Page 17 of Finding Forever

The silencescreamedand it went on for so long that she had no choice but to lift her eyes and peek up at him through her lashes. He was staring at her, looking a little confounded. Why? Because she’d had the nerve to broach the subject or because he hadn’t considered it before now?

He caught her stare and seemed to shake himself before saying, “Whataboutsex?”

“Do you… will we… I don’t expect you to be celibate. But if you’re seen with other women, it’ll bring our so-called fairytale romance into doubt.”

“All fairytale romances eventually crash and burn,” he muttered and the cynicism in his voice stole her breath away.

“What an awful thing to say. What about your siblings and their marriages? Don’t you think those will last?”

“My sister’s marriage already seems to be on shaky ground, and that’s after only a year and a half. Gideon and Beth, they’ve been together the same length of time but they’re solid. They’ll last, but the fairytale can’t. It changes to everyday drudgery. Their love might be forever, but that giddy devotion will eventually devolve into—I don’t know—habitmaybe.”

She was about to comment on that, negate it in some way, when his lips twisted into a cynical imitation of a smile.

“So, if you’re worried that me fucking other women will cast doubt onto our perfect little love story, are you saying I should be not celibate withyou?”

She stared into his beautiful face for a long, appalled moment, not sure how to respond to that. That wasn’t what she’d been suggesting. Or wondering. Or hoping.

Except… maybe itwas?

And right now she had no ideawhyshe’d even brought the subject up, it had seemed important at the time, but now all she could think of was how he’d felt inside of her. The size of him, the pressure, the presence… and she wondered how it would feel to do it again. But maybe with less clothes. And for longer. Maybe it would be?—

“Because, I don’t think we’re compatible in that way.” His words registered just as she began to spin impossible fantasies around the two of them. Together again.

“Not compatible?” she repeated, confused, and he grimaced, dull red seeping into his cheeks. He looked discomfited, uneasy, on edge and seemed to have trouble meeting her eyes.

“Look, Fern, the last time wasn’t great, aye?” When he phrased it like that, his accent thickened. It was an unwelcome distraction, when Fern very much needed to focus on what he was saying. “I think we’d both had a little too much to drink and imagined an attraction where there was none. It’s the only explanation I can think of for what happened between us.”

Only, allFernhad had to drink that night was two sips of champagne. And while the experience had been disappointing, she didn’t think it had been quite as appalling as Cade clearly seemed to think it was.

“When you say ‘what happened between us’ do you mean the sex act or the quality of the sex?”

“Yeah? Both of those things? You’re not really someone I’d normally find myself attracted to—” He winced and shook his head in self-disgust. “No, sorry, that’s not—I didn’t mean it to sound so… Uh, look, Fern, I usually date more sophisticated women and you’re… I mean you’re nice, but you’re not my type. And whatever drew me to you that night, it kind of—it sort of fizzled when we—while we were in the middle of it.”

Fern now had a hand clamped over her mouth in horror as her stare turned into a glare of disbelief and disgust. What the hell was she supposed to say in response to this disjointed, ineloquent pile of insulting drivel? How did one even react to words such as these?

“So, what you’re saying is that you were drunk when you first saw me, imagined you were attracted to me, and at some point, between kissing me and sticking your penis in me, you suddenly realized that I wasn’tyour type?” Her voice raised to a near shout on the last two words, and she pinched her lips shut and tried to control her breathing for a few, furious moments before counting to ten and attempting to speak again. “Well, I’m certainly glad we cleared this up, Cade. Don’t worry, you and your perplexed penis are no longer welcome anywhere near the general vicinity of my body and all its attached bits. I’d hate for you to be the victim of any more mediocre sex.”

Chapter

Five

“Iwasn’t drunk… just not completely sober,” he clarified, as ifthatmade it somehow better. He peered at her intently before sighing. “I’ve offended you.”

She folded her arms over her chest and glowered at him.

“What makes you think that?” Her voice was dripping with saccharine. “It’s not like you were beingoffensiveor anything.”

He sighed again and this time the sound was long-suffering and—nuh uh!She glared at him. Nope… no way!

They hadnotbeen married long enough for him to whip out a sigh like that in her presence.

“I just meant to say that sex won’t be on the list of complications we need to worry about. And if I do decide to have my needs met elsewhere, I’ll be discreet. As I’m sure you will be.”

“Right. Sex, off the list,” she repeated, her voice curt, she unfolded her arms to lick the tip of her index finger and draw a gigantic check mark in the air in front of her. “Got it. Then we need to address theothermatter. The one you refused to discuss last night.”

God, had it only been last night? It felt like a lifetime ago.

His eyes narrowed and sharpened on her face.

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