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Thunder rumbled, adding to the primitive feeling coursing through him. A longing to close the gap between them, to reach out and open the buttons on her silky shirt and claim her lips with his, clashed violently with an instinctive urge to push her away.
“I think maybe we’ve done enough sharing for tonight,” he said.
His feelings for Hartley had always been dangerous territory to tread, like walking across a minefield. Combustible, explosive. She could snare him in lust with the simplest of things. Like wearing pajamas that covered every inch of her body. Or goading him to admit his fears.
“We’ve shared more tonight than our whole marriage,” she noted, sliding her fingers from his palm to encircle his wrist.
He did the same, feeling the narrow bones so easily encompassed by his hand. Seeing her exposed, her vulnerability raw and on display, stirred conflicting feelings inside him. He wanted to pull her close and comfort her, and he wanted to push her away. But under all of that was a desire to strip off her clothes and fuck her the way he used to—a clashing of lust and fire that left them panting and spent.
“What we should do is get some sleep,” he said, giving her wrist a squeeze and pulling away.
But her hand tightened on him, and the look in her eyes was urgent. “Sleep always came after the storm,” she whispered.
He saw it in her eyes then, the raw hunger he was trying to choke back. He opened his mouth, but any words he might have said evaporated. Their look flickered into a blaze of understanding, of shared pain, of shared need. Then her fingertips grazed his jaw, a whisper of a touch that seemed to echo through his being.
In a swift movement, he pulled away. He laughed as he rolled off the bed, knowing it would spark her anger but unable to stop himself. Whatever was about to burst into flames between them had to stop. It had almost gotten away from him the night before, and he couldn’t afford for it to happen again.
“Speaking of marriage and divorce,” he said, picking up his phone. “My lawyer sent me the paperwork today. It looked good to me, and I think you’ll be happy with it.”
He opened the email and held his phone out to her, as if it was a cross to ward her away.
She still lay there on her side, the spark in her eyes now replaced by something else. Not rage or even frustration. A sort of sad understanding was the closest he could think of.
“Efficient,” she said, sitting up and plucking the phone out of his hand. Her dark hair swirled around her shoulders as she read, the waves taunting him.
He’d loved to clench a fistful and pull her head back as he—
“When will I get the papers?” she asked.
He nearly sagged in relief at the cold water of her tone. “Tomorrow, once I give him the go ahead,” he said, his voice betraying none of the turmoil within him.
“Okay,” she replied, pushing herself off the bed. “But since I won’t get the official paperwork until tomorrow, that gives us one more night.” She walked around the enormous bed to stand in front of him, her seductive scent wafting up to surround him.
“Oh, I think I’ve done all the sharing I want to,” he said, holding his hands out like a shield.
Which was stupid, because his cock was ready to take her up on anything she suggested.
She looked down at the phone in her hand. The light cast her face in blue, and he could see her eyes moving as she reread the email from his lawyer.
She tapped the screen a few times, and he heard the chime of the email being sent.
“I kept it short,” she said as she leaned close and dropped the phone on the table behind him. It clattered, then thumped as it fell to the rug. “I told him to serve the papers.”
Her hands slid up his shoulders, rendering his body motionless. She pressed her crotch against his erection, a sly smile curving her lips.
“What are you doing?” he asked, although it was a dumb question.
“You,” she said. She nudged him sideways, taking them both to the bed.
Despite their confessions, he promised himself something that would be another lie. As his defenses broke and he pulled her mouth to his, he told himself,I’m going into this with a clear mind and no regrets.
CHAPTER12
Hartley wrenched away from Monty’s lips, the golden light from the chandelier casting an ethereal glow over half of his face. The other half was in shadow against the bedding.
Now that she’d set the divorce in motion—which she’d find ironic if she wasn’t so turned on—she was determined to go out with a literal bang. One minor problem? This intensity was new ground for her.
Their sex had always been fiery, usually because they fought first and made up with a spectacular, combustible reaction. But now, lying beside him and meeting the intensity of his gaze, she felt naked, even though she was still completely clothed in her silken pajamas.
