Page 151 of Breach of Honor

61 Will

MORNING ARRIVED AS it did every day. Instead of welcoming it, I hated what today meant.

In two hours, Jason would arrive to pick me up, and my angel would be devastated when I walked out the door. I didn’t care what Axel had said about sending her away when she arrived to talk; I couldn’t. I needed to make her understand how much I loved her, how she was my world.

I loved her until she passed out, exhausted and blissfully sated. I held her close, breathing her in and begging time to stand still.

Last night would always be the best night of my life.

No woman could ever hold a candle to Miranda. She was loving and gentle, self-sacrificing and trustworthy, a fighter and fucking resilient. There could never be another woman in my life, despite what she had been made to believe.

Carefully, I slipped out of bed, grabbed my clothes, and went to the guest bathroom to shower. I didn’t want her waking up yet. Strangely, I sensed something different about her last night. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I wanted her to rest after the workout I gave her into the wee hours of the morning.

Showered, dressed, and packed, I waited for Jason to arrive. All I could think about was Miranda sleeping peacefully in our bed.

And praying Axel found a way to end this nightmare. I ignored the doubt raging through my veins. It had to be because of hisdon’t get your hopes upbullshit. Regardless of his wiseass comments, I did trust him, and I wasn’t sure why.

After last night with Miranda, it was like she was giving me another chance and it about killed me. No way would she let me go to Vegas with “my mistress,” no questions asked. But I had to go whether she liked it or not. Fuck, if Vegas didn’t pan out as Axel and I hoped it would, I was sure Miranda wouldn’t give me another chance.

A knock at the door brought me to my feet.

Jason, no doubt. The bane of all my troubles, both financially and in my relationship. If I could just put my hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of him, I might feel a little redemption for the destruction he’d caused. But not likely.

I had a conscience. I wasn’t morally bankrupt. I still lived by the St. James honor code. It was why I was in this mess. The good guy in me needed to stop Jason from stealing from my family. I had to protect my clients, my family, and Miranda. If I didn’t stay the course with Axel, I would have been wrought with guilt.

Fuck what was I thinking? I was drowning in guilt because from Miranda’s perspective, I was a lying, cheating sack of shit. When really, I’d been trying to do the right thing.

Miranda

I woke alone in our bed. The clock on Will’s nightstand showed 9:10 a.m.

I blissfully sighed—last night. There were no words for the magic that had transpired between Will and I. The hours spent lost in each other, carnal at times, soul binding at others… no words would ever do justice the love that had filled our beachfront home.

I rolled to Will’s side and ran my hand over his pillow. How many times had I said I loved him? I couldn’t remember, but it was a lot while I’d been entranced by him.

Mmm… My heart fluttered, remembering all the many ways he’d made love to me. And not once had he suspected I was pregnant. Those websites had been right; pregnancy hormones were phenomenal. After my fifth orgasm, I’d stopped counting. It didn’t matter, not with Will’s stamina matching mine. We rode each other into the wee hours of the morning like it was the fucking Kentucky Derby,the sex edition.

After we were sufficiently sated, Will had spooned me and we fell asleep, utterly satisfied from our insatiable encounter.

A hopeful sigh left my chest. Will was all mine. After last night, after the way he made love to me with so much emotion and tenderness, there wasn’t any doubt in my mind or my heart he was mine.

I heard a muted sound from outside the bedroom. I shivered, not from cold but from an eerie stillness that entered my soul. The kind that scared me in the middle of the night and I’d wake in a panic, fearing I might lose a loved one. It paralyzed me for what the day might bring.

I popped up in bed and dialed into the voices. Will’s cell phone was on the nightstand, so he wasn’t on a call. My mind raced as I slid out of bed. I grabbed yoga pants and a hoodie out of the closet and put them on.

Who is he talking to?

Maybe the neighbor, I reasoned, brushing my fingers through my hair. But I knew better. On a Sunday morning, nobody would bother us.

I quietly turned the doorknob and peeked out.Jason. Dread filled me at the sight of him in the club chair. Will had to be on the sofa, but I couldn’t see him.

Should I go out there or wait for Jason to leave?

My curiosity urged me down the hallway toward the living room.

“Morning,” Jason greeted me. “Even in the fucking morning with bedhead, you’re a goddess.”

The lust in his eyes made my skin crawl. I’d never hated anyone before, but I despised him. Alarms went off as my eyes traveled to Will’s… this feltoff.

---