Page 10 of Forever Mine

I don’t listen to him. I keep my head lowered, not wanting to look in his face because I know I’m weak when it comes to him. “Natalie, I want you to look at me.”

I lift my head and jut my chin at him. “What? I’m looking at you. Now what?”

He smiles at me. “I know I’m asking for a lot.”

I nod. “Yes, you are. For the last two years, you’ve treated me like your little secret instead of your wife, so excuse me if I’m not jumping at whatever game this is you’re playing.”

He releases his hold on my arms and instead wraps his hands around my thighs. “I’m not playing any games.”

“Right.”

His jaw tightens, and he grinds his teeth together. I can see the wheels turning as he looks at me. Finally, he breaks the silence. “I understand you don’t trust me, and if you can’t give me a month, just give me a chance. We can take it day by day.”

I’m leaning as far back in my chair as I can, but it’s not enough. I’m not going to make good decisions with him this close to me. He’s a temptation that I can’t refuse. I stare at his lips, and it’s like a movie plays in my head of all the times he’s satisfied me with them. “Day by day. If I do that, will you let me up?”

He rears back in surprise and releases me instantly. I jump up out of my seat and walk around to put the table between us. “I’ll give you that. Day by day, but that’s all I can promise. No sex either.”

He nods and runs his hand through his hair. “Okay. I won’t have sex with you unless you ask me to. And we take this day by day.” He doesn’t seem completely happy with the agreed terms, but at least he’s willing. “I’ll see you in the morning, wife.”

With a shaky hand, I grab the back of the chair. “I teach in the morning.”

He cleans up the table, and when he’s done, he points at the untouched piece of cake. “Eat your cake. Sleep well, wife.”

I stare at him the whole way as he walks through the house and out the back door. I’m not sure what to make of any of this, but I let myself eat the piece of cake and replay the night's events in my head. I’m not sure, but I’m thinking my husband has a plan to date me.

Chapter7

Beau

Iwill not kill the guy. I will not kill the guy.

That’s what I’m telling myself as I walk into Work It Out, Nat’s gym. I made a point to show up right after her class was over. As the people are coming out of the cycling room, the women all are looking at me as they walk by, but I keep my eye on the door.

Nat is the last one out of the room, and I walk up to her. She is wiping her face with a towel, and when she finally spots me, she stops mid stride, and her mouth falls open. She has on some kind of tight black leggings and a small tank top that does nothing to hide her body. She’s beautiful. I know it, and I’m sure every man in the gym knows it too. I want to look at each of them and dare them to look at her, but I don’t. I keep my eyes glued on Nat. “Morning,” I say gruffly.

If anything, her eyes get even bigger. “Morning.”

Normally, that would be it. I’m not a man that shows affection, but I’m determined to give this all I’ve got. Last night, I thought about what she said, and it blows my mind that she thought I could be embarrassed by her. I lean over until our faces are inches apart. “You look good, wife.” I planned to leave it at that, but her full lips are beckoning me. I kiss her lightly and force myself to pull back even though every cell in my body wants to find a private room to take her to.

She reaches up and presses her fingertips to her lips. “What are you doing here?”

I shrug. “Well, I need to find something to occupy my time, and I’m getting a little flabby sitting at my desk all the time. I thought I’d come and work out.”

She looks at me, her eyes moving slowly down my body and then back up again. “You’re getting flabby? You don’t have an ounce of fat on your body, Beau.”

I shrug and try not to let the way she’s staring at me affect me. All I need is to have a raging hard-on right in the middle of her gym. Almost sheepishly, I tell her, “I don’t know. I thought it would be fun if we could work out together…”

She points between the two of us. “You want us to work out… together?”

I nod. “Yes, I do. But if you’d rather not—”

I stop when her smile absolutely lights up her whole face, telling me that I made the right decision in coming here today. She does some kind of little jump up and down, and I’m an ass because I instantly stare at her breasts. She puts her hand on my arm. “Okay, you get started. I’m going to go get cleaned up a little, and I’ll be back.”

She walks away just a few steps and turns around. “I’ll be right back.”

I laugh. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I watch her walk away, and it’s not until she’s through the door that leads to the back that I look around the gym. There are a few women working out and a few men over at the free weights area. I walk over to the opposite end of the room and find an empty cable machine. I normally work out with my brothers at a gym with no frills. I’m surprised at how nice this one is. I want to kick myself that I haven’t been in here since right after she opened.

---