Page 27 of The Forever Experiment

I roll my head back, meeting his eyes. “I don’t cuddle.”

“That’s because you’ve never cuddled with me.”

I sigh, settling into his warmth. Truthfully, it’s not that bad. He’s warm, he’s solid—comforting. His breath against my back makes me feel less alone, his hands on my skin make me feel delicate, like I’m precious. I’ve never felt that way through the touch of another person before.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” I yawn, eyes feeling heavy as the day finally blankets over me and exhaustion settles in.

“You know, my assistant taped hearts all over my office door before I left for Vegas,” he chuckles into the darkness, thumb drawing those soothing circles over my thigh. “He told me it was good luck, that it’d help me get laid by Valentine’s Day.”

“Guess it worked,” I muse.

Easton sighs softly, breath tickling my neck. “Worked so well, I not only had the best sex of my life with the most beautiful woman on the planet, but I also got to marry my longest-standing crush.”

“Easton…” I breathe, not knowing how to respond, because that statement didn’t feel experimental. That statement—this entire night—is all too real.

“Go to sleep, Maya baby,” he whispers, planting a soft kiss against my shoulder.

11

Easton

Muffled whispers and theclick of a door falling into place stirs me from the best sleep I’ve had in years. I groan, rolling over and allowing my eyes to blink open, adjusting to the daylight floating through the paneled windows lining Maya’s suite.

I’m disappointed to find the rest of the bed vacant of her, my palm stretching across the mattress as if in search of her body. I lift my head, glancing around the room, smiling as I find my wife turning the corner of the suite’s main area in her white robe and rolling in a cloth-covered cart. Her hair is unwound, braids swaying at her back with each step she takes. The smile on her face tells me she’s well rested, just as content with last night as I feel.

“I ordered breakfast.” She slides the cart in front of the bed, lifting the silver lids covering the trays of fruit, pastries, and coffee. She crawls across the mattress, looking like my personal slice of heaven, before reaching over me to grab two mugs.

She sits cross-legged beside me, handing me my cup. We eat in comfortable silence, laughing about each other’s preferred way to take their coffee and butter their toast. I like jelly, she stacks peanut butteron topof regular butter, which I find insane.

“We probably need to get up soon if we’re going to make it to the Clerk’s office in time for our appointment,” she says, taking another sip of her coffee. “But I thought I’d at least get you breakfast to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

She nods, lowering her coffee between her knees. “Yeah. For this weekend…” She dips her head, tucking a braid behind her ear, appearing almost bashful. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt taken care of, and I think…I think I really needed to be reminded of that this weekend.”

Then let me continue doing it,I want to beg.

Instead, I brush my thumb across her cheek. “You deserve to be reminded of that every day, Maya.”

Her eyes fall closed as she nuzzles into my palm, sighing before pulling back. “I need to go get packed. You should probably do the same.”

I nod, climbing out of the bed, feeling like I’ll be leaving my entire chest cavity inside this room when I exit it. I shuffle back into my clothes from last night as Maya walks into the bathroom, and I can hear her rattling through her toiletry bag.

Once I have all my things, I step into the bathroom doorway, leaning against the frame. “I’ll meet you in the lobby around nine-thirty, and we can get a cab to the Clerk’s office?”

She pauses, her eyes going distant as she watches herself in the mirror, refusing to look at me. Dropping her gaze and lowering the makeup brush she has in her hand, she solemnly nods. It almost seems like she doesn’t want to do this, and that slight hesitation in her body language has me wanting to fall to my knees and beg her not to.

I’m far too aware of how crazy that sounds, though. I know none of this makes sense, and there is no reason the two of us should remain married, but I can’t help the gnawing pit in the center of my stomach, the funneling sensation in my chestscreamingat me not to go through with it.

Something inside me makes me feel like Maya’s experiencing the same thing, but neither of us have the courage to voice it. Instead, I resolve to press a kiss to the top of her head and leave the room before she has the chance to meet my gaze.

Everything feels backward and upside down and so fucking wrong as I take the elevator to my floor, pack my things, and check out of my room. Time is warped and my vision is blurred until I’m suddenly standing in the lobby, sweating and pacing and panicking as I wait for my wife to meet me so we can end our marriage.

That thought slams into my gut like a fucking fast pitch, because I realize I didn’t just accidentally get married—I accidentally fell in love, and I’m about to lose her.

I hear the elevator chime, and I spin around to find Maya stepping out of it. She’s wearing a pair of distressed jeans with tears in all the right places, giving me the most enticing glimpses of her smooth, dark skin. A black tee is tucked into the waist of her jeans, accented by a pair of platform, black and gold sneakers. I can’t tell the brand from here, but there is no doubt to me that they’re designer.

“Hi, pretty boy.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

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