Fleeting Moments(40)

Just a little.

***

It takes more than a little courage to do what I do next.

I finish my shower, and pull on my panties and one of Heath’s shirts, which covers my bottom and goes halfway down my thighs. Still, I know it’s sexy, and a massive risk. I can’t help it—something about him makes me want to play dirty, or even more—be dirty. I’ve never been that girl. I’ve always been the clean, little make-love-sweetly kind of woman. But with him, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make him ache for me.

I take a deep, shaky breath and walk out of the room and into the main living area. All the men are sitting around a table talking, so I saunter past and into the kitchen. It doesn’t escape my notice that the talking stops. Smothering my sly little grin, I reach up to a taller cupboard and take down a stack of plates. I know the lower part of my bottom is showing, and when I turn around with the plates in my hand, I know I’ve gotten the reaction I wanted.

I just didn’t expect it out of all of them.

They’re all staring at me with a mixture of tight jaws or sly smiles.

Heath looks pissed. And horny. Mostly pissed.

I smile sweetly. “I’m making breakfast. It’s the least I can do.”

I turn around and open the fridge, sidling over and leaning down to inspect the contents. A hiss can be heard in the silence, and my grin gets bigger as I gather some ham, eggs, mushrooms, and cheese. I feel his presence behind me long before I hear his rumbling voice as he leans his body over mine, letting his breath tickle my ear. “You’re givin’ every man in here a hard-on. Unless you want me to lower those pretty panties and f*ck you right here, right now, then I suggest you go and put some jeans on.”

I straighten and turn, but he has me pinned with one hand right next to my head, resting against the fridge so I can’t get out. “Yes, sir,” I breathe, staring at his lips.

“Stop f*ckin’ looking at me like that. You’re asking me to have control but you’re playing with fire.”

“I’m not asking you to have control,” I say slipping away. “But I appreciate that you do. Doesn’t mean I don’t get to make it difficult.”

He grabs me around the waist, pulling me so my back slams against his chest. His mouth finds my ear, and he gently nips it before saying in a husky voice, “Careful.”

“Consider it revenge for all those times you let me look crazy,” I say, spinning in his arms and leaning up, pressing a kiss to his lower lip.

He growls.

I grin.

Today is going to be a good day.





CHAPTER 17


I glance at my phone and frown when I see Heather’s name flashing across the screen. God, I thought we were over this. I’m so tired of her interfering in something that, quite frankly, is none of her business. I notice a few notifications on my screen that alert me to the fact that she’s been calling me for a while. With a sigh, I excuse myself from the men I’ve just served breakfast to and stand a few feet away, answering the phone.

“Yes, Heather?”

“Finally. I’ve been trying to call you for hours.”

My heart quickens. “Is everything okay with Gerard?”

Heath’s eyes flash to mine.

“They are now, but they won’t be when I tell him about you and your lover!”

I blink. “Pardon me?”

“This has all been a story, hasn’t it? This whole ‘other man’ business. You made it look like you were crazy so you could hide the fact that you were having an affair.”

The woman has lost her ever-loving mind.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Don’t play stupid with me,” she screams. “He gave you everything and you cheated on him!”

“I didn’t cheat on him,” I screech. I’ve had enough of this woman. “Not once.”

“Liar! I saw you last night leaving your parents’ house with him. A man. Then it made sense—it all came together. You used an imaginary man that you knew didn’t exist to push Gerard away and make it look like you were crazy, leaving you free to pursue your secret lover. What a clever, clever way of getting out of your marriage clean.”

She can’t be serious. “You’ve lost your mind.”

“So you’re telling me you’re not seeing someone? That I imagined you practically skipping out of that house with a man on your arm?”

I glance at Heath. I can’t tell her about him. I think for a few seconds. “No, I was with a man. He’s a friend.”

“You’re such a liar!”

“I’m not lying, Heather. He’s a friend that I met in, the, ah, support group I’ve been going to. I’m not having an affair; I was always faithful to Gerard.”

“That baby probably wasn’t even his. I always wondered how you magically got pregnant suddenly after so long trying.”

My blood boils. “Who the hell do you think you are? You shut your mouth. That baby was his. I was never, ever unfaithful.”

“I beg to differ. I’m going to prove it, and when I do, you’re going down. He’s going to get that house, the car—everything. Do you hear me? Everything.”

I’m trembling now. “What the hell have I ever done to make you hate me so much?”