Page 50 of Wicked Scandal

I stir the fluffy eggs then set the wooden spoon down on a napkin beside the stove. “Come here,” I tell Cat and she leans her head against her shoulder, biting her lip. Jesus, this girl is killing me with all her sexiness. When she doesn’t move, I curl my fingers at her. “Come here,” I say again, my eyes hooded.

She giggles then strides toward me, dragging the blanket on the floor. When she’s about a foot away, I grab her by the waist and jerk her body against mine. Her arms surround me along with the blanket, wrapping us in our own little cocoon of warmth.

“Good morning,” I kiss her forehead softly.

“It certainly is.” She beams up at me, a smile so bright on her face my heart warms. I’ve never seen her glow the way she is now, and I want to ensure it never ends. “Did you go out and buy all of this?”

“Yep,” I say, standing tall and proud. “The fridge was empty, aside from a very suspicious-looking carton of milk.”

She chuckles. “You’re something else, Wilder Cromwell.” Her head nuzzles against my chest and I slide my hands beneath the blanket and wrap my arms around her warm body.

This feels surreal—me andMrs. Jenkins. It’s insane how quickly things have progressed between us, but I can’t imagine us not being here together.

Pulling back a tad, I peer down at her. “Why don’t you go get comfortable and I’ll finish up here? Then we can have breakfast. Together.”

Her nose scrunches as she steps out of my hold. “But I wanna help.” She heads over to the toaster that is still holding two pieces of toasted bread that I have yet to take out. She pulls them out and sets them down on a paper plate. Turning around, she lifts a brow. “Butter?”

“Shit,” I huff. “I knew I was forgetting something.”

“No worries,” she laughs. “Dry toast works for me. I still can’t believe you’re doing all this. You’re too good to me.” She peers around at the spread I have for her, a fog coming over her. I can’t imagine Troy does stuff like this for her, and that thought enrages me a bit. Cat is a woman who deserves love and happiness. She doesn't deserve to be afraid. I just need to keep reminding her of that and maybe one day she will trust me enough to tell me the truth.

“Cat.” I reach for her cheek, brushing my fingers over it as I peer down at her gorgeous blue eyes. “You deserve this, and more.” I flash her a wink before the strong smell of burning eggs fills my nostrils. “Dammit.” I spin back around, immediately turning off the stove. My nose scrunches up as I glance over my shoulder. “Burnt eggs work for you too?”

We both burst out in laughter as she says, “I’ll eat just about anything with you, Wilder.”

A strange sensation runs through me, as my heart squeezes. “Same, Mrs. J.”

Once we’ve both got a plate of food, we decide to sit on the bed because this was supposed to be breakfast in bed, after all.

We’re halfway through our meal when I decide to fill Cat in on my run-in with the guys at the grocery store. Not only that, but also the video.

“…so everyone is making assumptions about the video. It now has almost 2 million views since last night.”

Her face goes stark white. “Do we need to worry?”

“Nah.” I brush my hand through the air. “There’s no way anyone can figure out it was you. We’re good, baby.” At least I hope not. If anyone did say anything, there’s no proof anyway.

Finally, some color returns to her skin and she cracks a smile. “I believe you.”

I lean over and kiss her cheek. “I never wanna let you down, Cat. I mean it.”

We finish eating, then both decide it’s a good idea to head to our own homes and clean up for the day while alleviating any suspicion that we were together. The minute I walk out the door, I begin to miss her. The only thing keeping this smile on my face is knowing that in a few short hours, we’ll both be back here together.

CHAPTER 15

CATHERINE

I’ve been in a cloud the past two days. All I think about is Wilder. All I want to do is be near him. Even right now as I stand here staring out the window at the guesthouse, waiting for him so we can work on his dad’s speech.

In a strange way, I need everything that’s happening between me and Wilder just as badly as I want it. The way Wilder’s hands roamed my body and the taste of his kiss was healing for me. It’s proof that I have a voice and I’m allowed to do what is right for me. Good men still exist, and intimacy doesn’t always have to be forced—nor should it be.

I know he’s still my student, and that makes this wrong. But I can’t help it. Wilder is safe, and I need something safe in my life before I go insane. The amount of times I have prayed for, craved, and searched for something that made me feel whole and not in the thousands of pieces Troy always tries to break me into is infinite.

Wilder is that for me. He is an answered prayer, a wish come true. He lights me up from the inside out and I am terrified this feeling will go away. He makes me want to leave my husband. Not that I haven’t thought about it every day for the past eight years. But now, it feels different. I have someone’s arms I can run into. I have someone who will protect me.

Just seeing the way Wilder responded when he thought Troy was hurting me was proof enough. And now I plan to stop being the person who puts myself last. I’m putting myself first, and Wilder too.

The minute I see his lights come down the driveway, excitement stirs inside me. My heart races as he comes closer and closer, finally bringing the car to a stop. With the anticipation of seeing him too high, I pull open the door and run outside barefoot to meet him at the driver’s side.

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