Page 107 of Falling for the Wife

Finally, I decided to hold off.

Sex was something I could get anywhere, but I shouldn’t take advantage of her when she was thinking of going back to her ex-boyfriend.

Rolling to my side, I reached out to gently trace the curve of her breast, her bottom lip and her arm. Stella looked so peaceful and simply breathtaking. Her gentle beauty evoked something in me.

Stella, my ephemeral wife.

We consummated the marriage after three years. In the eyes of the law, she was mine.

I had to mentally put the brakes on where this train of thought was heading. Going there wasn’t a feasible idea.

I had to stay in this secured circle because once I ventured out of it, she could potentially get hurt.

No, Stella deserved a good man, a great man.

I surely wasn’t one.

CHAPTER44

Stella

The first fewdays of waking up alone in my bed was weird, but after the fourth day—thank goodness—I was almost back to normal. A week wrapped in his arms and I was reduced to being a sentimental idiot.

Yeah, the first week was difficult. Since we both agreed that we were going to go back to how things had been between us. I somehow still expected something, though. Maybe a text or a phone call, possibly even flowers selected by Eleanor; something. I hadn’t expected this nothingness. When I insisted on going back to our normal life, I wasn’t completely expecting theusualnormal. Okay, did that even make sense? Yeah, I was dwelling on Callum for reasons I couldn’t even understand.

Or maybe it was because I declined his arrangement proposal… when I had desperately wanted to say yes. The major thing was, I was reluctant and scared to say yes. If it were any other man, it wouldn’t have been difficult, but this was Callum; the man who I’d had a big crush on since I was fifteen. Not to mention the blatant fact that I always ended up getting all hot and bothered when he was around. It was great and all, yet I didn’t want to risk falling for him. My first boyfriend was a playboy, too—much like Callum—and I had ended up getting my heart broken when I caught him cheating.

Besides, Callum had done so much for me already. I couldn’t risk ruining our friendship, or what was left of it anyway.

It had been almost two weeks since he dropped me off in my flat… and still he lingered in my thoughts. Yeah, I’d been counting down the days, wondering when this feeling would subside. I was giving myself another week, two maybe, a month total to get back to normal. If there was no improvement by the end of the month, I was going to be in big trouble.

Unfortunately.

“Hiya, sweet cheeks!” Mark knocked before letting himself into my office, carrying coffee with him. “Thought a good caffeine boost would do you a world of good, sour puss.” He slid the lidded cup towards me, grinning like mad.

“Don’t get a habit of calling me that, Mark. I loathe it,” I muttered, sipping from my hot beverage.

“Your loss.”

I rolled my eyes as I got up from my seat and strolled towards the comfortable sofa I sometimes took naps on. “Aren’t you supposed to be working with Alec or something? What are you doing here at two in the afternoon?”

Mark plopped next to me, tickling my footpads. “Well, I came to remind you about the dinner reservations we have tonight and the cocktail party afterwards for Alec’s birthday bash?”

“Stop it.” I tried to kick him, but he was too quick for my own good.

“Tickle fight!” he declared.

I was making a lot of “squees” and a lot of giggling because he was attacking me relentlessly.

Our little foot and fingers war halted when we heard the sound of a throat being cleared, as if to try to get our attention. Mark looked up as I twisted my neck to the side to see who it was.

It was Lucia, looking furious… next to a stoic-looking Callum.

“Are we interrupting?” Lucia raised her brow, green eyes murderous.

Mark casually shook his head. “We’re just relaxing a bit. Anything we can help you with?” He darted Callum a steady gaze. “Kensington, right?”

Duh. He knew who Callum was, so why pretend like he didn’t? Mark was such a wanker.

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