Page 87 of Lust & Lies

He slid the ring onto my finger, and it fit perfectly. He kissed my hand before standing and wrapping me in his arms. I cried against his chest. Happy tears. I couldn’t believe we were finally about to do this.

We were finally about to live the life we wanted. Yes, others would be upset. To hell with them. I’d given my all to them my entire life. I’d paid my debts to them. I no longer owed them anything. It was time for Aiden and me to live for ourselves.

“It’ll take me about a month to close out some deals and get some things settled. And then we can disappear,” he told me. “Can you have your things tied up in that time?”

“I can. I have an assignment to take care of for your grandfather next week. That should only take me two days. Three days if anything goes wrong.”

“What abouuuttt....?” His voice trailed off, but I already knew who he was talking about.

“I’m done with her,” I told him. “She’s burnt our bridge. More than burned it. She’s set a bomb to it. There’s no repairing it now. She’s lucky I don’t kill her trifling ass. Don’t worry. I don’t owe her any explanations. This is my life. I’m done trying to placate her.”

“Finally,” he said with a sigh before lowering his lips to mine and claiming my mouth in a kiss that made me forget about all irrelevant people.

Aiden was the only person who mattered in my life. And I’d placed him on the back burner for too long, afraid to love him openly. That chapter was over. No, that entire book had come to an end.

It was time to start the new chapter of our new story. I couldn’t wait to watch our love story unfold in real time. We deserved the happily ever after that awaited us.

I awoke with tears clinging to my lashes, my breathing shallow. For a moment, I lay there, not moving, mind reeling from my dream. Or was it a memory? My gaze dropped to my hand, to the ring on my finger.

It was real. Not a dream. That had happened. And I was wearing the ring to prove it. I looked to the man who was holding me in his arms. My husband. Aiden was still asleep, his chest rising and falling softly with each breath he took.

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at him. He’d asked me to marry him, to disappear with him, and I’d said yes. As I watched him sleep, I realized I would say yes all over again if he were to ask.

I could understand why he wasn’t ready to reveal my past, our past, to me. Apparently, we both wanted to forget people from our past. But there was a burning question lingering in my mind.

Who was the woman who’d burned her bridge with me? Who was the woman I seemed to hate fiercely? Was she a friend? Was she... my mother? Is that why Aiden didn’t want to talk to me about my parents?

That would explain why my mother wasn’t blowing his phone up, trying to locate me. If that was my mother, why did I hateher? What had she done to burn that bridge with me? I wanted to know.

But I was shocked to realize that I wasn’t in a rush to ask Aiden that question. Whoever she was, she’d been in the way of our love in the past. I was not about to let that happen in the future.

I was sure I’d remember her in time. Until then, she didn’t deserve another thought. I placed my hand against Aiden’s chest, over his heart, and smiled. I’d fallen in love with this man twice.

That was fate at work. That was proof that we were meant to be together. Nothing could keep us apart... nothing from our past, the present, or the future. I’d promised to start a new chapter with him.

I intended to keep that promise. I intended to keep my vows. My memory loss was just one chapter in our story. Our love story was still being written. In my heart, I knew we were destined for that happily ever after we deserved.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

NOELLE

I WAS WIDE AWAKE NOW. Instead of getting out of bed to go shower and maybe clean up the clothes we’d strewn from the kitchen to the bedroom, I lay there, staring at my husband. My gaze moved to the clock briefly.

It was well past lunchtime. I hadn’t expected to sleep that long. I guess my after-breakfast activities had worn me out. My gaze drifted back to Aiden, who was still sound asleep. I guess our activities had drained him in more ways than one.

He looked so calm and peaceful when he was asleep. Was he dreaming of me? Was he dreaming of the things he’d done to me or maybe the things I'd done to him? I placed my fingertips against my lips.

In my mind, I replayed the things I’d done to him. I’d let this man fuck my mouth and cum down my throat. Just days ago, I wouldn’t let him touch my hand. Now, his cock and my tongue were besties.

I held in my chuckle, not wanting to wake him up.Well, damn. He stirred anyway. I froze, watching him, wondering if he’d fall back to sleep. Eyes still closed, he started stretching.

I lifted my head, giving him space to move when he rolled onto his back. His arm slipped from beneath me, and I carefully sat up, easing off him so I could stare down at my man.My fine ass husband.

That thought alone had me grinning like a fool as he continued stretching, muscles flexing, abs tightening. I bit my bottom lip, enjoying the show, wishing I had popcorn for this exclusive screening.

Then his eyes blinked open.Dark and dreamy, that’s how I’d describe my man’s gaze. One stare could make me swoon. Two could make me strip. Three could make me bend over and try some butt stuff. He turned his head, his gaze landing on me. My smile widened automatically.

“Baby,” he whispered, voice hoarse from sleep.