Page 92 of The Unwanted Wife

He chuckles. "In this respect, I’m wiser than my nephews. I saw the way you two looked at each other. What you have… It’s not an easy thing to come by."

I take in the shadows in his eyes and realize this man has as many secrets as me, perhaps more. But that’s none of my concern. He’s come this far; he’s survived running strategy for dangerous missions. Question is, will he survive the Davenports? Only one way to find out.

"Right, I’m out. Give you uncle and nephews a chance to get to know each other."

49

Skylar

"What?" Grace stares.

"What?" Zoey squeaks.

"I agreed to it. I was fine with it, guys. Not that I’m into voyeurism or anything?—"

"Jesus, he sees you getting off when you’re on your own in your office?"

"And in the bakery," I say in a low voice. "I keep it hygienic. Not when I’m baking. Okay, maybe once, but I stepped away from the counter"—to where he could have a clear view of the proceedings—"and washed my hands before and after."

Zoey begins to laugh. "I’d say that was stalking but clearly, you like him watching you."

"I do," I admit in a small voice. "Also, uh, it began because he realized I was… Uh… Turned on, and he, uh… Took a chopper over, so he could, ah, you know?—"

"Make you come?" Grace drawls.

My cheeks, my chest, even my arms and legs feel hot. My skin feels too tight for my body. Ohmygod, I’m going to burst into flames from mortification. I’m not used to sharing so much, not even with my best friends, and definitely not about this specific kink my husband and I seem to have developed.

Zoey laughs harder. "I mean, whatever floats your boat. And if you’re a consensual partner in it, then why not. Although, even if you weren’t—" She bites down on her lower lip. "I mean, even if you weren’t and he was watching you, he’s your husband, so I’d still find it hot.”

"You’ve been reading too many romance novels." Grace frowns.

"No shit, that’s my job." Zoey smiles widely. "Why do you think I love what I do so much? Imagine editing spicy novels for a living. I looooove it."

"It’s all very well in romance novels, but in real life, um, I’m not sure." Grace’s lips settle in a stern line.

"That’s because you’ve never met a powerful, confident man who’ll sweep you off your feet," Zoey scoffs.

"If he hadn’t had her consent in it, I would be worried. I’d even call his behavior controlling." Grace tosses her head.

"He is all of that, and I do like it when we’re together. But he’s also tender and caring and does things like carry my migraine medication around so he has it on hand, if I forget it."

"He did that?" Grace seems taken aback.

"Also, he helped me move Hugo to a better facility after he had a meltdown in his current one." I lower my chin.

"Hugo?" Zoey inclines her head. "Isn’t that your ex-colleague from the bakery you worked at?"

"Yeah. I never told you guys before, but he’d decided to join me at The Fearless Kitten. He was on his way to help me open the shop when I happened to run out onto the road in front of him. He tried to avoid me, ended up losing his helmet and hitting his head on the sidewalk. It’s my fault he was injured. My fault his entire life changed. The strange thing is I still don’t remember why I was on the road in the first place.”

“You don’t?” Zoey frowns.

“I spent a few days in hospital after the accident. While I made a full recovery, my memories about what happened prior to being hit by the bike are fuzzy. Either way, I was back on my feet very quickly. Except for follow up check-ups, I was able to go on with my life. As for Hugo--” My chin trembles. “Poor Hugo ended up suffering from a traumatic brain injury. No way could I leave him helpless and at the mercy of the state. I decided to take care of him and have been paying his additional needs bills for the last year."

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” Zoey wraps her arm about me. “If I’d been around?—”

I sniffle, then shake my head. “This was before I met you guys. I was at my lowest when you walked into my shop, Z. I am so grateful that you did. It’s thanks to you I met everyone else, and I found a circle of friends in this city.”

"And you know we’re here for you. You should have asked us for help." Grace purses her lips. "All this time, you’ve been trying to manage on your own. I wish you’d told us."

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