Page 67 of Judgment Day

He opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of underwear, much to my greedy little vagina’s disappointment. “Get dressed, sweet girl. Iwant to formally introduce you to my son.” His gaze made it hard to breathe. “As my wife.”

* * *

Grey explained everything as I walked with him to the stables. He told me how Ciaran had been kept from him, how Sadie and Winston hid his identity from everyone, how the child didn’t even know his own parents, how he still didn’t know Sadie was his mother. My heart broke for this boy I didn’t even know. It broke for Grey. I lost my mom when I was young. I knew the pain of that loss, how sharp and fierce and piercing it could be. I’d felt the void it left, growing up without a mother. But at least, I’d always had my dad.

“Good morning, Ciaran,” Grey said as we approached the stables.

Ciaran was busy tying his horse to one of the posts. “Morning.”’

Grey stroked the horse’s neck as he passed, then stopped in front of his son. “Have you met my wife?” He circled his arm around my waist.

Ciaran finished his knot with a tight pull. “Yes, sir. Good morning, Lauren.”

Grey’s eyes darkened at the fact that I’d given Ciaran my Van Doren name. It was a part of me that belonged to only him. His validation.

I smiled. “Good morning.”

“Is she your Estella?” Ciaran asked his father.

He grinned a perfect smile. “No. She’s my Elizabeth.” And then he pulled me close and leaned into the crook of my neck. His breath was hot against my skin, his voice hushed. “I’ll fuck you better than your Mr. Darcy ever could.”

My note.He’d read my note.

Everything was on fucking fire. My skin. My blood. My core. Holy shit.

Grey chuckled when I quivered against him, then let me go. He never let his gaze leave mine as he took his horse from her stall, tying her to a wooden post.

I stood outside the stables, watching them remove the blankets and brush the horses. I saw how Grey’s face lit up every time Ciaran said something. I watched how fondly Ciaran looked up at his father. With every moment that passed lately, it was as though the universe was peeling back another layer of this magnetic man. And with every layer, he climbed deeper and deeper inside of me.

He walked over to me once the horses were properly groomed and ready. “Would you like to ride?”

I arched a brow. “Are we talking about the horse?”

“That’s one spanking. Care to keep going?”

My mouth fell open, even as my skin heated. “For what?”

His eyes narrowed. His voice dropped low. “For taunting me in front of my son. For making my dick hard when you know I can’t bend you over and fuck you right now.”

I swallowed.Itauntedhim? He was the one talking about fucking me better than Darcy.

The horse snorted and whinnied. Ciaran watched us with careful eyes. Grey had introduced me as his wife, and Ciaran welcomed me with a smile.His wife.It wasn’t real. It never had been. He’d married a made-up person out of obligation rather than love. But right now, itfeltreal. And that reality twisted my stomach in knots. I was Grey’s wife. But I wasn’tonlyGrey’s wife. I spent the night with a man who wasn’t Linc. I gave him parts of me that I’d only ever given to Lincoln. My heart used to be whole. One pulse. One rhythm. One purpose. Now it was split in two.

“You go. I’ll be waiting.”

Ciaran needed this time with his father. They needed this time with each other.

He bent down and kissed my forehead. “My beautiful girl.” He looked at me and smiled. “There’s somewhere I want to take you when I get back.”

THIRTY NINE

I waited inside the house,propped up on the kitchen island like I used to do, swinging my legs while the chef mixed a marinade for tonight’s lamb dinner. Mrs. McTavish made two cups of tea, then added milk and sugar to one and handed it to me.

I held the porcelain cup with both hands, bringing it to my mouth and blowing over the top. Steam floated from the hot liquid and danced over my face. A pattern of soft pink florals bloomed against the white china tea cup. Roses on a vine. Another reminder of what we were.

“Are you ready, my sweet girl?” Grey asked as he walked into the kitchen.

He looked like the perfect sin in his dark blue pants and light gray shirt. He stopped between my legs. I set the cup on the counter beside me.

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