“You regretting any of it?”

My hand slid around the back of his neck. “No. Absolutely not. But if you woke up tomorrow, and you’d somehow forgotten all of this. If it was all gone for you, like it had never happened, I would be furious at you.”

His forehead wrinkled.

“I’d hate you for forgetting all this when it’s meant everything to me.”

He licked his lips and turned off the tap with a foot. Without the water gushing out the room quieted instantly.

“Yeah,” he said. “I was angry.”

“I’m not going to let you down like that again.”

Beneath me his chest rose and fell heavily. “Okay.”

“I know it takes time to learn to trust someone. But in the meantime, I need you to at least give me the benefit of the doubt.”

“I know.” Wary blue eyes watched me.

I sat up and reached for the washcloth on the edge of the bath. “Let me clean you up a little.”

A dark lump sat on his jaw. Blood lingered beneath his nose and near his mouth. He was a mess. A big red mark was on his ribs.

“You should see a doctor,” I said.

“Nothing’s broken.”

Carefully, I wiped the blood from the side of his mouth and beneath his nose. Seeing him in pain was horrible. Knowing I was the cause made my stomach twist and turn. “Tell me if I press too hard.”

“You’re fine.”

“I’m sorry you got hurt. In the bar tonight, and in Vegas. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

His eyes softened and his hands slid over me. “I want you to come back to LA with me. I want you with me. I know school will start back eventually and we’re gonna have to work something out. But whatever happens, I don’t want us apart.”

“We’re not going to be.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Morning light woke me. I rolled over and stretched, working out the kinks. David lay on his back beside me, fast asleep. He had an arm flung over his face, covering his eyes. With him there, everything was right with my world. But also, everything was on show. He’d kicked off the sheet sometime during the night. So the morning wood thing was true. There you go. Lauren had been right on that count.

Waking up beside him with my wedding ring back on my finger had me grinning like a loon. Of course waking up beside a bare-naked David would have made just about anybody smile. Between my legs felt a little sore from last night’s efforts, but nothing too bad. Nothing sufficient to distract me from the view that was my husband.

I shuffled down the bed a bit, checking him out at my leisure for once. He didn’t have much of a belly button. It was basically a small indent followed by a fine trail of dark hair leading down across his flat stomach directly to it. And it was hard, thick, and long.

It being his penis, of course.

Gah. No, that didn’t sound right.

His cock. Yeah, much better.

We’d sat in the warm bath for a while last night at his insistence, soaking. We’d just talked. It had been lovely. There’d been no mention of the woman who’d obviously cheated on him and/or left him at some time in his past. But I’d felt her presence lurking. Time would kick her out the back door, I was sure of it.

He smelled faintly of soap, a little musky, perhaps. Warm wasn’t something I’d ever registered as having a smell before, but that’s what David smelled of. Warmth, like he was liquid sunshine or something. Heat and comfort and home.

I quickly checked his face. His eyes were still closed beneath the length of his arm, thank goodness. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. I really didn’t need him catching me sniffing at his crotch, no matter how poetic my thoughts. That would be embarrassment on a scale I’d prefer not to experience.

The skin looked super smooth despite the veins and the head stood out distinctly. He was uncut. Curiosity got the better of me, or maybe it already had. With all of his front half at my disposal, look where I’d wound up. I gently laid the palm of my hand atop him. The skin was soft and warm. Carefully, I wrapped my fingers around him. His c**k twitched and I jerked back, startled.

David burst out laughing, loud and long.

Bastard.

Embarrassment was a dam that had burst wide open inside of me. Heat flashed up my neck.

“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for me with his hand. “But you should have seen your face.”

“It’s not funny.”

“Baby, you wouldn’t believe how f**king funny it was.” He wrapped his fingers around my wrist, dragging me up and onto him. “Come here. Aw, the tips of your ears are all pink.”

“No they’re not,” I mumbled, lying across his chest.

He stroked my back, still sniggering. “Don’t let this scar you for life though, hey? I like you touching me.”

I huffed noncommittally.

“You know, if you play with my dick things will always happen. I guarantee it.”

“I know that.” The crook of his neck was handy for burying my hot face in, so I took full advantage. “I just got a surprise.”

“You sure did.” He squeezed me tight then slid a hand down to cup my bottom. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“A little sore,” I admitted. “A lot happy. Though that was before you callously mocked me.”

“Poor baby. Let me see,” he said, rolling me over onto the mattress until he was on top.

“What?”

He sat up between my legs with a hand holding my knees open. With a practiced eye he checked me over. “You don’t look too swollen. Probably just a bit sore inside, yeah?”

“Probably.” I tried to pull my legs up, to close them. Because I heartily doubted having him look at me there in that way helped the color of my ear tips.

“I have to be more careful with you.”

“I’m fine. Not that breakable, honestly.”

“Mm.”

“Takes more than a round of rough sex on the hardwood floor to worry me.”

“That so? Stay still for me,” he said, shuffling back to lie down at the end of the mattress.

This situated him distinctly between my legs, face to face with my girl bits, guaranteeing I wouldn’t be going anywhere. I’d heard good things about this, things that made my embarrassment levels redundant. Plus, I was curious.

He brushed his lips against my sex, the warmth of his breath making me shiver. My stomach muscles spasmed in anticipation.

His gaze met mine over the top of my torso. “Okay?”

I gave him a jerky nod, impatient.

“Put the other pillow behind your head too,” he instructed. “I want you to be able to watch.”

My husband had the best ideas. I did as asked, settling in to watch though my legs were aquiver. He kissed the inside of my thighs, first one, then the other. Everything in me focused on the sensations emanating from there. My world was a small perfect place. Nothing existed outside our bed.

His eyes closed but mine stayed open. He kissed his way over the lips of my sex and then traced the divide with the tip of his tongue. That worked. Warmth suffused me inside. Hands wrapped around the underneath of my thighs, fingers rubbing small circles into my skin. His lips never left my sex. It was exactly as if he was kissing me there. Mouth open wide and tongue stroking, making me writhe. The grip on my thighs tightened, holding me to him. Even the brush of his hair and the prickle of his stubble against me were thrilling things. I don’t know when I stopped watching. My eyes shut of their own accord as the pleasure took over. It was amazing. I didn’t want it to end. But the pressure inside me built until I couldn’t contain it any longer. I came with a shout, my body drawn tight from top to toe. Every part of me tingled. He didn’t pull back until I lay perfectly still, concentrating on just breathing.

“Am I forgiven for laughing at you?” he asked, crawling up the bed to plant a kiss on my shoulder.

“Sure.”

“How about the rough sex on the hardwood floor? Am I forgiven for that too?”

“Mmhmm.”

The mattress shifted beneath me as he hovered above. His wet mouth lingered over the curve of my breast, the line of my collarbone.

“I really liked that,” I said, my voice low and lazy. Gradually I opened my eyes.

“Fuck-drunk suits you, Evelyn.” A hand smoothed over my hip and he smiled down at me. “I’ll eat you out whenever you like. You only have to ask.”

I smiled back at him. And the smile may have twitched a little at the edges. Talking about this kind of thing was still new to me.

“Tell me you liked me licking your gorgeous pussy.”

“I said I liked it.”

“You’re embarrassed.” David’s brows drew together. There was mischief in his eyes. “You can talk rough sex on hardwood floors but not cunnilingus, hey? Say ‘pussy’.”

I rolled my eyes. “Pussy.”

“Again. Not as in ‘cat’.”

“I’m not saying it as in ‘cat’. Pussy. Pussy, pussy, pussy. Pussy not as in ‘cat’. Happy?” I laughed, moving a hand to slide down his chest, heading for his groin. “Can I do something for you now?”

He stopped my hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it. “I’m going to wait till tonight when we can make love again, if you’re feeling okay.”

“We’re making love tonight, Mr Smooth?”

“Sure.” He smirked, climbing off the bed. “We’ll make love again and then we’ll f**k again. I think we should put some serious time into exploring the differences. It’ll be fun.”

“Okay,” I quickly agreed. I wasn’t stupid.

“That’s my girl.” He held a hand out for me, eyes intent. “You are so damn pretty. You know, I’m never going to be able to wait until tonight.”

“No?”

“Nope. Look at you lying all na**d on my bed. I’ve never seen anything I’ve liked more.” He shook his head, mouth rueful as his eyes travelled over my body. My husband was incredibly good for my ego. But he made me feel humble at the same time, grateful. “I was a f**king idiot to suggest waiting,” he said, taking a step back and crooking his finger at me. “And you know how I hate being away from you. Come help me in the shower? It’ll give you some good hands-on experience.”

I crawled off the bed after him. “That so?”

“Oh, yeah. And you know how seriously I take you and your education.”

*

“You suck,” said Lauren, her voice echoing down the line. Pam had warned me some parts of the coast could be iffy with cell coverage.

“I’m not saying I don’t still love you,” she said. “But, you know …”

“I know. I’m sorry,” I said, settling into the corner of the lounge. The menfolk were busy downstairs making music. Pam had gone running errands in town. I had calls to make. Boxes to unpack. Dreams of blissful wedlock to work up to insane, impossible proportions inside my head.

“Never mind. Update me,” she demanded.

“Well, we’re still married. In a good way this time.”

Lauren screamed in my ear. It took her a good couple of minutes to calm down. “Oh my God, I was hoping something would work out. He’s so f**king hot.”

“Yes, indeed he is. But he’s more than that. He’s wonderful.”

“Keep going.”

“I mean, really wonderful.”

She huffed out a laugh. “You already used ‘wonderful’. Try a new word, Cinderella. Give my inner fangirl something to work with here.”

“Don’t crush on my husband. That’s not cool.”

“You’re six years too late with that warning. I was crushing on David Ferris long before you put a ring on him in Vegas.”

“Actually, he doesn’t have a ring.”

“No? You should fix that.”

“Hmm.” I stared out the window at the ocean. Out in the distance a bird drifted in lazy circles high up in the sky. “We’re at his place in Monterey. It’s beautiful here.”

“You left LA?”

“LA was not so great. What with the groupies and lawyers and business managers and everything, it was pretty shitty.”

“Details, babe. Gimme.”

I drew my knees up to my chest and fidgeted with the seam of my jeans, feeling conflicted. Discussing our personal details behind David’s back didn’t sit well with me. Not even with Lauren. Things had changed. Most noticeably, our marriage had changed. But there were still some things I could share. “The people there were like something from another planet. I did not fit in. Though you would have liked seeing the parties they threw. All the glamorous people packed into this mansion. It was impressive.”

“You’re making me insanely jealous. Who was there?”

I gave her a couple of names as she oohed and aahed.

“But I don’t miss LA. Things are so good now, out here, Lauren. We’ve put the annulment on hold. We’re going to see how things go.”

“That’s so romantic. Tell me you’ve jumped that fine-looking man’s bones, please. Don’t make me cry.”

“Lauren,” I sighed.

“Yes or no?”

I hesitated and she got screamy at me, rather predictably.

“YES OR NO?”

“Yes. Alright? Yes.”

This time, her shriek definitely did my eardrums permanent damage. All I could hear was ringing. When it ended, someone was mumbling in the background. Someone male.