Page 41 of His Wild Seduction

“What? Oh, yeah. Just work,” I replied, not quite truthfully.

I couldn’t exactly explain to my wife the cacophony of emotions roiling through me at the moment. Especially since she was the cause of it all.

Speaking of which, I opened my email searching for the latest information my team had stockpiled on Meredith. Glancing through it, I frowned.

It was more a report of where she lived and what she did there, as opposed to who she’d done it with.

What about her exes?

I needed to know. Jealousy fueled the terse email I sent to my team. I wanted them to dig deeper. I wanted to find everyone she went on a date with over the past fifteen years. And I wanted to bury them.

Fine. So, I was a little possessive of my new wife.

Fucking sue me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MEREDITH

Waking up to find my sexy new husband’s head between my thighs had been quite thrilling. Sitting in the seat beside him on his private aircraft while he studiously ignored me?

Not so much.

I wasn’t being fair.

He had work to do. And if that wasn’t a reminder for me to notify my bosses I was leaving, hopefully transferring to one of their locations in the city, I wasn’t sure what was.

I went to my email app and sent a quick letter to my boss, explaining my sudden marriage and move to NYC.

Josef had explained he worked out of his Manhattan apartment, and that was where we would both be living.

He was rich, yeah, but I enjoyed my work. He hadn’t mentioned me quitting, so I was not about to bring it up.

My job as an intake counselor was meaningful and brought me solace. It gave me a purpose beyond myself, and I’d met so many wonderful people. People who really cared about people and tried to make a difference.

God knew, I tried.

I’d worked to help women get out of dangerous situations. But I didn’t think I’d be able to continue at the Jersey City location. The commute was just too much, and there were three volunteers waiting in the wings for a position to open up, so I wasn’t leaving them short-handed or anything.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, places like St. Elizabeth’s Shelter for Women and Children had more than one location. I had no doubts my services could be of use elsewhere. Somewhere closer to my new home.

Chills ran up my spine, and I tried not to imagine what living with Josef was going to be like. I mean, last night was, well, it was amazing.

The ceremony was succinct, and dinner was bizarre, but our wedding night was everything I’d ever dreamed of.

He’d loved me so exquisitely—no, not loved, just fucked.

My heart seized, and tears pricked my eyes. But I had to remember the distinction.

We weren’t in love. We were married. But love was not part of our deal.

And it never will be.

Sadness came on so suddenly, I almost didn’t catch myself in time.

I bit back my sob, concentrating on my email.

It was difficult, trying to separate teenage me from adult me. My hopes, dreams, and heartache all centered on him.

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