Page 70 of Crying Shame

She was the sexiest woman I’d ever met, and she directed me to join her.

As I pushed into her core, it was like being in heaven itself.

She clutched me and held me tight as I drove into her.

Soon, she moaned and found her release. I joined her and then collapsed, entirely spent.

I moved so I could hold her without crushing her, and she rested against me. My heart was still racing, and her eyes were closed.

Without warning, she whispered, “I love you too.”

I stilled as I wasn’t sure I'd heard her correctly. I hoped I had. She was everything I'd ever wanted as a partner, but I was afraid I'd heard what I wanted to hear as some sort of wish fulfillment.

She yawned, so I didn't ask her to repeat what she'd said. She was peaceful, so I decided to find out later. I said I’d wait for her, and now I had hope.

34

Clarissa

I woke up in bliss and saw that Elon was still resting. I kissed his cheek and decided to gather our clothes and put them in the bedroom.

My heart was raw. Hurting Elon was the opposite of what I wanted to do. He was nothing but wonderful.

Years ago, I’d known he would take care of me and even marry me if I told him about Sam. I’d held my tongue as I would never force his hand, but until today, I hadn’t really believed he’d waited all this time for me.

He’d told me so earlier, but when I hadn't wanted to go to dinner, it was like I could see the young man he’d been.

I left our clothes on the side of the bed but then realized that clothes for me hung inside the closet.

I should have guessed he would do that. I took a shower, and then my phone rang when I was dressing.

Elon came into the bedroom as I was finishing up the call. I told Sam, “Have a great dinner.”

Elon went into the en suite bathroom and splashed water on his face. “What’s going on?” he asked.

I needed to do something for Elon to make up for being horrible. I met his gaze. “Sam’s going out to dinner with Aurora and your parents.”

He laughed. “He’ll be spoiled.”

Roxanne and Parvis had always been great, and I thought they were the perfect example of good parents. My heart shifted. “Take your shower," I told Elon. "I’ll make us dinner.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I got this,” I said and headed out of the bedroom.

I headed into the kitchen and found chicken, rice, and some vegetables.

A simple dinner, made with my own two hands, would be perfect. I chopped the veggies and seasoned the chicken. The rice was simmering when Elon, dressed in simple cargo shorts and a white T-shirt, came into the kitchen. He kissed my cheek. “This looks good.”

I lifted my chin. It was time to admit I'd been wrong to hurt him. I tensed. “I… owed you…”

The words refused to be said. I kept imagining he’d want to live happily ever after with me, but I wasn’t there.

I was a mess.

He said, “You don’t owe me anything.”

If I started explaining, he’d never understand. I turned the chicken in the pan, and it looked done. “Well, I'm hungry, and you offered to go out, but we’ve not had a dinner on our own.”