Page 57 of Finding Forever

“I’ve set up a household account in both our names and transferred some funds into it. To all intents and purposes, it’sourmoney. For the management of our home.”

“But I haven’t contributed anything to it yet.”

“I’m confident that—once we’ve dealt with your stepfather’s petty, obstructive bullshit—you’ll repay whatever amount you’ve spent. Not that I give a damn if you do, mind you. But I suspect thatyoudo. Give a damn that is…”

His gaze swept over her and he blinked, then frowned, then ever so slowly removed his glasses to sweep that blinky, frowny gaze over her once more.

“What the fuck are you wearing right now?” he asked, his voice curiously hoarse as his eyes paused—ever so briefly—on her naked thighs, before almost scurrying up to meet her stare.

For the first time, Fern remembered that she was still in her sleep clothes, and that—in her haste to talk to him—she hadn’t bothered to drag on a skirt as she normally would do.

Still her T-shirt was long enough to cover her to mid-thigh. She was showing less skin than she would in a bathing suit. Not that he’d seen her in a bathing suit either, mind.

And she was suddenly very conscious—when his gaze dropped to her chest—that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Especially when her traitorous nipples peaked beneath the burning intensity of his stare.

“Sor—” A shockingly menacing growl from her very urbane looking husband, halted the apology mid-word. She folded her arms over her chest and hunched her shoulders—pretty much the most apologetic body language ever—before shrugging defensively. “It’s my sleepshirt.”

“You sleep in aCannibal HolocaustT-shirt?” He sounded understandably incredulous and Fern unfolded her arms to grasp the hem of her faded T-shirt and stretch it out in front of her, as she inspected the flaking red print on the black fabric.

“I also haveTexas Chainsaw Massacre,The Hills Have Eyesone and two, andSawamong others.”

“I had no idea you were such a slasher flick fan.”

Fern wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

“I’m not. One of my friends at school”—her only friend, the one who had tried to help her and had had her entire lifedestroyed in the process—“had a boyfriend who loved these movies. When they broke up, she had a bunch of his T-shirts and she gave them to me. Before that I slept in these long, restrictive awfully itchy nightgowns, courtesy of my loving stepsisters.”

“So, instead, you sleep in some random guy’s shirts every night?” He looked—well Fern couldn’t tell exactly how he looked, but the word that came to mind wasdispleased. His eyes had narrowed and his lips thinned. Yes… definitely displeased.

And affronted.

“I didn’t know him very well. Okay, suffice to say, I didn’t know him at all. Not in person. The only thing I really know about him is that he has questionable taste in movies.”

“And he’s not very tall,” Cade muttered between gritted teeth, his eyes falling to her thighs again. “MyT-shirts on you would fall to a couple of inches above your knee.”

Why did he sound so smug about that?

Not certain how to react to his strange behavior, Fern closed her palm around the credit card and held it up.

“Thank you for this. It’s very thoughtful. And Iwillpay you back.”

She got nothing but a grim, unsmiling nod in response to that.

“Where are you and Beth going?”

“She’s meeting me here. She said something about the Waterfront?” His brow furrowed in response to her words but he didn’t say anything. “Oh, that reminds me… do you think you could arrange a driver for us?”

“That won’t be a problem. Tell Beth to park in the underground garage and come up when she gets here.”

“Okay. Thank you. I should get ready.”

Another grim nod.

“I’ll see you later then.”

Cade watched Fern retreat,his eyes once again falling to her slender thighs. He’d been tempted to drag the hideous thing off her for so many more reasons than the obvious desire to see her naked.

One: the violent subject matter was at odds with her quiet, gentle personality.

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