AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pushed aside the sinking feeling that tugged at my chest and put the finishing touches on the risotto. While it cooled, I figured out how to turn on the TV and found a music app. I considered selecting a haunting playlist that would suit my growing melancholy but refused to allow myself to wallow. My situation might not have been ideal, but it was better than before. I was alone, for the moment, which was more freedom than I’d been allowed in over six months.
I selected a summer party playlist. What better way to focus on the silver lining than pool party tunes?
Once I was done eating, I turned up the music to hear it throughout the apartment and familiarized myself with my new home. I found a stack of my boxes in a guest room that I’d need to sort through at some point and took inventory of one more spare bedroom, Conner’s office, and a room dedicated to exercise equipment. Most of the house was located on one side while the master suite was on the other, allowing for privacy.
Returning to that side, I peeked through Conner’s things, scoping out the closet and bathroom. Like most men I knew, he kept a loaded handgun in a nightstand drawer. I knew how to shoot, but guns weren’t my favorite thing, so I left that alone. Otherwise, nothing of interest jumped out at me, mostly because he hardly had anythings. No tchotchkes from trips or personal items. He had a couple of framed family photos and an old set of rosary beads on his dresser. That was it.
Seemed a bit lonely to me.
Not for long!
I grinned to myself, feeling devious, and headed for the guest room housing my boxes. If this was supposed to be my home, then so be it. I’d make the place feel a bit more like mine. If he didn’t like that, too bad. It served him right for leaving me alone on our wedding night.
“Not such a demure bride, after all, am I, Mr. Reid?” I giggled to myself and dove into unpacking.
The master bedroomwas pitch black when something roused me from sleep. My entire body stiffened when I realized a large hand was pressed flat to my belly, and that hand was attached to a very large, very warm body spooned against my back.
“It’s me, Noemi. You can relax.” Conner’s tired voice melted around me like warm butter.
“I just picked a side,” I murmured sleepily.
He grunted. “There’s shit all over the dresser.”
“And the bathroom, too.” I grinned to myself. “My house, my shit.”
Seemingly too tired to argue, he only huffed before his breathing drifted into gentle snores.
The next time I woke, light seeped into the room from the edges of the drapes. Conner was no longer curled around me, though one of his hands still lightly held my forearm from where he lay as though he’d managed to keep tabs on me even in sleep.
He didn’t budge when I slipped from the bed. I wondered how late he’d come home. Not wanting to bother him and nowhere near comfortable enough for him to hear me pee, I used a guest bathroom before heading to the kitchen.
Conner had a surprising number of breakfast options, including bagels in the pantry and cream cheese in the fridge. Since he’d cooked for me the evening before, I thought I might throw some pancakes together. But first, coffee.
I opened cabinets until I found a coffee bar with an espresso machine and a Keurig. Next to it was a box of Starbuck’s Pike Place Roast cups, and behind that, a box of Green Mountain Hazelnut cups. Conner didn’t strike me as the type to drink novelty-flavored coffees. And because I loved to torture myself, I began to wonder if these had been purchased for someone else. Perhaps … a female someone.
My lips pursed tightly as though I’d tasted something bitter.
It had never occurred to me to ask about his prior relationships. That wasn’t true. It had crossed my mind, but an appropriate time had never presented itself. Normally, in a relationship, that sort of thing naturally came up over time as a couple learned about one another. We’d gone the fast track. I was married to this man and had no idea about his dating history. Hell, he could have been seeing someone when this whole thing started.
I groaned.
“I can show you how to use the machine.”
I startled at the sound of Conner’s voice. “Crap, you scared me. Make some noise when you walk.” The conviction in my voice trailed off the second my eyes landed on his shirtless form strolling in from the living room.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Will I ever get used to that sight?
Joggers hung low on his hips. Every inch of his delectable chest and arms were on display. Ink covered his entire left arm and shoulder. The designs were done entirely in black and bled onto his chest and back. He had a smattering of dark hair on his chest and muscles for miles—the thick, mature kind that couldn’t be bought in a gym.
“Um … I know how, actually,” I mumbled. “My mom was a huge coffee fanatic. We had a cappuccino machine at home. This one isn’t so different.”
“We can switch to cappuccino if you prefer. Doesn’t much matter to me.” He flipped a switch on the fancy machine.
“I think espresso sounds good.” New place, new routines. Having morning espresso with my husband might actually be nice.
“There are bagels and cream cheese if you want.”
“I saw that. You like them, too?”
