Page 63 of Four-ever Single

“Nah, I know plenty of ways for us to work it off.”

I smacked her ass and grabbed the stuff I had picked up at the store before heading to the master bathroom. I wasn’t sure how hot she wanted the water or when she would be ready to get in, so I went with a few degrees hotter than I liked and filled the tub with the rose-scented Epsom salts she had been looking at before pouring in the matching bubble bath.

A few minutes later, she came in carrying a glass of her favorite wine and set it on the counter. She stripped her clothes off, but it was solely so she could get in the bath, not to seduce me—which I didn’t need right now. I wanted her to feel better however I could make that happen.

Once she was naked, she grabbed her wine and stepped into the water. I opened my mouth to warn her that it was hot, but she sank down without a care in the world and let the bubbles wash over her. Her eyes closed, and I watched all of the tension start to disappear.

I closed the door and gave her privacy while I got to work in the kitchen, praying I could recreate the Marry Me Chicken without setting the house on fire.

Thirty-Eight

Bella

“You know, you don’t have to make me Marry Me Chicken since we’re already married,” I teased, taking another bite. I giggled the night of our bachelor/bachelorette parties when he told me they had taken him to a cooking glass, but there was nothing funny about the delicious meal he had made for me tonight. It was so good that I even looked around to see if there were any take-out bags, wondering if he had it delivered while I was soaking.

“We can call it something else,” he said shyly, lifting his fork to his mouth.

“Right now, I feel like we should call it Blow Job Chicken because that’s what you’re going to get after I finish devouring this. It is freakin delicious, Jones.”

“Thank you. It feels weird being able to say I can cook something.”

“You did good with the mishap a while back at work, too,” I reminded him. “Seems maybe you’re finally coming into your skills as a chef.”

His cheeks blushed an adorable shade of red as he shoved a hand through his short hair. I knew he wasn’t used to compliments so I didn’t want to keep pushing him and make him uncomfortable. I truly enjoyed dinner and wanted to make sure he knew.

We switched topics and filled the silence, discussing what we needed to do before the official honeymoon to Italy in November. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was exciting that he was going with me. I mean, it would be weird to go and not take him since he was my husband, but I also didn’t want to just assume that he would be able to take that much time off from work.

After dinner, we cleaned up and cuddled on the couch. It was nice not having to worry about anything right now. We could just be us and enjoy our time still getting to know each other.

We were watching an action-packed movie when my phone dinged with a message. I grabbed it, thinking it would be Lia checking in since I hadn’t heard much from her since Saturday. She was back to working eighty-plus hours a week and had been lucky to get off for the wedding. Instead, it was another email that made my stomach turn.

From: [email protected]

Subject: Did you think you could run?

Date: May 21, 2024 8:58

To: [email protected]

Bella, Bella, Bella. Did you really think you could get rid of me that easy? You should know by now that I know everything about you—including where you’re at. What you’re wearing. What movie you’re watching. Maybe your husband can learn a thing or two about how to catch the bad guys with that mindless crap on TV. Tell him to at least try harder. You wouldn’t want people to think your marriage was fake, would you?

I tossed my phone down and buried my head in my hands as I cried. I felt Jones pick it up, and then the couch shifted as he jumped up and checked the windows and doors. He called someone, anger rich in his voice, but I tuned it all out as I struggled with why this was happening in the first place.

Thirty-Nine

Jones

“What the actual fuck am I supposed to do?” I demanded, slamming my fist on the kitchen table as Nate and Capshaw gave me space.

Bella was in the bedroom with Kensy, the one place I knew she would be safe. The curtains were always closed in there, and the only way in or out of that room was through the living room, where we would all see her.

“We’ve already reported it to the police,” Nate said with a frustrated sigh. “But there’s nothing they can do until he physically becomes a threat.”

“I’m not going to let that fucking happen.”

“I know. We’re not either,” Capshaw assured. “We’re going to do whatever it takes to catch this asshole.”

Nate flipped through the emails I had Bella print out earlier, including the ones from the address she had blocked yesterday. We had her iPad sitting on the table, logged into her email, waiting to see if anything else came in.

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