“So, I go with my buddies to the off-campus party, at someone’s place in the city. We’re all drunk, doing stupid macho stuff guys razz each other to do or risk being called a pussy for the rest of college. When this girl I didn’t know propositioned me in front of my buddies, I didn’t say no. How could I? They’d never let me live it down.
“That’s what I told myself anyway. Truth was, I didn’t want to be tied down when other girls were willingly throwing themselves at me. The girl I’d been seeing, Stephanie, shows up at the party, looking for me, and finds me with the other girl whose name I never even asked. Stephanie runs out of the house screaming and crying, causing a huge scene that embarrassed me in front of all my friends. All the shocked faces were staring at me. The same people who’d encouraged me when the girl came on to me looked at me like I was a piece of trash.
“I chased Stephanie outside, where more people were milling about, and they had a front row seat to our huge fight on the sidewalk. Stephanie turned to leave, she was done with me, but I didn’t want to end things on that note. So, I grabbed her arm and tried to get her to just talk to me. The more I tried, the more she fought me.
“She pulled free from my grip and stumbled backward. I thought she’d caught herself for a second, but the heel of her shoe got stuck in a crack. Everything happened in slow motion from that point. I guess to make sure it’s forever burned into my memory.
“She hopped on one foot for a second, trying to keep her balance and get her high heel free. Then her foot came out of her shoe, and she stumbled backward again. Only this time, she stepped off the curb and into the path of an oncoming car. She died on the way to the hospital.”
I recited the entire memory without looking at Christa. I was still so ashamed of my part in Stephanie’s demise, I couldn’t bear to think about that night. But Christa deserved to know everything about me before she decided to spend her life with me.
“I’m so sorry that happened and you had to witness that tragedy, Aaron. But I don’t understand why you think it’s your fault. It was a terrible accident, and my heart breaks for Stephanie and for her family. But it also breaks for you.”
“The rumors started almost instantly when word spread she’d died after we fought. Some said they witnessed it, that I pushed her in front of that car. They’d seen me grab her arm, trying to talk to her and calm her down. But with her shrieking at me on a busy sidewalk, that’s not at all how they viewed the events.
“An inquiry into her death meant the police had to investigate every aspect of what happened. They don’t share details of an ongoing investigation. When you’re at a college where it seems everyone knows everyone, absence of information ensures rumors, conjecture, and outright lies become the gospel.
“My parents and my brother stepped in and took control because I just shut down. I couldn’t go anywhere without people pointing and whispering about me. By the time the police concluded their investigation and released the security video that captured our entire ordeal, my reputation was already ruined. I transferred to a different college and gave my family complete control of my life. Where I went to school, what I majored in, starting the company with Lance. They became my coping mechanism so I didn’t have to make any important decisions.”
“That explains why you didn’t speak up in Lance’s office.”
“It’s why I didn’t question him when I woke up with a wedding ring on and a wife who had moved in with me, but no memory of any of it. He assumed I’d fucked up again, and he went into overprotective big brother mode. It’s what he’s done for years.”
She leaned against the back of the chair, stared at the uneaten food on her plate, and chewed on her bottom lip. That was the first defining moment of where our future went. She was replaying that day in her mind with new eyes. Seeing my failures as a man, as a husband, in a new light.
“There’s more. Should I go on?”
She nodded but didn’t look at me.
“I quit my job with Rivers Forte and sold my half of the company. When I realized what I’d done—to you, to me, to us—I finally woke up to what my life has been for the last seven years. That’s not the life I want, so I’ve started my own business doing something I love to do.
“Before I tell you the next part, I want to stress something first. Everything I’ve done or said or written has been one hundred percent true. I love you, Christa, more than anyone or anything in my life. The texts, the letters, coming here, not coming here—it’s all been part of a scheme to get you back. First, I was around all the time, hoping you’d change your mind. Then I stayed away, hoping you’d miss me enough to want me again.
“If confessing to all this means I’ve lost you because you can’t trust me again, I’ll understand. I’ll never be happy without you, but I won’t trick you into thinking you want and need me.”
She looked up at me with a small, sad smile. “I knew what you were doing, Aaron.”
“You did?” I picked my bottom jaw up off the floor.
“Delilah is my friend, too. She told me not to give in too easily. She strongly suggested I make you work for it to teach you a lesson.”
“That sneaky, little old lady.” I was shell-shocked. She hoodwinked me into thinking she was only giving me relationship advice.
Christa laughed openly now. “She is that, but she has a heart of gold. She thinks the world of you and tells me every chance she gets.”
We finally looked at each other—really looked at the other—for the first time in a long time. There was still so much I didn’t know about her, and so much she didn’t know about me—the odds felt insurmountable. We hadn’t even delved into the whole family dynamics and how that situation would affect us in the future.
I wrapped my fingers around her hand and lifted it to my lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. “We both still have a lot of soul-searching to do before we make a life-changing decision. As much as I’d love to take your declaration of love as a rock-solid promise we’ll be together, the better course would be for us to take the next few months to get to know each other better. Maybe we can start dating again.
“So, wifey, can I take you out to eat sometime? Maybe to a movie. A romantic walk along the water. A thrilling hike in the park. An adventurous weekend away.”
“I’ll have to ask my husband if he approves of me dating you.” She laced her fingers with mine and squeezed. “But I think he’ll be okay with it.”
“Are you free tomorrow night? There’s something I want to show you.”
“I am, and I’m looking forward to it. Will you text me? And tell me what to wear?”
“Text you what to wear?”
“No. I miss getting text messages from you every day, and I need you tell me what to wear tomorrow night.”
I fucking loved her. With a few simple words, she made me feel invincible again.
“Yes, to both requests. Feel free to reply to my texts at any time of the day or night.”
“Speaking of, why were you out until sunrise?”
“That’s part of what I want to show you. You’ll have to wait until our date.” I winked then kissed her palm, flattened her hand against my face, and inhaled her scent.
“I’m glad you came in today.” She reached across the table and grasped my other hand. That was the first gesture she’d made to touch and connect with me in months.
“So am I. Just so you know, I’m reverting to my previous schedule of daily visits to your establishment. I’ve had enough of making you miss me.”
“You’ve missed me too much to do it any longer is what you’re actually saying.”
“Absofuckinglutely.”
I tugged slightly on her hands, and she eagerly complied and met me halfway across the table for a real kiss. I took it, but it only ignited my desire for her even more. “I’ll still text you later, but there’s something I need to tell you while I’m here.”
“Should I be afraid? I mean, what other secrets could you possibly have?
”
I smiled, broadly and deviously. “I’ve missed kissing your lips.”
Her perplexed look amused me. “You just kissed me. But just so you know, I’ve missed kissing your lips, too.”
“I wasn’t talking about the lips on your face.”
There was the bright-red blush I wanted to see. She dropped her face into the crook of her arm since I was still holding firmly on to her hands, and her shoulders bounced from laughter. “I should’ve known there was a catch to that innocent remark.”
“Can I call you between text messages?” I asked, still laughing over her red face.
“Absofuckinglutely,” she replied, mimicking and surprising me. “In fact, you can use FaceTime instead of a regular call.”
I could have been wrong, but I sensed I’d awoken a closet freak who intended to get the best of me.
Challenge accepted.
“Anything you say, my love.”
With that settled, I reluctantly left her to prepare for the lunch crowd while I worked on my own new business. But only after I coaxed a not-suitable-for-work kiss out of her.
Dating My Spouse
Christa
By the time I trudged down the hall to my apartment, I was beyond tired. Allie’d had the day off, and I spent a long time talking to Aaron, so playing catch-up took a toll on me.
When I unlocked the door, the room was filled with lit candles. Music was playing softly from my bedroom. I followed the path made by hundreds of red rose petals to my master bathroom, where more candles, a bubble bath, and a bath pillow awaited. On the ledge around the tub was a bottle of Moscato D’Asti in a wine chiller, and a glass already poured, waiting for me. An iPad sat at the other end of the tub.
My heart swelled with love. I couldn’t believe he went to all that trouble for me. The water was still piping hot, so he must’ve left just before I arrived. Since I wasn’t one to pass up a good, long soak in a hot, sudsy bath, I quickly shed my clothes and sank down into the water.
After a couple of minutes, the iPad began ringing, and I couldn’t help but giggle. The display screen read “Your Husband.”
When it connected, Aaron’s handsome face filled the screen. “Hello, gorgeous. How’s my wife enjoying her bubble bath and chilled bubbly?”
“It’s pure heaven, Aaron. I can’t believe you did this for me, and I don’t know how you pulled it off. But my aching feet and legs agree we should do this more often.”
That time when he smiled, I saw the love in his eyes again, and I felt the response in my heart. We were taking it slow and getting to know each other, but all I could think about was declaring my love for him.
“I’ve told you before, I plan on spoiling you much more than this. If you’ll just let me. You know, you’re welcome to come to my place and soak in my tub whenever you want. I’ll even turn the water jets on and massage your legs.”
“You’ll let the water jets massage my legs?”
“No, my love. That pleasure is all mine.”
I sat up and moved closer to the screen. The bubbles slid down my skin, and his gaze followed until the clump of suds moved past my bare breasts.
“The pleasure is all yours?” I challenged.
“Allow me to rephrase my answer. It’s my pleasure to massage your legs, but you can have all the pleasure you want.”
I crossed my arms nonchalantly under my wet breasts, purposely pushing them up. “You’re such a good husband. Always thinking of your wife. It’s too bad you’re not here for me to take you up on that offer right now.”
His sexy growl came through the speakers and echoed off the walls, sending a lightning bolt straight between my legs.
“You don’t play fair, Christa.”
“All is fair in love and war, my hubby.” I took a sip of the chilled wine, closed my eyes, and moaned appreciatively as I swallowed it. “That is so good.”
“Fucking hell. I knew this would backfire on me.”
“Don’t try to play games with me, love.” He was all but panting into the camera, watching me with rapt attention. “Do you have a bubble bath planned for our date tomorrow night?”
“I do now.”
The rest of our video chat was filled with playful banter, sexy innuendo, and fun flirting. We couldn’t go back to square one like strangers, and I wouldn’t want to try. But we could get back what we had and then make it even better.
I firmly believed we could do it.
Maybe I was becoming an optimist.
While I was positive Aaron would’ve been game, I didn’t take our flirting to voyeurism for a specific reason I hadn’t shared with him yet—I was packing an overnight bag to stay at his condo the following night.
The one night I stayed there before wasn’t long enough to soak in his jetted tub, so I was counting on an extra-long bath, and I wouldn’t be alone.
Just as I was getting ready for bed, my phone sounded with an incoming text. Giddy with excitement, I rushed to see what he sent, then almost dropped it from surprise.
The man was trying to kill me.
He sent me a dick pic with the message, “Someone is thinking about you.”
How the hell was I supposed to fall asleep now? If I couldn’t sleep, he wouldn’t get to sleep either. So I slipped out of my pajamas, crawled into bed, and recorded a short video of my fingers sliding into my pussy. Then I returned the favor by sending it to him with the message, “Someone is thinking about you, too. I’ll give you one guess who.”
I started to doubt myself, wondering if I’d sent it to the wrong person when I didn’t receive a reply for several minutes. Relief and amusement washed over me when I got his reply.
Aaron: “Fucking hell. I’m going to take a cold shower. Again.”
Me: “I miss you, too.”
Aaron: “I love you, baby.”
Me: “I love you, too. Good night.”
Aaron: “Sweet dreams. You’ll be in mine. And they’ll be wet.”
* * *
When I arrived at the shop, Allie was already in the kitchen pulling the first batch of pastries out of the oven. While whistling.
I stopped in the kitchen doorway and stared at her in disbelief. Allie was actually cheerful in the morning, and the sun wasn’t even up yet.
“All right, spill it.”
She jumped and yelped while whirling around, ready to fight the intruder. “You’re a fucking ninja, Christa. Warn somebody when you steal up behind them before dawn.”
“I didn’t steal up behind you. I unlocked the door, came in to the chimes ringing, locked the door again, and walked back here. Your whistling was too loud, I guess.”
“Whatever.”
That was a telltale sign if I’d ever seen one. When Allie gave up a chance at retaliation, it was because she was hiding something.
“Who is he?”
“Who is who?”
“The man who has you singing and carrying on like a canary.”
“I’m doing no such thing. So, how’d it go with you and Aaron yesterday? Did you two kiss and make up?”
“How did you know?” Then it hit me. “You let him into my apartment.”
“Maybe. Somebody had to. You need to get laid so you’ll chill the fuck out.”
“Were you secretly born a guy?” I asked jokingly as I tied my apron behind my waist.
“Very funny. Just because my lady balls are bigger than most men’s testicles proves nothing. Now answer me.”
“We kissed. We decided to take it slow and get to know each other before making any decisions. We had a long talk and realized there’s a lot we haven’t shared.”
She stared at me for several seconds, her mouth agape and a disgusted scowl on her face. “You two need to borrow my lady balls and stop pussyfooting around. Jump in headfirst without checking the water beforehand. You think it’ll hurt any less if you lose each other after taking it slow? No, you’ll have more regrets and more ‘what-if’ questions.”
“Interesting theory.”
“Theory, my ass. It’s called life, sweetheart. And you need to start living yours before it passes you by.”
Three hours later, everything was ready, and we had a few minutes to catch our breath before the Saturday morning crowd arrived. The first person to walk through the door was Aaron, and my heart quickened at the sight of him.
“Are you here to borrow my balls?” Allie asked then took a sip of coffee, as if she just asked about the weather.
“Umm…” Aaron began to answer then paused. “What?”
“Ignore her. She was out in the forest last night, sacrificing innocent animals, so she’s in an especially good mood today.” Aaron’s gaze shifted between Allie and me, clearly confused after stepping into this crazy conversation. “Are you ready for coffee and breakfast?”
“I am so ready.” He looked relieved at the abrupt change in subject. “I’m also ready for our date tonight. Can we start early?”
“Sure. What time did you have in mind?”
He looked at his watch. “How about 7:10 a.m.?”
I glanced at the clock. “You’re giving me a whole two minutes to get ready? That’s so generous of you.” Aaron leaned down and kissed me. Thoroughly. Deeply. Panty-meltingly.
“You two are sick and sweet,” Allie grumbled. “She can leave at two o’clock today, and I’ll cover the store alone until closing.”
“Allie, you’re the best. After Christa.” Aaron lifted his cup. “To Allie, for saving the day.”
“Yeah, yeah. My standing threat is still valid.”
“No need to worry. I’ll take good care of her.” Aaron turned to me and waggled his eyebrows.
We had breakfast together, with me jumping up between bites to help fill the many to-go orders. “Okay, where were we?”
“I was just about to ask how your catering plans are shaping up. Any progress on that front?”
Completely Captivated Page 23
