Page 5 of Sexy AF
Three
Carrie
The gold ring on my finger and matching diamond Benny had slipped on along with it weighed my hand down. I wasn’t sure how I’d type reports while wearing them. Sitting near the water, we had a spectacular view of the bay. I sighed and glanced at my husband.
Having a child with Benny had been a fantasy of mine years before. His crazy demand played in my mind. Despite what he’d said, he hadn’t brought me home to fuck me senseless. I crossed my legs and wished the image didn’t set me on fire. I thought I’d forgotten the longing that came from being near him, but now I remembered.
Refusing to acknowledge the way my skin longed for his touch, I said, “Order another glass.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure you want more wine? I was looking forward to fucking you.”
“I’ll need a lot more, then.” I’d learned that the best defense to a shock was to pretend the words didn’t matter. The image of Benny and his huge cock ramming into me as I sat on a kitchen counter played like a clip of a forgotten dream. He’d been huge. I wondered if I had made him bigger in my mind by comparing him to other men.
He lifted his chin like I’d insulted him. “You liked it once.”
I took the last sip of wine and sighed into my empty glass. I met his gaze. “I didn’t know better.”
He leaned closer, and I could see that the muscles in his body were tense. “You’re going to look me in the eye and tell me Terence was better than me.”
I sat back. I’d seen him and Terence in the park, talking, after I’d gone inside from our walk in the park. So I’d headed downstairs and heard every word of what Benny had said. I got goose bumps remembering it. Benny had no idea that I wished those horrible words he’d said had been true.
I said, “I never had sex with him.”
“Good. I’m glad I stopped that relationship before it went any further, then.” His lips curled into a little-boy pout.
I finished the desert I’d been ignoring. Then I asked, “Why? We had one date that you ended. Why did my going to the museum and the park with Terrence bring you out of hiding?”
He took his fork and ate his tiramisu. Then he said, “There is far more to Grate than you know.”
Crime.I hadn’t known that day at the museum, but I’d seen the name Grate on articles since then. I’d never seenBennyor anyDawes, though. “Doesn’t matter. He’s long gone.”
He reached out and squeezed my free hand, sending a spark inside me as he said, “Right, and this is our wedding day.”
I shook off his hand, and my heart beat faster. “The second wine wasn’t ordered.”
He sat up straighter. “I don’t want you drunk.”
No one tells me what to do.I ignored the heat inside me that ached for him to hold me. My brain was scrambled with memories as I rocked in my seat. “You expect me to do this sober?”
He reached out, and I stilled. This time, I didn’t immediately pull away. He said, “Why not? We both know you still want me.”
My hands made fists, and I pulled them to my sides. “Arrogant jerk.”
He let out a small laugh. When I was a teenager, I used to think that laugh meant I’d gotten under his skin, but now I knew his sounds.
He said, “So let’s talk. What’s going on with you?”
My heart dropped the fence around it with a thud. I shook my head and gazed at the water till I calmed down. “Oh, you want to talk now?”
He nodded. “We have time.”
More posts in the fence dropped. I said, “Glad I finally fit into your schedule.”
He put both his hands on the table and motioned for me to give him mine. “Come. Let’s drop our guard for a minute so you can tell me.”
I placed my hands on the table but kept my fingers inches from his. “So why didn’t you call me when you went away to college?”
He lowered his head. “I wanted to protect you.”
