck, that was one hell of a hit. I hope that felt good, Wells.Because that was your one.
Charlotte hailed a cab that was driving by and all but forced me into it before I could make the snap decision to punch Matt back.
“I am so sorry,” she whispers against my cheek as she strokes the other, rubbing her nose along the inflamed skin.
“It’s okay, baby. Not your fault.”
I look over to find tears brimming under her lids, a direct reflection of the sorrow lurking. “How can you say that? This whole thing is my fault.” She sniffles and pushes herself harder against me.
I turn my face towards her and rub my nose against her. “Not. Your. Fault. I provoked him, Charley.”
Her eyes aren’t looking at me, but at my cheek, and she winces as she begins to run her fingertips over it. “We should ice that when we get home.”
“How bad is it?”
“You’re still perfect.” She smiles and I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Does it hurt?”
“It’s fine. But you see why I was always so worried about you around him? I thought you said he wasn’t the violent type?”
“I said he’d never hitme.”
“I’m still not convinced.”
She shivers and I wonder if the thought had crossed her mind as well. “Do you still feel the same?” she whispers, and even in the darkness of the cab I can see that her eyelids are drooping.
“What do you mean?”
“The same as you said you felt at the restaurant? Do you still love me? Despite…this?” She hiccups and buries her face in my chest.
“Charley.” I pull her so that she’s almost in my lap and kiss her forehead. “We can talk about this tomorrow when we’re both sober, but of course I still love you. I will always love you. I don’t give a damn about what your ex-husband says or does. It’s you and me,forever.”
IWAKE UP THE NEXTmorning, my body on high alert that I’m alone in bed. I sit up, rubbing a hand over my head as I try to quiet the pounding against my temple. I’m not sure which is more aggressive at the moment: the physical or emotional hangover. I hadn’t given much thought to what it would be like to run into Matt again, especially with Will in tow. But if last night was any indication, hell, maybe leaving Atlanta would be for the best. My eyes sweep the length of the room before falling on the empty space next to me. I run my hand over the cool sheets making me wonder just how long Will has been awake.
When we got home last night, I half expected Will to throw me against the wall and fuck me like he was a jealous man on a mission. But he merely tucked me into bed before climbing in next to me as he rested the ice pack on his face. Matt’s words come back to me in an instant.
It was like going through the motions. I barely enjoyed the sex half the time.I scoff.At least you got off.
We were in therapy for seven months and he never thought to mention that he’d grown bored with our sex life? The very minimal sex life wedidhave?Is that why he avoided me like the plague?My mind drifts to Will, wondering if he’ll eventually feel the same once the honeymoon phase is over. No more forbidden, exciting trysts, no more sneaking around, and no more Matt.What if in a few years he grows bored as well? What if it’s me?
“What a dick,” I grumble to myself, hearing my insecurities rear their ugly heads. I climb out of bed in search of Will knowing that just a simple kiss from him is all the reassurance I need. I move through his townhouse in nothing more than his t-shirt in hopes he’ll rip it off me so I can show him just how muchIenjoy the sex between us. I push open the door to his office slowly to find him sitting on his couch reading a newspaper and my body comes alive instantly watching his arm flex as he lifts the coffee to his lips and then back to the table in front of him. He’s sporting quite a bruise on his cheek just below his eye and my heart constricts remembering how he got it.
“Hey.”
His eyes look up to find mine after a very long and lascivious look from my toes up. They linger on my legs for a beat longer than everywhere else and a smile tugs at his lips.
“Come here, baby.”
My feet move before it even registers that he’s told me to come, as if my body understood the words first. I’m in his lap in an instant kissing him,hard.My hands cup his face and I stroke his spiky beard. “I love you,” I say in between kisses. My tongue finds his and I stroke it feverishly as I grind myself down onto his growing member. I still taste a hint of alcohol, and I assume it’s still in his system.We did drink a lot last night.I stroke his cheek gently, before pulling off his lips and giving the inflamed skin some attention. “I can’t believe he punched you.”
He snorts. “I can. Kinda comes with the territory of sleeping with another man’s wife. Given that you ended up divorcing him and you’re now with me, I’m going to say I probably deserved it.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Okay, I expected it.”
“Not the point, Will.”
