Page 25 of The Alpha's Triplets

She went on with the pretense, and pushed down her own burning desire for him. She had been willing to pretend as if that moment had never happened. Had tried to ignore it. What they had was a business deal, after all. Why should she have expected anything more?

And then, he’d taken her up to his beautiful master bedroom. All she’d wanted to do was get lost in him, with no one to witness them but the silent trees down below, and the silver moon high in the sky.

Until he’d told her they would be sleeping in separate rooms. His words had broken through a fog in her mind to reach her, and the effect was shattering.

Her countenance had grown instantly cold and he’d noticed it. She knew she wasn’t being fair to him, but she felt what she felt. Mostly, she was angry with herself for even harboring the thoughts that she did. Blake was Xander’s best friend, after all, and he’d probably been weighing the consequences of fooling around with his friend’s sister.

Still, she knew what she had seen. She was convinced he wanted her. To be fair, her mood wasn’t exactly great to begin with. She was still dealing with the reality that she was essentially a married woman, and the realization left her feeling strange.

It was possible that Blake had seen that, and had taken it as a cue to leave. And now, she was alone, seriously considering the idea of going out to look for him herself. She knew she wouldn’t, but she couldn’t deny that the temptation to do so was strong.

She knew which room he was in. She knew the house was empty, save for the both of them. She knew he wanted her. She was certain. And yet, what would he think of her? How would he react?

Chances were he would cast his reservations aside. Eleanor believed in her heart that he would. But there was also the slim possibility that he would hold out, and turn her down. The embarrassment of that happening would rip her to shreds. Slim though it was, the chances of that happening were enough to keep her glued to her bed.

She knew he didn’t leave immediately. She waited for his receding footsteps down the hall but nothing came. He was as silent as death but she knew he was out there, standing sentry behind the door.

A blanket of loneliness swallowed her whole when he eventually moved, leaving her alone in a bed big enough for five people.Why couldn’t he just make a move?

She wanted to talk to Carla desperately. She couldn’t tell her what was going on, she knew, but she just wanted to talk to someone, anyone. Unfortunately, she didn’t have her phone with her, and she wasn’t getting it till her things arrived the next day.

She tossed in bed, battering her pillows and looking for a comfortable position. She was exhausted to her bones, but sleep stayed away, torturing her by hanging around the fringes of her mind.

Eleanor briefly considered going down to the kitchen for a drink or a snack, but decided against it. With her luck, she was likely to run into Blake if she did so. It was hard enough to stay away from him, shut here in her room. She didn’t know what she would do if she did run into him again tonight, and it was unwise for her to tempt fate.

She had no idea when she eventually fell asleep, but sunlight flooding through the glass walls surrounding her room woke her like a soft kiss on her cheek and forehead.

She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the bright light in her face. She reached for the dresser, feeling around until she found the remote that controlled the blinds. It took her a few seconds to find the right button, and then she shaded the windows.

The darkness was a relief, and she lay in it for several minutes, thinking about what to do with her day. Her head felt groggy, as if she had spent a night out drinking with the girls. She’d slept fitfully, albeit long and hard.

She was not enthusiastic about meeting with Blake, but she couldn’t see how it was possible for her to live in the same house with him without running into him. She could try to avoid him, but what good would that do? Worse, how long could she really do that for?

It was an easy choice to make.I’ll just stay in bed as long as I can and hope that these crazy feelings miraculously go away. That decision was ruined when her stomach rumbled angrily.

Right, she’d barely eaten a bite the previous day, and the day before that. The pain was unbelievable and her eyes watered with hunger.Great. She took a deep breath, and prepared herself for what she was sure would be an awkward encounter when she did see her husband.

The house was unnervingly quiet as Eleanor walked past Blake’s room and down the stairs. She didn’t see any sign of him when she got to the kitchen. The entire house seemed just as deserted as it had been the previous night.

She didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed not to find Blake. Her hunger didn’t give her time to make up her mind.

“Alright then, let’s see what we have here,” she said, opening the refrigerator. The shelves were packed with more than enough food to feed a small army, but she didn’t have the energy for anything too serious.

She checked the overhead cabinets and found boxes of cereal. She took one, grabbed some milk, and poured herself a bowl. It was an uninspiring breakfast, she knew, but she was too hungry to care.

She was munching peacefully at the kitchen table when Blake burst in through the kitchen door, startling her. She looked up, shocked by the sudden sound. He saw her and smiled, then shrugged his headphones down to his neck.

He was a hot sweating mess, and the air almost shimmered around him. He looked like he’d been out for a morning run. His tank top and shorts stuck to his body with sweat, carving out his impeccable physique.

It seemed so wrong to Eleanor that he looked this hot when he’d just been on a run. There was nothing hot or sexy about a sweaty man, but Blake managed to pull it off with a minimum of fuss.

She remembered her visions from the previous night and swallowed hard as her mouth watered. She felt heat spreading between her legs and stifled a moan. She wanted to trace a finger over his body, tracing the symmetrical lines that covered it.

She lost herself in her mind, hot thoughts of passion drowning her in her own head. She struggled to see through the haze of desire, and the harder she tried, the more vividly she could see how hot Blake looked.

She imagined what it would feel like if he pressed his hard, sweaty body against hers, tangling his fingers in her hair, and taking her right there on the kitchen counter.

“You’re up!” Blake said, a big smile on his face. “Good morning.”

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