Page 69 of Promised Love

I fall onto the bed above her. Resting my weight on my elbows, I suck in some deep breaths and try not to think about anything other than this rare feeling after sex.

“Thank you,” Autumn whispers.

I raise an eyebrow, looking into her eyes.

“For not stopping,” she explains.

“Stopping was the tougher task, Autumn. Continuing was easier. But if you would have told me before, I’d have been more considerate.” God, what all did I say to her?

“But I liked everything.” Her eyes sparkle, and her voice trembles as she says, “I hadn’t expected it to be this way. But it was…you were…so powerful.”

I can’t believe she’s turned on and not running for the hills with my bossy attitude.

When she burrows her face into the pillow, I get up and place her better on the bed. “Sleep.”

She makes a soft mewl, something like “Stay,” but when I place a kiss on her forehead, her eyes shut.

I walk into the bathroom and get rid of the condom. Putting the toilet lid down, I flop down onto it, thinking about Autumn.

Why the hell was she still a virgin?

Was it because of me, our marriage?

Did it feel wrong to her to be with another man with my mother’s ring on her finger?

I shake my head a few times, trying to get rid of the tiny happiness that slips into my heart at that last thought.

“Ahh,” I groan and struggle with these new feelings and emotions for her.

It was easier before I met her. Yeah, she was still possibly one of the most important people in my life, our bond was of friendship and understanding. But now this physical attraction I feel for her on top of every other emotion makes her irresistible.

After a few more seconds of racing thoughts, which lead me nowhere, I walk out of the bathroom. I look at the bed, where she’s sleeping on the side that has been mine since we were forced together in this room by her family.

I’m about to flop down on the couch, when her eyes open a little. “Don’t leave me, Lukas,” she whispers, still in sleep.

And that’s my undoing.

I pick up her pink pillow from the couch and slide onto the other side. Sleep is the last thing on my mind, and I wonder what tonight means.

Tonight means exactly what she proposed, you asshole.

Some fun while you’re both together. Nothing has changed, except for the unexpected start. I can choose to stay in this arrangement or drop out of it.

I look at Autumn’s sleeping frame, her back to me as she faces the couch.

Tonight was her first time, and she definitely enjoyed it. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t inflate my ego. Watching her come like that was a sight in itself.

Slowly, a new reasoning sneaks up. I can give her what she asked for. I can give her such a good experience in our short time together that she’ll know how a man should treat a woman. This way, she’ll steer clear of the jerks who come her way in the future.

I ignore the sour taste that fills my mouth at the thought of future jerks.

I’m staring at the ceiling when Autumn plasters herself to me. I wrap my arm around her naked back, and the feeling of her soft breasts crushing against my side has me shivering in the warm, cozy room.

“I…I couldn’t be with anyone in these four years,” I whisper into thin air, answering the question she’d asked before the start of the night.

But she surprises me with a drowsy kiss on my chest and mutters a sleepy “Thank you” before going back to sleep.

23

---