Page 76 of The Accidental Wife

“So are you.” She breathes, panting. I watch her closely as she lifts my t-shirt up and over my head, dropping it on the floor before her cold, trembling fingers rake down my chest and stomach. I press my forehead to hers while she unbuttons my jeans and pushes them down. I moan when I feel her soft lips kissing along my chest. I kick off my wet jeans, cup her face, and kiss her softly. I lift her arms, breaking the kiss for a second. I tug her top off before sealing our lips together again.

The yacht rocks a little against the waves, raindrops, and thunder, the only sounds other than our breathing and soft moans. The frequent lightning was the only form of lighting we had, giving us glimpses of one another in the darkness of the room. I undress Shayla, lift her into my arms bridal style, and carry her to the bed, still kissing fervidly. I lay her down on the bed and crawl up over her. Shayla opens her eyes and looks up at me, eyes so bright and pure it took my breath away. I could honestly stare at her all my life and never get tired. We stare into each other’s eyes, penetratingly for a long moment, and I feel my heart rate accelerate.

“Cole,” Shayla whispers, reaching up, she trails her fingers along my cheek while I brush mine through her hair, my thumbs stroking her temples softly.

“You’re so beautiful, sweetheart,” I whisper, sweeping my nose over hers lightly. Shayla smiles, a gorgeous pink touching her cheeks, and skims her finger over my lips before she takes hold of my white gold chain and tugs me down for a spine-tingling kiss.

“Make me yours, one last time I want to be yours.” She breathes, and my stomach clenches at her words. One last time… Of course, whatever this was between us was only temporary. I keep forgetting that she’s going to walk out of my life in thirty-six days.

I shove aside the gut-wrenching disappointment and focus on appreciating this moment with her. I push into her slowly, and we moan into each other’s mouths amid our kissing. Our fingers lace and I thrust into her slow and deep, taking my sweet time. If this were the last time I could have her, I was going to make damn sure it lasts for as long as possible. And it did— until our once freezing bodies were hot and dripping in sweat. The storm had passed by the time we were done. Only the gentle tap of the rain on the window remained.I’ve never made love to anyone like this before: hair-raising, rip-roaring, and all-consuming. I’ve had my share of women, but Shayla—she’s intoxicating.

We were both spent. Shortly after we climax, we kiss for a little bit, and she dozes off to sleep in my arms. I lay there staring at the ceiling for a while, my mind full of questions I can’t seem to find answers to. Eventually, I manage to fall asleep, and the next morning I woke up alone. I lean up and look around the room. Where has she snuck off too?

I get out of bed and pull my jeans on from last night; thankfully, they were dry. I wander around the yacht and finally find Shayla on the top deck sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, gazing out at the ocean, watching other boats as they leave the marina. I rub my hands over my face and walk over to her. “Morning.” I greet her, leaning over, I drop a kiss on top of her head.

Shayla smiles up at me though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Morning.”

I frown and crouch down next to her, “What’s the matter?” I question, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, and she shakes her head.

“Nothing,” She smiles. “I was just enjoying the sun. It’s beautiful out today. You wouldn’t think there was a storm last night.”

I nod and glance around. It really was a nice day. “Shall we get some breakfast before we leave?” I suggest and watch as she nods.

“Sounds good. I’m starving.” She says, getting up to her feet. We get dressed and take a stroll to a café by the Riviera.

* * *

As we sat chatting,something, or should I say someone caught my eye behind Shayla. Sophie. She was sitting a couple of tables away with her fiancé Derrick. As if on cue, she lifts her eyes, and they lock with mine. What the hell is she doing here? We stare at one another till she looks away when Derrick strokes her face. I clench and unclench my jaw as I watch them from afar. Sophie kept looking at me and averting her gaze. I was feeling irritated all of a sudden. This is the first time I’d physically seen them together, and it made my stomach tighten painfully. “Cole?” I tear my eyes away from Sophie and look at Shayla, who was watching me perplexed. “You okay? You look really upset, is something wrong?” I blink and glance over at Sophie again, who was watching us.

“No. I’m fine, I’m fine,” I mutter, shaking my head and rubbing my jaw agitatedly. My eyes would involuntarily glance over to Sophie despite me telling my stupid brain not to. Shayla glances back when she catches me staring at something behind her and sees Sophie.

She licks her lips and smiles faintly, “Wow, talk about a coincidence.” She mutters, dropping her gaze to her coffee cup.

I sigh and lean over, taking her hands in mine. I press a kiss to her knuckles. “We can go if you’re uncomfortable.”

She shakes her head smiling and looks at me, “I’m not the one that’s bothered. You shouldn’t show her she’s gotten to you, or you’ll give her the satisfaction she’s clearly craving.” She tells me blankly, and I frown.

“Shayla, I honestly don’t—”

She shakes her head, “Don’t lie to yourself, Cole. You do care. You’re practically seething. If you want her to feel even a little of what you are right now, you need to act like she doesn’t exist, or you’re just proving her right.” Shayla explains, resting her head in her hand and stirring her coffee.

“I wish it were that easy to up and forget when someone wrecks you. I can’t believe she’s here. I hadn’t seen her once in eight months, now she keeps popping up everywhere.” I express bitterly with a shrug taking a sip of my coffee. Shayla pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs.

“Look, this is the first time she’s seeing us out together, so far you’re doing nothing but proving her right about your marriage being nothing but a sham. From where she’s sitting, she can see how annoyed you are by their presence.” Shayla explains, leaning closer.

“Hard not to be.” I sigh, setting my cup down. “I can’t just magically forget she exists.”

Shayla bites her lip and nods, “Yes, you can, just focus on me.” She whispers, looking into my eyes. I lick my lips and reach over to brush my thumb along her jaw. “You get one last kiss. Make it count.” She states, looking at me, but the warmth she usually has in her eyes when she looks at me has disappeared, and she stares at me vacantly.

“I’m not going to waste a kiss from you on the likes of her,” I declare, pressing my lips to the corner of her mouth. “Let’s get out of here,” I whisper and drop a kiss on her forehead. Shayla nods, and we stand up. I drop some cash on the table, wrap my arm around Shayla’s shoulder, and we leave the café. I can feel Sophie's glare as I pass by her without so much as a glance, focussing all my attention on the one girl who actually deserves it.

Just when things were going so great for us, we took a giant step back, and things have been strained between us since we got back. It’s like she hit the reset button and forgot everything that happened between us the last couple of days. She’s not home again, gone off to spend time with her family.

Two weeks pass since our trip, and I’ve barely had time to see Shayla as I’ve been hammered with work. I had to fly to New York for three days for a conference. I asked her to join me, but she refused and said her mother wasn’t feeling great, so she’s been staying there to look after her. I did a stupid thing and met up with Sophie when she called me a couple of nights ago, and now I’m more confused than ever before.

She’s due to be wed to another man and she said she’s having doubts and can’t stop thinking about us. She told me she loves me and never got over me. She wants us to give it another go. If I was willing to walk away from Shayla, she would do the same and we could be together.

So, here I am, sitting in my living room with Josh trying to get my head straight. “Cole, you need to make a decision. You only have two weeks left with Shayla before you lose her for good and Sophie isn’t going to wait around for you forever.”

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