Page 53 of Forced Arrangement

She bites her lip, but she replies to my question. “Well…when I was a kid, my mom used to take me to the ice skating rink this time of year, and then we’d have hot chocolate or sweets from a food cart nearby. It was…we were…so happy.” Her voice sounds thick with tears, and I felt a pang of sadness for her.

“We can do that,” I tell her with a smile.

“Okay,” she says easily. “When?”

I lift up onto my elbow. “How about right now?”

“Wait, what?”

I grin at her. Her idea sounds fun. I can’t remember the last time I had any fun. “Sure,” I say with a shrug. “We’ll just bring some guards with us.”

She sighs. “I don’t really want to have to go if we have to have guards,” I admit. “It still feels weird to be watched while I’m having fun. It’s so…awkward.”

I nod. I can understand that even though I’m very used to being followed everywhere I go. I think for a moment, looking at her, feeling the lingering pleasure from fucking her tingling through me. I would do anything for her, I realize. Because I love her.

Love.The realization makes me feel like someone hit me over the head. I stare at her as I realize just how long this has been the case. I have no idea if she feels the same way, but I want her to.

“Let’s go without them, then,” I tell her against my better judgment. “It’s not far.”

Her grin is dazzling and I feel like a hero seeing it. “Oh my gosh, yay!” she exclaims. She bolts off the bed, then looks down at herself in her tall, sexy heels, sticky with our pleasure. “Shower,” she says, jogging toward the bathroom, her firm booty bouncing a little with each jogging step.

I chuckle, rising from the messy bed and stepping over our discarded clothing to join her in the bathroom. She’s taking off her heels and dancing around excitedly, and I smile at her.

“Dress warm!” she sings out as she gathers her hair into a big, messy bun before stepping into the shower. “It’s surprisingly chilly on the ice. Plus, if you fall, the extra layers are good for some protection.”

“Can I join you?” I ask her with amusement.

“Oh,” she laughs. “Yes, of course.” She pushes open the shower door, then goes back to rinsing off.

I watch her for a moment, basking in her joy. I realize that she hasn’t been this happy since I met her and I feel a ridiculous amount of pride in having generated this response in her. I know we shouldn’t go out without a guard, but she is so excited about my proposed adventure, that I can’t bear the thought of ruining it.

I think to myself that I will send Franco a text. Just to make sure that he’s keeping tabs on our location via location sharing.I’m not a complete fool, even if my new wife is encouraging me to throw caution to the wind just this once.

I get out of the shower and towel off, then quickly send Franco a text.

I don’t like this idea. I can come and hang out where she can’t see me.

I sigh. I would feel better if he did that, but I don’t want to break her trust, or ruin the happy mood that she’s in.

I’ll update you if anything strange seems to be going on. You can probably see us from your bedroom window.

“Something wrong?” Sophia asks, her voice tense.

“Nope. Hurry up! It’s going to be dark soon.”

Chapter Eighteen

Sophia

I practically skip as we cross the street, my fingers linked with Angelo’s. I look up at the evening sky. It looks like snow, and I grin. I love snow.

“I love snow,” I say aloud to Angelo as we walk toward the park. “It snows in the UK, but it’s not the same. Mostly it’s just gloomy and damp all the time. My apartment always had mold in the winter.”

I shudder. There were many things I loved about my life in the UK, but the never-ending wetness wasn’t one of them.

“I’ve only been there a few times,” I tell her, allowing her to swing my arm a little as she skips along next to me. “But it seems nice. I like the pubs.”

She chuckles. “Pubs are cool, I agree,” she says with a nod. “I feel like they appeal more to tourists than locals, but they are fun to hang out in.”

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