Frayed Silk(13)

“Shut up.” I laugh.

Lifting his head, he connects our mouths. His tongue slips inside and gently skims along mine. He leans on his side, dragging a finger around my breast before squeezing it and trailing his fingers over the dips of my stomach to the top of my mound.

That’s when I start to shake; when reality decides to slap me upside the head. But he doesn’t notice. His finger slowly parts me and trails through my wetness, eliciting a shiver and fogging my mind with pleasure once again. He drags the wetness around my clit, and I moan as he dips his finger inside, teasing me and making my hips rock as my need to come builds rapidly. Finally, he thrusts a finger all the way in, nipping my chin and thrusting in and out of me in a torturously slow rhythm.

“Feel good, Blondie?” he murmurs throatily with his lips now sucking at my neck.

I suck in a breath in response, and he picks up speed, circling his thumb over my clit. That’s all it takes for the magic to happen. I come apart with a silent cry, my legs indeed shaking as they try to clamp around his hand and stars flash behind my closed eyelids.

When I open them, I find him grinning down at me. “That was one of the best things I’ve ever fucking seen.”

I try to catch my breath, my mind starting to un-fog.

“It really has been a while, hasn’t it?” He frowns.

I manage a nod, squeezing my eyes closed.

Holy fuck.

I just came on another man’s hand.

I had an orgasm, courtesy of someone other than my husband.

And to make matters even worse, a sob escapes me. I move away from Jared to sit up, covering my mouth with a hand and looking for my clothes.

“Hey, hey …” He gently grabs my arm and pulls me back down on the bed. “Come here.”

He wraps his arms around me, and I bury my face in his chest as I’m wracked by sob after embarrassing sob.

This can’t be me; this can’t be my life right now.

But it is. And I’ve gone and done it to myself.

“Shhh,” he murmurs, kissing my head and stroking my hair. “It’s okay, Blondie. I often have this effect on women. So good, they’re guaranteed to cry happy tears every damn time.”

I manage to laugh despite the hiccupping and sniffling.

“I’m so sorry.” I wipe my tears, and what I hope to God isn’t my snot, from his hard pec. “You gave me that, and … and I just—”

He grabs my chin, tilting it up to make me look at him. I study the chiseled yet playful features of his face behind blurred eyes.

“Don’t. I knew this might not go as smoothly as I’d hoped. And to be honest, I’m still shocked as fuck that you even agreed to it.”

I give him a watery smile. “You’re a good man, trouble. Not a lot would know what to do with a crying lunatic in your position.”

He swipes a tear from under my eye with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Nah, I just care about you, Blondie. Probably more than I should.” His brows pull in adorably as he says it. Smiling softly, I lean on an elbow and use my other hand to smooth the crease from between his brows. He brings my head back down to his chest, and I tuck it into his neck as he runs his calloused fingers up and down my back.

I’m more than aware that I’m doing—that I have done—something I can’t turn back from. But it feels too good to be cared for like this again for me to simply run out the door. Back to my cold house and even colder husband.

We lie in silence for a while, and I soon feel myself start to drift off to sleep before my eyes spring wide open. “Shit, the kids. I have to go before I’m late.”

He releases me, and I grab my clothes, scurrying into the shabby bathroom to dress. I try to fix my hair as best I can, hoping like hell that I have a brush in the car.

I’m about to leave the bathroom when I see it.

A hickey. Right underneath my earlobe.

My brown eyes look like they’re about to pop out of my head as I look in the mirror.

Shit, shit, fuck.

With nothing to be done about it now, I move my hair around to make sure it’s covered before racing back out to grab my purse.

“I’m sorry, so sorry. But I really do need to go. I’ll see you next week?” I say to the room in general as I focus on getting out of here. Jared comes up behind me and halts the door from opening with a hand.

“Not so fast, babe,” he says to my ear, spinning me around and bringing his mouth down to mine.

As soon as our lips touch, I pull away. “I can’t. I shouldn’t even be here …” I plead, backing myself up against the door. His lips tug into a tiny smile. Hooking an arm around my waist, he pulls me into his hard body.

“I know.” He kisses my forehead. “Go.”

I watch him for a second, feeling torn but knowing I can’t and don’t have the time to deal with that right now. He opens the door, and I run out to my car on the street. Climbing in, I check the time before I let my head drop into my hands.

Holy hell.

What have I done?

The pieces are falling, but now, I’m not so sure I want them to.





My stomach hasn’t stopped turning since I left Jared in the hotel yesterday. Guilt has followed me around like a little black cloud, floating over my head. I’m so damn confused because if I’m being honest, I don’t know if I should even feel guilty. But here I am, being dragged under anyway. I thought being with Jared would help, that it might wake me up a little from the bad dream that’s become my marriage. But it’s just made me feel worse.