Page 21 of His Collateral Wife

As my arms wrap around his, my body melts against his hard, powerful form, and his tongue mates with mine---it gets harder and harder to tell where he begins and where I end.

All I can do is feel.

All I know is that we're one.

And when he lifts his head, all I hear is our pants.

I look dazedly into his eyes, and the heat of his gaze burns me alive.

"I didn't want you to feel forced or coerced into doing anything," he rasps out. "And that's why I never planned to tell you the truth..."

"I d-don't understand..."

"I want you, too, Eden."

Déjà vü, I can't help thinking as his words leave me confused, and all I can do is stare at him again.

What does he mean when he says he wants me, too?

I have never---

OH.

I feel like dying when I realize how he's completely misinterpreted the words I gave him earlier.

Oh. My. Gosh.

When I told him I wanted to do the things one would expect from a wife, all I was thinking about at that time was making myself indispensable by serving him in any way he needed me to.

"You're embarrassed."

Well, of course I am.

"Don't be."

Easier said than done, I think miserably. In fact, I think it's quite impossible not to be embarrassed, considering how my earlier actions made it seem like I was practically begging him to take me to bed.

"Do you want to hear another truth?"

Since his first truth just about killed me---

"Not really?"

His eyes gleam with amusement. "It's not as bad as you think."

"Then..." I take a deep breath. "Okay. What---"

"I wanted you from the moment I saw you."

Oh.

"I wanted you even when I didn't yet trust you."

God, oh God.

"And because I'm not a good man---"

I don't think I deserve the way my husband is looking at me.

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