Page 56 of The Pucking Fake Marriage

“Ken,” she moans, arching her back even further, begging me for more.

Reaching between the glass and her body, I tear her dress off. The material gives way, falling onto the floor. Charlie is now completely naked, while I’m still fully dressed. Something about that multiplies my desire, as does the fact that I’m fucking her where someone could potentially spot us.

I’m finally claiming Charlie as mine. And damn it, I don’t want to ever wonder where her head is at, as long as it concerns me.

“I need to know you want me,” I hear myself growl against her ear. “That you’vealwayswanted me.”

Charlie lets out a wordless moan. I plunge into her again, and she screams out my name.

“Not good enough, Chapman. I need to hear you say it. And I need to hear it now.”

“I…want…you,” she mutters through gritted teeth. “I’ve always…wanted…you.”

My final thrust into her comes with an earth-shattering release. The loudest groan yet escapes from my lips. As I spill myself into her, even in the wake of the bliss that follows, a bigger discomfort is etched in the center of my chest.

Because Charlie just confirmed that my love for her was never one-sided.

SIXTEEN

BREAKING FREE (CHARLIE)

“Okay, how many seconds until you start drooling?”

I jolt, turning around to glare at Haley. She’s standing right beside me in the corner of the restaurant, an annoying little smirk on her face. She looks like she just caught me with my hand in the cookie jar.

And to be fair, she sort of did. A second ago, I was staring across the room at Ken like he was a work of art brought to life.

“Shut up,” I snap at her, turning around and marching through the side door to the narrow hallway. A childish, inane thought crosses my mind, one that hopes Ken noticed me leaving. Doesn’t matter, anyway. With the riot storming in my belly, I’m going to be back in the seating area to gawk at him in only a few seconds.

Haley is right beside me. She seems to be reading my thoughts when she mutters, “Things look like they’re going well between you and your husband.”

Butterflies spark in my belly. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that legally, I’m Ken’s wife. A couple of months ago,that news would’ve sent vomit rising up my throat. Now the feeling I get is a lot different.

Haley follows me right into our tiny office, shutting the door behind her. I instantly have déjà vu as I remember the last time her inquisition happened. It was barely two months ago, but so much has changed since then.

For one, our restaurant is full-on thriving now. Thanks in no small part to Ken, who’s made it a habit to entice his buddies to have dinner here after their workouts. Half of the people who troop in do so because they hope to catch a glimpse of the Philly Titans, but the other half come in for our food. Alsothanks to Ken, I’ve incorporated more dishes from the Edwards’s family menu. Now we have two full-on chefs who’ve mastered Mrs. Edwards’s recipes, and people love it. Plus, since more influencers have been reporting well on the dishes, our public image has gotten a makeover too.

We’re doing well. Good enough to start paying off the bank loan.

But that’s not the only thing that has changed. My cheeks warm with embarrassment as I remember my sexual escapades with Ken. Especially the last one, involving him fucking me against the window after I teased him. It’s been a few weeks, and Ken has been away for the most part. But that memory still keeps me up at night.

As does the fact that I’m desperate for something like that to happen again. Sooner rather than later, even. Maybe, just maybe, Ken will be willing to slip away from his friends and come right into my office. I’ve been hoping that would happen from the moment I saw his crew walk in.

“You’re not going to make me ask this time, right?” Haley says, brandishing a pen at me like a little knife.

“Fine.” I collapse on the chair. I don’t even need muchprodding; I’ve been desperate to share this part of my life with her since the first time Ken and I had sex. “We did it.”

Haley’s eyes pop out of their sockets. “Tell me everything,” she squeals. “Now.”

It’s a mark of how close our friendship is that I obey her command. I tell her everything, fromlusting after him to having sex with him in the kitchen… Up until Thanksgiving, when he touched me under the table and Kali arrived and ruined the moment. After I brush over our last encounter, Haley stares like she barely recognizes me.

“This is crazy,” she mutters. “I’ve seen you through two relationships, and you didn’t have anything close to a wild streak. And now…with Ken, it looks like he’s pulling forth a whole new side of you.”

I don’t know what to feel about that. She’s right, of course. Prior to my injury, I was the most carefree, happiest girl alive. Even with my mommy issues. But losing out on my career changed me. It’s weird to think that the same man who caused the shutdown is the one helping me find myself again.

Weird…and scary.

If I let Ken make me back into the person I once was, he’s got the power to unravel me all over again.

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