Page 29 of Crazy In Love (Secrets of Suburbi 3)

"Why not? You ask one. I ask one. We both slowly get naked. It's a win-win."

"This isn't a win-win scenario, Noah. I'm in charge. Now stop trying to distract me."

"Yes, ma'am."

The way he said it made my stomach clench. God, he was so handsome. Stop it. "Tell me about Sophia."

"It was just a kiss. A mistake. A one-time thing. There was too much alcohol flowing in the hotel bar. It meant nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Wait. What? That was not the answer I'd been expecting. Just a kiss? "But the calls. Detective Torres said there were calls to her every week like clockwork."

"To her company, not her. I don't even know if she even works there anymore. I swear. I didn't even know her last name until you told me."

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. Just once? Just a kiss? It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Not two years. Just once. He swore it was a mistake.

"Did you say Detective Torres?" He frowned. "Are you talking to a detective about me?"

I stared at his lips as he frowned. "You don't get to ask questions.” My eyes locked with his as I tried to remember what I needed to ask. “What can you tell me about Dr. Collins?"

"You had problems getting pregnant."

No shit, Sherlock. I glared at him, trying hard not to focus on the box in the corner. The one with all the unused items for our baby boy that I’d lost.

"Didn't you think there might be a solution? That someone could help? It was just consultations. That's it. I swear. You deserve children if that's what you want. You deserve everything."

He looked so sincere

. And his words made my eyes grow slightly watery. I did deserve to have children. Consultations with a doctor? That explained the longer hours at work. Was this really all a misunderstanding?

"Lose the nightgown," he said.

I felt like I was dreaming as I pulled it over my head. Had I misjudged everything? I swayed slightly to the left but caught myself from falling over. My head was spinning. But not enough to ignore the fact that I was wrong. The feeling seeped into me slowly. I was the idiot. Not him. I walked over to the champagne bottle and lifted it ungracefully to my lips. Had I really drugged Noah, tied him up to a chair, and threatened to cut off his balls for no reason? I chugged straight from the bottle. No. No. He drained our bank accounts. He was going to leave me. He was a cheat. A master manipulator. An asshole.

"You're lying," I said and pointed the bottle at him.

"I'm not. I swear I'm not. I meant every word. Look at you. No one in their right mind would cheat on you. And that kiss? I swear it meant nothing. It was over before it began. Nothing compares to your lips."

I licked my lips as my eyes fell to his mouth.

"Have I earned that kiss yet?" he asked.

Why did he keep asking questions? "What about the money? Why do our bank accounts have a balance of zero? What the hell?"

"The interest rates on the savings accounts at that bank sucked. I transferred the money to a different bank with better rates. That's it. They're in the process of mailing you a new card. It'll be arriving any day. Now lose the bra."

He transferred it? The money really wasn't gone? He wasn't planning on leaving me? I don't know how it happened, but I somehow wound up on his lap. My fingers were tangled in his hair. And I was kissing him. With relief. With joy. With...shame.

But it was hard to feel that last one. Because the soft look of his lips was deceiving. His kiss was more powerful than I was anticipating. He thrust his tongue into my mouth, tasting me. Savoring me.

I'd made a mistake. I'd made a horrible mistake. This was the only way I could think to fix it. To kiss him back with everything I had. My kiss begged for forgiveness. I was pretty sure his did too. And as far as I was concerned, two wrongs made a right. They had to.

It was like I was back in that limo on our wedding day. He couldn't get enough of me. I couldn't get enough of him. This was a new beginning. A fresh start. Kidnapping him had somehow wiped the slate clean.

He groaned into my mouth.

It was the sexiest sound in the world. Especially when it wasn't surrounded by scheming and lies. My fingers dug into his scalp. I shifted my hips forward, wanting to close the gap between our bodies. And that's when I felt him. He wasn't lying. He was as hard as a rock. And God, I wanted him. I needed him. I could still have everything I wanted. A loving husband. A baby. It wasn't too late. I could fix this. I could still be the perfect suburban housewife. With the perfect house. The perfect lawn. The façade I so desperately wanted to uphold. All I had to do was untie him.

I reached behind him and felt the coarse rope around his wrists. What had I been thinking? Kidnapping? Seriously? That wasn’t me. I was loving and kind. If anything I loved too hard.

---