Page 45 of Sincerely, Your Inconvenient Wife

I peeled back the blanket, and she responded by curling into an even tighter ball. “Wake up for me.”

“Mmm…no. Not right now. Try back later.”

She was cute, but I was too tired to battle her.

“Come on.” In one fell swoop, I had her up and in my arms. “Let’s go.”

Startling, her arms looped around my neck. “Luca! What are you doing?”

“Taking you to bed.”

“I’m not helpless, you know.” Her head fell against my chest. She inhaled deeply. “You smell good.”

“That’s what showering will do.”

Her eyes finally opened. They raked over me, a line forming between her brows. “I can walk.” She kicked her feet. “Put me down.”

“Stop moving, or we’re both going down.” I strode up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. At the threshold, I relented to her repeated requests, setting her on her feet. She stumbled a little but caught herself on the frame.

“I think the last two days are catching up to me.” She yawned to punctuate her statement.

“Me too.” I swiped my hand over the top of my head. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

She caught my sleeve as I turned away. “Are we driving to work together?”

“It’s better we’re not seen together again until we tell our families.”

She nodded. “Sure. That makes sense. Good night, Luca.”

“Good night, Saoirse.”

Stripped out of my clothes, I lay in bed, wide awake, despite being dead on my feet. I’d hoped working myself to the point of exhaustion would have dulled my thoughts enough for me to ignore them, but no dice.

I was facing another week in a job I had heavy doubts I was capable of.

Keeping a motorcycle company afloat and profitable in an electric age and downward economic trends.

My entire extended family counting on those profits for their livelihood.

The reality that my father wasn’t the invincible force of nature I’d always viewed him as.

My mother worrying herself into knots over the heart of the man she’d taken care of her entire adult life.

The wife sleeping in the room beside mine.

My fucking dick swelling in my pants at the very thought of her. My desires couldn’t even give me a break. Not even my constant stream of worries would cut off my forceful attraction to Saoirse.

I accepted sleep wouldn’t be coming until I did. With a frustrated groan, I yanked back the covers and took my cock in my palm. And like I’d done dozens of times since the night we met, I closed my eyes and pictured Saoirse writhing on my sheets, the memory of her taste on my tongue.

When I was finished and sated, undeserved resentment toward her rose in the place of desire. But at least I was finally able to shut everything else off and fall asleep.

My next week was so tightly packed I barely had room to think, which I now viewed as a good thing. It was only when I got home, the quiet presence of Saoirse in my den, the place that had been my retreat, everything flooded back.

She was as unobtrusive as possible. She hadn’t asked anything of me since moving in. No chirped greetings in the morning or demands I have dinner with her in the evening. We were barely roommates, and we’d yet to discuss how it would go when we went public with our marriage. We hadn’t talked about much of anything.

That would have to change. In order to be a believable couple, we had to know each other. Beyond the background check I’d had done on her, I only knew vague stories I’d heard about her over the years.

With that in mind, I emailed her Tuesday morning from my desk.

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