Page 20 of It Shouldn't Be You
Coughing to dislodge the sudden rock in my throat, I rasp, “I’ll leave you three to get to know each other. I’m going to shower before dinner and then I was thinking after dinner we could have that talk, yeah?”
The deer-in-headlights look on her face says it all, and before she can fumble up some excuse to delay talking about things, I leave the room. And if visions of her in that dress flash through my mind as I shower? Well, that’s between me, myself, and I.
One slightly awkward dinner later, Abigail is curled up on the sofa with the cat in her lap and the dog's head resting on her feet. It’s clear seeing her with animals that that’s exactly where she belongs. It’s her happy place.
“So, you missed me, huh?” I say to break the silence that has washed over the room, taking my seat on the opposite end of the sofa.
“I don’t have a clue what you're on about.” It’s cute she thinks she can evade this talk that easily.
“Come on, Princess. Don’t be like that. A little birdie texted me last night, and I think you know a little something about that.” I twist onto my hip, with my arm thrown across the back of the sofa, to face her.
“Okay fine, maybe I texted you. But in my defence, I can't be blamed for what the tequila made me say. Tequila Abbie and sober Abbie are two very different people, I’ll have you know,” she sasses with a quirked eyebrow as she runs her fingers through the cat's fur, getting a series of purrs in thanks.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, I missed you too. More than I expected to, and when I saw your Instagram post? I was kicking my own ass that I couldn’t be there to see that in person,” I growl and watch the blush coat her cheeks. Making her blush might just be my new favourite hobby, and I’m half tempted to keep score.
I’m even more tempted to discover just how far that blush extends.
“You approved, huh?” She’s such a fucking tease. I love it and yet I can’t wait to punish her for it. Just the thought of putting her over my knee has my jeans getting uncomfortably tight. The vision of her reddened ass that follows does fuck all to help.
“If you could have seen the effect it had on me, you’d know damn well I did.” At my admission, her eyes grow wide and her lips part, which has me fighting back a groan. Fuck, she’s killing me. But what a way to go.
What I wouldn’t give to have those lips wrapped around my cock.
“Are you saying that you do want me?” Why she’s so shocked, I don’t know. She’s a knockout with a huge heart, anyone who wouldn’t want her is a fool.
“More than anything.”
“But what about...” she trails off, looking down.
“What?” I sit forward, bracing my elbows on my knees as I watch her pick at her nails.
“Listen, it’s no secret that in our circles, the girls tend to come to these marriages at a disadvantage. And I’m sure someone like you has a lot of offers on the side.” She spits out her words, looking like she’s chewing glass, and it’s all I can do to remain seated when every nerve ending in my body is demanding I beat the shit out of whoever planted that thought in her pretty head.
“Offers on the side? Fuck that shit. I won't lie and say I’m coming into this inexperienced, but anything that happened before my meeting with your dad and Jonathan doesn’t matter now. Ask Alex, I never even saw the same girl twice, and I sure as shit didn’t have an emotional connection with any of them. If you’re sitting there thinking I’m planning on having mistresses, you can get that thought out of your head. I want you. I want to explore this marriage with you, and everyone else can go to hell.”
Arranged marriage or not, I take my vows seriously, and if she turned me down here and now, I’d resign myself to a life of celibacy. The thought of stepping out on my wife holds no appeal to me. Which is precisely why I made sure any of my past hook-ups knew the score. The last thing I would ever want is for my past to hurt my future.
“If you really mean that…then yes... I want you too. And I want to have a real marriage more than anything,” she whispers, looking up at me with vulnerability splashed across her face. Bracketing her face between my hands, I rest my forehead against hers before leaning down and sealing my mouth to hers in a gentle kiss, pouring every inch of my desire for her into it.
Text Chat
Chapter 15
One thing Mum always instilled in me was the belief that it’s better to be surprised than hurt. That if you don’t get your hopes up, you can’t be disappointed. So, to say I was absolutely not expecting to come back to two adorable bundles of fur waiting for me is an understatement. The evidence of him listening and remembering something I only mentioned once had me lost for words.
Throw in him being so passionate about explaining how he wants us to work out? It’s almost more than a girl can take.
“Meow.” Being woken up to the little tabby cat, or Teddy, as I’m calling her since she looks like a teddy bear, prancing up and down my back, is the only acceptable way to wake up. Rolling over dislodges her for a second before she jumps on my stomach, purring and making biscuits. I’d always dreamt of having my own pets but it was never very practical and the last thing I would ever want to do is get a pet I can’t give the absolute world to. Looking to the bottom of the bed, I spy Rocky with his head between his paws as he looks at me.Cute puppy dog eyes, gah!
With a final ear scratch and kiss to her nose, I lift Teddy off me, and bend down to give Rocky some loving to before saying, “You two wait here while I shower and then we’ll get you guys sorted, okay?”
With a few slow blinks as my only answer, I turn my back on them and grab some clean underwear before heading into the en-suite. I let myself in, only to freeze. Because behind the steam is none other than Logan, showering. Standing there in all his naked glory, tanned skin shimmering under the shower heads spray, back muscles flexing as his arm moves. Because not only is he naked, which is distracting enough, but he has one hand braced on the wall as he leans forward and the other…oh shit. He’s jerking off. Watching his arm muscles flex as he strokes his cock has me fighting back a whimper. My foot catches on to something, sending me crashing to the floor, drawing Logan’s attention.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to...The door was unlocked,” I rush out as I keep my eyes firmly north of his cock.I am absolutely not tempted to look down at it. Nope, not at all.
“Are you okay?” he drawls, not moving a muscle to stop what he’s doing. No, if anything, going by the way the veins on his arm pop out, he very clearly has tightened his grip. And if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, he’s moving his arm faster as he keeps his eyes firmly glued to me. It’s then I remember I’m still dressed in my tank top and short sleeping set. My nipples aredefinitelyvisible, and if I turn around, he’ll see my ass too.
“Yep, I’m all good…I’m just gonna...go.” Climbing to my feet, I jerk my thumb behind me before spinning around and firmly closing the door before leaving heavily against it while I process what I just saw. Not only is he very gifted down there, his nose isn’t the only thing he has pierced. Holy shit.
