Page 24 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 3

“How do you feel?”

I grinned while playing with her long red hair. “Like a new man,” I admitted.

I hadn’t wanted to admit it to Jules or even myself that I’d been afraid of having sex. The flashbacks were horrible enough, but not being able to perform? That scared me. I didn’t want anything to taint the connection Jules and I had in the bedroom. Our marriage was still new, as was our intimacy, and I couldn’t bear the concept of losing it. Of allowing that bitch to take something so precious from me after everything she’d already stolen.

“You had a moment when we were in the kitchen, huh?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “But you got me through it. I was worried about uh, being intimate.”

“I would have waited a lifetime to be with you again. You didn’t have to rush the process.” She traced one of my abs with the tip of her finger.

I grabbed her hand and brought her fingers to my mouth and kissed each one of them. “It was more about me not lettingher have that too. And I want to thank you for taking your time with me. For being here, tending to my needs. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better partner.”

Julianne lifted up on an elbow so she could look me in the eye. “There’s nothing I won’t do for you, Gio. And if you need time, or space, or whatever it might be to help wrap your mind around this trauma, I’m going to give you whatever I can. And if making love is triggering…”

Oh hell no.

I rolled Jules over until I’d caged her under me once more. “Loving you will never be triggering. Being sexual after what happened might be touch and go for a while, but this was an amazing first step, wouldn’t you agree?”

She smiled, and it was so pretty I couldn’t help but taste that beauty for myself with a deep, wet, kiss.

“I agree,” she hummed sweetly.

“Figured as much. Let’s just take it day by day. Nothing is off the table, especially when it comes to physical touch. You’re affectionate. I like your hands on me at all times. And I’m going to touch my wife as much as humanly possible. If—and I’m hoping the kitchen was a one-off—if I have one of my flashbacks when we’re being intimate, I just ask that you follow my lead. What we did today helped more than you can imagine. It made me realize I’m going to be okay.We’regoing to be okay in that department. Yeah?”

She pecked my lips. “Yeah.”

“Now, I want to get showered, dressed, and take my wife out to dinner.”

“Are you sure?”

“Having a wonderful meal while looking at my gorgeous wife sounds a lot like living, and I think that’s what we need to do right now.”

She grinned. “I’ll follow your lead, baby.”

I tugged her up, smacked her fine ass, and led her to the shower.

We’d be okay, I’d make sure of it.

Episode 66

Better than Ever

NAOMI

Memphis and I entered the warm country kitchen hand in hand. A tall man with skin as rich and dark as his son smiled the second we entered.

“Son,” he breathed with reverence, hooking his cane on the back of a wooden chair and opening his arms wide.

Memphis let my hand go and went straight into his father’s embrace. “Dad!” My fiancé held onto the man for a full minute. A true greeting between two people that love and care for one another.

“Missed you, son.” His dad clapped him on the back, brought his hands to his shoulders and squeezed. “You good?”

Memphis smiled wide. “Better than ever.”

“Been worried about you since you left college so close to finishing.” He dipped his head and looked his son directly in the eye as though saying something without words.

“Honestly, Dad, I’m fantastic. And most of that has to do with the woman I’ve brought home for you to meet.” Memphis turned to the side, an arm around his dad’s back. “Leon Taylor, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Naomi Shaw.”

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