Page 30 of Relentles
“Sew him the fuck back up, Potter,” he ordered. “Rebel, boys, let’s get the fuck home.”
He sauntered away, expecting his instructions to be followed as he left the building, happy that Johnnie was still screaming in agony.
Chapter Three - Meggie
Staring at herself in the wall of mirrors above her wall-to-wall vanity console, Megan Caldwell assessed her most recent C-Section incision—her body as a whole.
Throughout her adult life, she’d always been secure in herself. Of course, she’d had moments of doubt. She wouldn’t have been human if she hadn’t. But those times were fleeting, and soothed by the knowledge that her husband loved her because of who she was, not because of how she looked.
Christopher admired the female form in all its variations.
“Can you even fuck him? He’s unhappy. It wouldn’t surprise me if he turned to another woman. Remember Kiera?Youdidn’t change him, Megan.Hechanged himself. But you’re old and used up now. He needs a younger, more vibrant woman. My guess is if he hasn’t already found her, he soon will.”
Johnnie’s vicious words from yesterday rose in Meggie’s head, and she closed her eyes.
Kiera had been a tall, gorgeous, buxom woman with dark hair and dark eyes. Meggie’s brother, Snake, killed her and Christopher’s other lover, Ellen, a blue-eyed, strawberry-blonde who enjoyed getting under Meggie’s skin. Snake had also killed her and intended to murder Meggie. He’d buried Christopher alive…
Nope, she wasn’t thinking about that trauma. Not when Johnnie’s words were playing on repeat in her head.
After the toll of yesterday and ending up back in the ER, this afternoon had taken a lot out of her. From her run-in with Bash to punching Johnnie to sending her sons to the clubhouse for Christopher to deal with to trying to calm Molly. Meggie wanted to crawl into bed and sink into an exhausted sleep.
She’d thought a shower would help her and had hoped that by the time she finished, Rebel would’ve returned with Christopher and the boys in tow.
Meggie had rested on the bathroom’s chaise lounge for five minutes, then considered blow drying her hair. Unable to drum up the energy, she’d braided it instead. Once she finished, she’d intended to text Christopher. Instead, her still-healing incision and the stretch marks on her belly grabbed her attention.
This past October, she turned thirty-five. That same day, she celebrated the seventeenth anniversary of meeting her husband. She couldn’t imagine where she would be without him.
And, yet…
Yet…
She was entering a new phase in her life, one where she wouldn’t be a reproductive being. If she had the recommendedhysterectomy, she wouldn’t even have periods anymore. How would that affect her sex drive?
Even now, when she’d been so gravely ill, she couldn’t wait to have her husband again.
Did he crave her as much?
It didn’t escape her that he hadn’t begun flirting with her as he normally did once she recovered fromwhatever.
Was Johnnie right?
She’d once trusted him and wouldn’t have second-guessed him. Years ago, they’d reached a truce. Only recently had he returned to jerkery, so he was the last person she should believe.
She couldn’t imagine the wordsJohnniespoke coming fromherChristopher. They were friends. He would’ve talked to her first before he went to anyone else. Including Johnnie.
EspeciallyJohnnie.
Sniffling, Meggie swiped at an escaping tear. She wanted so badly to talk to Christopher. Really, trulytalkto him. However, she needed him focused on his club. She needed his help with Jo, until she healed mentally and physically.
She didn’t trust Bash as far as she see him. Hopefully, seeing him wouldn’t be a regular occurrence. Still, the situation could’ve turned out vastly different if Derby hadn’t shown up.
Bash was a problem, and if she opened up to Christopher abouteverything, then she’d also have to reveal the depths of Johnnie’s gaslighting.
Not since the early years of Christopher’s courtship and their married life had Meggie felt so threatened. A part of her knew she was playing right into Johnnie’s treachery. However, the heart and mind were two opposing forces that sometimes went to war. Right now, Meggie couldn’t figure out which part of her had her the most confused and concerned. She just knew Johnnie’s taunts took a toll on her.
On the other hand, Christopher wasn’t hinting at sexy times because he’d been greatly affected by almost losing her and Jo. Romance between them meant more than seduction and lovemaking. It was camaraderie, care, and concern. Friendship and family. Protection and playfulness. It extended far beyond the physical. Their emotional connection was as amorous as their date nights and shared pleasure.
Christopher’s ardent devotion to her was another level of passionate love. Although she was worried about his mental state, his unwillingness to leave her side while she’d been in the hospitalwasromantic.
