Page 82 of Saving Ren

He stands, and totally naked, helps me step out of the spa. When he turns to pick his towel up from the floor, I turn to head inside without him.

Chapter 23

Gabe

Stark bollock naked,I stand on my deck and watch Lauren walk away.

“Fuck me,” I turn my head towards the bay, my words carried away on the breeze.

“This conversation isn’t over, Ren. You asked for total honesty, and that’s what I’ll always give you, whether it’s what you want to hear or not,” I turn back towards her and call out.

She pulls open the door and pauses to look at me. Her damp auburn hair is a mass of curls and waves around her face and hanging over her shoulders. The light from inside the house illuminates the water droplets on her bare skin. She looks gorgeous as she stands there holding the towel around her. Gorgeous but sad, and it’s like a punch to the gut that I’ve probably fucked this whole thing up by telling her about my shit show of a marriage.

Too soon, Wild. Too fucking soon,I think to myself while wrapping the towel around my hips before moving towards her. I expect her to put distance between us and head inside, but she stands and watches my approach.

Powderfinger play through the speakers, and I’m not sure if I want to turn Bernard Fanning’s voice off or up the volume as he sings about howwe should be together now.

When I get to where she’s standing, I don’t hesitate in reaching out to touch the side of her face. Cupping her jaw, I move her head until her eyes meet mine.

“I’ve no clue what I’m fucking doing here, Ren. This is all new to me. Outside of my family, relationships are a whole new concept. Now I’ve explained the way my marriage went, you’ll hopefullygetwhy I’m so shit at this.”

She closes her eyes for a few long seconds, and I watch her chest move as she takes a deep breath in before releasing it slowly. She leans her face into my palm, and I take that as a positive and keep talking.

“I’ve spent a lot of my life fucking things up, getting them wrong. There are gonna be times I fuck this. . . what we have. . . up, and times I get this wrong, but you can trust me, Ren. I promise you, youcantrust me.”

She nods slowly and licks her lips before speaking.

“I. . . it’s just been a big. . . it’s a lot. What we just did, what you told me afterwards, it’s just been a lot, and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.”

Her hand comes up to cover mine at the side of her face, and she gives me a small smile.

“I just had sex with a man who’s not my husband. My head was still spinning,isstill spinning from that, and then you dropped all of that on me about your wife. I’m sorry if I overreacted but like I said, what happened between us is a big deal to me, Gabe, a really big fucking deal.”

“And you think it meant nothing to me? You think I don’t appreciate you letting me in? Giving that to me?”

Her mouth opens, her eyes close, and she drops her forehead against my chest as she takes in and lets out another long breath, or maybe it’s a sigh, I’m not sure.

“I don’t know. Like I said, it’s a lot, and my head’s still spinning.”

Sliding her arms around me, I pull her close. Her skin’s cold and covered in goosebumps.

“Yeah, my head’s still spinning after our shopping expedition.”

“What?” she questions without looking up.

“Babe, it’s bread and milk, none of this sourdough, rye, light rye, dark rye, soy, kefir, lactose-free. . .”

“Thatmade your head spin, but what we did in the spa didn’t?”

She lifts her head and looks back up at me. Brows raised, mouth hanging open even though she’s finished talking.

“Ren, what we did in the spa blew my fucking mind.”

She rolls her top and bottom lips between her teeth before releasing them to smile up at me. At the same time, I can feel her twisting from side to side like a kid.

“Really?”

“Babe, you seriously gotta ask me. . .”