Page 39 of If He Hadn't Cheated
We have sex.
We make love gain. Blurring the night with day light as we become one. Skin slapping against skin. Him from behind. Him on top. Me on top. I don’t know when he stops because my body isn’t numb.
I’m wrapped in a cocoon of safety. Skin against skin.
“Your cock is still inside me,” I whisper with a smile.
“Is this a complaint Miss Cate?”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Good, because it’s where I want to be.”
17
Morning comes slow.
The sound of rain has stopped, but the quiet it leaves behind is louder than thunder. Light filters through the large window, soft and gray. I blink against it, my body still heavy from the night before. The sheets are tangled around my legs, cool against my skin.
Knox is beside me.
His breathing is steady, deep, like the world hasn’t changed. But it has. Everything has.
I lie still, watching him. The sharpness in his face is softer now. His lashes rest against his cheek, his mouth slightly parted. He looks younger when he sleeps. Human in a way I’ve never seen before.
I want to reach out and touch him, but I don’t. I’m afraid if I do, he’ll vanish.
My chest tightens. Part of me wants to stay in this moment forever. The other part knows I can’t.
He stirs, eyes opening slowly. When they meet mine, something unreadable flashes through them. Surprise, maybe. Regret.
“Morning,” I whisper.
He exhales, then sits up, running a hand through his hair. “You’re awake.”
“I didn’t sleep much.”
He nods, looking anywhere but at me. The silence between us stretches thin.
I pull the blanket closer. “You’re quiet.”
“So are you.”
“I’m trying to figure out if you’re going to pretend this didn’t happen.”
His jaw tightens. “I’m not pretending.”
“Then what are you doing?”
He stands, crossing the room to where his shirt lies crumpled on a chair. He pulls it on, buttoning it slowly. “Trying to think.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“Lana, last night was…” He trails off, searching for words. “It shouldn’t have happened.”
The words hit harder than I expect. “Why? Because of your company? Or because of me?”
He turns, finally meeting my eyes. “Because it complicates everything.”
