Page 35 of What About Now

“Yep.” Pride swells in my chest. I took care of her list, because I’m taking care of her. That’s all I want.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“But then I wouldn’t be able to do this.” I kiss her cheek. “I was missing you today anyway, so it kept me busy.”

She pauses, then glances at me over her shoulder. “You missed me today?”

“Yes.”

“How am I supposed to resist you, Maddox Lanigan?”

“You’re not.”

“I was certain this entire situation would be a disaster, and now….”

“What about now?” I ask her when she remains quiet.

“Now, it’s the complete opposite.”

I hug her a little tighter. “I know that took a lot for you to say, and we’re still just taking it one day at a time, but I can tell you that if I had to choose between a night out with the guys, and a night in like this with you, that a night in with you wins hands down every single time. I’m falling hard for you, Mrs. Lanigan.”

She rolls over to face me. “Ditto, Mr. Lanigan.”

I cup her jaw and stare into her big green eyes. I see what she’s not willing to say. She’s afraid to hope, but that’s okay, because I have enough for both of us. “Can I kiss you?” She’s so close, and I want nothing more than to show her how I feel about her. I’ve been telling her that I want her, but something inside me screams to also show her.

“I might be bad at it.”

“Impossible.” No fucking way is this woman bad at anything. Not in my eyes.

“I don’t know… my experience is pretty much nil unless you count some sloppy tries during my senior year of high school. I don’t have much faith.”

“Let me prove you wrong.” Leaning in, I hover, giving her a chance to stop me, but she doesn’t take it. I close the remaining distance and capture her lips with mine. Just a light brush, and when she doesn’t pull away, I nip at her bottom lip. She gasps, and I take the opening for what it is and slide my tongue against hers. She mimics my actions and melts into me as we get lost in one another.

She whimpers, and I take that as a sign to keep going as I slide my tongue against hers. Her hands find their way to my shirt, and she grips it tightly. She’s pulling me closer, not pushing me away, and my cock throbs at the thought.

My wife wants me.

That’s all I need to know to allow my hands to roam. They find their way to the curve of her ass, as I squeeze, and she moans. Lifting her leg, I toss it over mine. My cock is now nestled between her thighs, but that’s as far as I take it. I have her here, in my arms, and that’s enough for now. She told me this was pretty much her first real kiss; at least, that’s what I chose to hear.

This kiss is the only one that matters.

I can’t help but think about our wedding night. Surely, we kissed to seal our fate. I wish more than anything I could remember that night. The night she became mine.

When we finally come up for air, I rest my forehead against hers. I take a few moments to catch my breath, and from how her chest rises and falls, she needs the time to do the same.

“What about now?” I ask, my voice raspy and laced with desire. It’s all for her.

“That didn’t suck.” She has this dazed look in her eyes as she offers me a shy smile.

“Yeah?” I chuckle. “Should we try it again?”

“I think I need something to compare it to.”

That’s how I spend the rest of the night, kissing my wife like we’re teenagers. Something she never got to experience, and something I’m thrilled she gets to do with me, and only me.

CHAPTER

NINE

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