Page 34 of Moonlight & Matrimony
“I’m so scared of you, baby sister. I’m practically quaking in my boots.”
“You should be, Luca Everett. Once I get this crotch goblin out, all bets are off.”
“Sunshine,” Cade cuts in. “What did I tell you about referring to my precious baby girl as a crotch goblin?”
Paige rolls her eyes in response and I can’t help but smile. I chuckle to myself as I walk past the nauseatingly happy coupleinto the house. Realizing I have no idea what boxes I just picked up or where to place them, I set them down on the coffee table to check for a label. When I don’t find one, I open the one on top, and my jaw hits the floor — it’s a treasure trove of sex toys. Everything from plugs and cuffs to vibrators and dildos. Wait, is that… holy fuck.Straps.
Ivy’s voice carries from the entryway, and I rush to close the box. “Where do you want me to set up Hazel’s cat tree?”
“Anywhere you want. Make yourself at home.” I choke out the words as I adjust the bulge straining behind my zipper. I’m well aware I shouldn’t have looked for as long as I did, but at my core I’m just a horny motherfucker, and I haven’t gotten laid in… a year and a half? Has it really been that long? Goddamnit, I don’t know how the hell I’m going to live in a house with Ivy, knowing all ofthisis just a couple of doors down. Is she going to bring men back here? Shit. We probably need to set some ground rules.
“Where should—” Ivy rounds the corner into the living room, stopping in her tracks when her gaze travels from me to the boxes behind me. “Um… did you open those?”
“Nope. Definitely not. I just thought I’d leave them here for you to handle.”
“Oh my fucking god, you did!”
I open my mouth to defend myself, but Nana saves me from the embarrassment, her voice reverberating through the house as she calls us all for dinner.Thank fuck.
Ivy
Is there a witness protection program for when your fake husband finds your box of sex toys? I don’t think there’s even a word for the level of mortification currently surging through meas we all sit around the dining room table. I’m not shy by any means. In fact, I consider myself a strong, confident woman, and I own my sexuality in and outside of the bedroom, but this whole situation is throwing me for a loop. Add in a dry spell that could rival the Arizona drought, and I’m a bomb ready to detonate at the slightest touch.
I didn’t miss the heat in Luca’s eyes when I walked in on him standing next to my toy box. Nor did I miss the visible bulge straining behind his zipper. In hindsight, I probably should have hidden that particular box, or at least taken it to my room before anyone else helped with the move.
“Looks like we’re almost finished,” Cade says, cutting through the thick tension when Luca takes a seat to my right on the bench. “I was thinking it would take longer.”
Luca’s thigh brushes against mine, and I feel my cheeks heat. Clearing my throat, I explain, “I didn’t really have a lot to move. When I left Austin, I only packed the essentials. We thrifted some things over the last year, but I didn’t have any emotional attachments, so it was just a case of letting go.”
Luca leans over to whisper in my ear, his breath tickling my neck, sending shivers racing up my spine. “There were at least a fewemotionalattachments in that box.” His voice is husky, and it does nothing to quell the ache between my thighs.
I shift restlessly. For whatever reason, my body has decided it likes Luca’s voice — a lot. Paige narrows her eyes at me in silent question from across the table, and I shrug in response. This man is going to be my undoing, but if I’m going down, I’m bringing him with me. I gather just enough resolve to lay a gentle hand on his thigh, and I feel his muscle clench under my palm. “What are you doing,wife?” he mutters.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish,husband.” His head swivels in my direction when I use the moniker for the first time, and I take in the pure lust in his gaze.Fuck me.
“Think you two could stop eye fucking at the dinner table?” Miles says, a chorus of snorts erupting around the table.
“Careful, Trouble. I never said I couldn’t finish it,” he whispers before quickly turning back to his meal, leaving my whole body vibrating with something I refuse to acknowledge in front of our friends.
Once we finished getting the last of my boxes moved and settled Hazel and Sage into their new home, we thanked everyone for their help and ushered them out the door. Sofia is staying with Paige until she has the baby and for a few weeks after, so she’s moved in with them for the foreseeable future. Rylin is sleeping over at Austin’s sister’s house, so that just leaves me and Luca alone in the quiet of our now shared space.
“So,” I say, at the same time as Luca starts, “I think…”
I turn to face him on the sofa, one knee bent towards him with my arm slung over the back. His home is masculine but inviting, with dark wood accents and muted tones throughout the space. It’s surprisingly cozy for a bachelor pad. And fuck, it feels good to just sit for a while. My body is aching from the day’s activities. “You go first,” I say, settling back into the cushions.
Clearing his throat, he says, “I think we should set some ground rules.”
“Like what?” I have a sneaking suspicion this has something to do with the now hidden box of sex toys, but I don’t like to make assumptions.
“Well…” Luca’s eyes are fixed on the ceiling, and there’s tension in his shoulders. “We never really talked about dating oranything. For all intents and purposes, this is just a marriage on paper, but I think we should be exclusive.” The words come out quickly and somewhat jumbled, but they stun me just the same.
“I’m going to stop you right there.” His expression sobers, and I feel a little bit guilty for cutting him off, so I soften my tone. “We’re married, Luca. I’m not a cheater and I don’t intend to start now. Regardless of the circumstances of this marriage, we are exclusive.” His posture visibly relaxes as he finally meets my gaze.
“But,” I continue, “if you happen to meet someone, I don't begrudge you your happiness. We’ll file for divorce and separate amicably.”
He huffs out a breath in a self-deprecating way that has his slight dimple forming in his right cheek. “That won’t be a problem.”
I sense there’s a story there and I’m not one to mince words, so I scoot a little closer, hoping he’ll open up. After all, he’s already seen the skeletons in my closet. “Who hurt you, Luca?” I ask, injecting a bit of humor into my question which I instantly come to regret.
