Page 22 of Legally Yours

I grit my teeth together and shake my head. “Tell me.”

“He said he would ‘do his best’ not to cheat again. He doesn’t want to commit to anyone! That’s when I told him that my first decision was the right one. I said we aren’t getting back together again.”

Cassandra sighs. “He chased me, and I started to run. I thought of a room where I could hide, and I was running to it. But he caught up to me.” She rubs her upper arm. “He grabbed me so hard. That’s when I got scared.”

Two fat tears slide down her cheeks, and she gulps. I am infuriated. I gather Cassandra into my arms, feeling nothing but concern for this wonderful woman.

Am I falling for my wife?

20

LIAM

We’re at home. Cassandra wants me to go to the hospital.

“No. I don’t want to go there. We could end up running into Emma and David. Besides, you’re doing a wonderful job, taking care of me here.”

Cassandra’s skin gets slightly darker. She bites her lip and looks down. She shrugs and lets out a sigh. “Okay, but I just hope you won’t develop any infections.”

“Nah. Not likely. We got home fairly quickly.”

She gets busy, cleaning my wounds with warm water, then putting some medicine on the cuts and bruises. “Liam, I really think you need professional medical care.” She leans in slightly closer, as she tries to get to a cut in a hard to reach area. “I’m not trained as a nurse.”

I can’t take my eyes off of her as she works with a swab and a disinfectant. “Ah, that stings!”

“See? You need a professional to do this.”

I take her hands and shake my head. “No.”

Again, she nervously bites her lower lip. Working with the cut that just stung, she uses a fresh swab and dabs an ointment on it. “Whew, that feels better. Are you going to put bandaids on them?”

Cassandra snickers. “Oh, you’d look great at the office, with bandaids stuck all over your face and chin!”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, be gentle.”

Reluctantly, she laughs. She does make an effort to hold it back.

It’s the most ordinary of activities and she makes it look like art.Now, I’m sure I’m falling in love with her.“No. I’ve been hurt worse before and lived. Besides, I love how you’re taking care of me.”

My mind goes back over everything we’ve done together. In almost every instance, she has made what we were doing look like dance. She’s graceful, willowy, and very serious about what she happens to be doing. Like now. She’s peering at each one of my cuts, examining it and washing it gently. If they sting, she grimaces and apologizes.

I’ve noticed in the past that she’s serious, no matter what she does. She’s not a woman to go wild over the latest fad. She dresses simply at home, probably because she’s more comfortable that way.

I inhale her scent. It’s clean and unique. I’ve already started to associate it with her. She doesn’t like perfumes that announce her presence before she’s gotten into a room.

For instance, she changed into her street clothes before we came home. She’s wearing skinny jeans, ballet flats and a simple, long-sleeved T-shirt. She looks comfortable and beautiful. Her scent is light, like flowers.

She stops what she’s doing and looks straight into my eyes. Her skin grows a little darker.

She is so beautiful, even when she’s doing something ordinary. My God, I think I’m falling in love with her.

I caress her face with one hand. She stops what she’s doing for my face, and she stares into my eyes. She is a real woman, down to earth and willing to give of herself. She’s completely different from Eunice. Eunice wouldn’t have even bothered to touch my bloody face. She would have taken me to the emergency room, no matter what. I’ve been noticing all of these differences between her and Cassandra. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Cassandra.” I simply look at her, seeing her reaction.

Cassandra nibbles at her lip again. I realize that she can’t say anything right now. Her eyes slowly dip down to my lips and back up to my eyes. She does this a few times.She wants to kiss me!

I feel like jumping up and down and dancing. Instead, I lose the tiny shreds of control I have. I pull her into my arms and begin to kiss her. I hold her petite body to mine, just enjoying the feel of her against me. My hands roam all over her back. I gently scratch my nails over the surface of her shirt, and she shivers slightly. She moans as she kisses me.

I want her so much, but I am waiting until she is ready to be with me and love me. I gather all of my resolve so that I don’t push her past her boundaries. My lips move to the side of her neck, where I brush light kisses and nibble her delicate skin lightly. Again, she moans. Her voice is breathless and slightly lower.

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