Page 67 of Sinful Desires

My heart thrashed around violently within my chest as adrenaline washed through me. Part of me felt guilty, but the other part of me didn’t. I’m sure she fantasized about other people too.

“I brought you lunch.” She sat the bag on my desk and folded her hands together in that prim and proper way she always did.

She’s never once brought me lunch. Hell, she’s never stepped foot on school grounds at all. Out of all the days she could have chosen to make an appearance, it had to be today.

“What’s the occasion?” I asked cautiously, before peering into the bag. Everything was wrapped in tinfoil, preventing me from seeing what she picked up for me. If I had to guess by the shape of one of the items, it was easy to assume that one was a burrito of some sort—which only confused me further. Caroline only ate organic foods, and she was vegan.

A small red smile curved up her lips as she perched her ass on the edge of my desk. “No occasion.” She shrugged. “I just wanted to come see you.” Her gaze roamed around the room and she sucked her lower lip into her mouth as she assessed her surroundings. To anyone else, she’d look curious. But I knew better. It was the tiniest movement of her nose as she scrunched it up. Anyone else would have missed that tell-tell sign or thought that it was a cute little quirk she had. Unfortunately, that didn’t even come close to the truth.

Reaching into the bag, I pulled out the burrito and unwrapped it. The smell of beans and melted cheese instantly hit my nostrils making my mouth water.

“There’s also some hot sauce in there, sweetie.” She smiled again, but it didn’t reach her eyes—none of her smiles seemed to lately.

“Thanks,” I grumbled.

Grabbing the hot sauce, I peeled the lid off and sat it on my desk before dipping my burrito in it and taking a bite. Within seconds, I’d devoured the entire thing, the flavors dancing against my tongue. Dipping my hand into the bag again, I pulled out the next item which I quickly found out was a roast beef sandwich upon opening it.

“Where did you get all of this from?” I queried, knowing that there wasn’t a decent place to eat around here for miles.

“I went into town. Why? Is it cold?” Her eyes widened and fear slithered across her face at the prospect of me eating cold food.

A light chuckle left me and I shook my head. “It’s fine—more than fine,” I assured her, placing the roast beef sandwich to my lips before taking a bite.

“Okay, I lied,” she said in defeat, shifting her body on the desk so she could face me. “There is a reason I came here today.”

I arched an eyebrow and placed the food down on my desk. Maybe this was her way of asking me for a divorce.

“I haven’t been the best wife lately,” she admitted, peering into my eyes with wide, glassy ones. “And I know why you’ve been so distant lately. It’s because you don’t want to be with me anymore.” A lone tear slipped from her eye and trickled down her cheek.

My back straightened as I took in what she was saying. It was no secret that she hadn’t been the best wife lately. We never had sex anymore, and when we did, it was missionary. There was no emotional intimacy between us at all, she never even did things around the house. Anytime I tried to do something nice for her, it always backfired on me. Nothing was ever good enough for her.

I couldn’t exactly tell her any of this right now though, considering she was being vulnerable with me. So, I shook my head instead. “That’s not true, Care. You’ve just been busy.” The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but if I was honest with her right now, I’d never get back to work today. She was busy alright. Busy going to luncheons and to the mall.

“I come from a very rich family,” she began again, as if I needed the reminder. “Daddy never told me no, and mama always told me to find a guy who would take care of me. You weren’t at all what I had in mind, Aiden. I’m not used to wanting things or saving for things.” Releasing a ragged breath, her soft hand found mine on the desk. “I’m also not used to doing things I don’t want to do. We always had maids and cooks back home. But I want to try to make this work between us; I do care about you, even if I have trouble expressing that sometimes.”

My stomach twisted with guilt at her revelation. All this time, I’d blamed her—well, her parents too. Maybe she’s been struggling with this just as much as me. This was a change for both of us. Even if we have been married for about two years now, we never really adapted to it.

The first clue that this never would have worked for us should have been when her father approached me, practically begging me to marry his daughter. He’d made a joke about her running his bank account dry—even though he was a billionaire. Being young and naïve, I genuinely thought he was joking. Our parents had been friends for years and Caroline and I would often hang out in the same circle. She was beautiful. That was enough for me to say yes.

“Thank you,” I finally said with a confused nod. “Maybe there are things we both need to work on.”

She breathed a sigh of relief and beamed at me. “I’m so happy to hear you say that, and I promise that the house will be cleaned spotless by the time you get home today.” She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to the corner of my mouth before pulling away and getting to her feet. “I’ll see you at home.” Tugging her purse over her shoulder, she made her way out of the room.

Pulling up my pants, I leaned back in my seat, trying to wrap my head around everything that had just happened. The remnants of her strong, rose-scented perfume hung in the air so potently that I could taste it. I suppose I owed her a chance. Maybe there was hope for us down the road; there was no telling unless we explored it.

Chapter 21

Aspen

My plan might have worked too well. While Hunter was game for pissing off Collin, he wasn’t too happy about Jessica finding out. Now the two love birds were on the outs, and it was my fault. After everyone left, he grabbed me by the hair and slung me into the bathroom, ordering that I sleep on the floor. I’d never seen him so pissed off before, and slowly, it was all making sense as to why they were all friends with each other. Myles was up front about being a crazy psychopathic piece of shit. However, the rest of them weren’t. But they had the same urges. The same needs.

I’d been in here all night and school was quickly approaching. Did he plan on leaving me in here all day too? I’ve already missed enough school.

As if reading my thoughts, the bathroom door swung open and Hunter stepped into the room, staring down at me with cold, calculating eyes.

“Get up if you want to eat,” he instructed. “You’re stuck with us for the day.”

Scrambling off the floor, I stood, afraid that he’d change his mind. Exhaustion overwhelmed me, but the need to fight back overpowered that. So instead, I released a snort of amusement rather than bowing down and kissing his feet.

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