Page 107 of The Wrong Husband

He comes to a stop in front of me and, just as I had surveyed him previously, he gives me his complete attention. From the top of my head, to where my full breasts cause the bodice of my dress to jut out to where it’s pinched in at my waist; then downthe skirt, which flares out, with my toes peeping out underneath it.

When he raises his gaze to mine, his is lit with admiration, worship, and a touch of another emotion which has to be lust… Right?

He holds out his hand, and when I place my palm in it, he brings it to his mouth and kisses my knuckles. "You look beautiful." His voice is reverential. There seems to be a hidden meaning between the words which I’m not ready to tease out yet.

"Connor, I— We need to talk."

He searches my features. "Are you nervous?"

I nod.

"I’m nervous, too." His lip quirks.

"You don’t look nervous."

"I’m good at hiding it. I've had a lifetime of learning, with having to hide any weakness from Arthur."

"Oh." I digest that. Another piece of something personal to go into creating the tapestry of Connor in my head.

"But it’s not just that, it’s—" I look for words.How do I say this?"I… You…" I can’t seem to form them. The connection between my tongue and my brain seems to be temporarily frozen.

"Hey, it’s okay." He places his hand on the small of my back. "Come. Let’s sit down." He guides me to the seat across from where he was seated and urges me to sit.

Then, he picks up the newspaper, folds it, and sets it aside, before sitting opposite me. Our knees knock together, and when I would have pulled away, he squeezes the sides of my legs. Once he’s sure I’m not moving away, he raises his hands, and once more, captures mine between his much bigger ones.

"Let me look at you." That frost-and-fire of his gaze captures mine. Instantly, I still. The weight of his attention pins me down, but it also grounds me. An anchor of certainty in a sea ofconfusion—it causes all thoughts to slip from my mind, leaving it curiously empty. I draw in a breath, and my lungs fill with oxygen.

"That’s it." He nods. "Allow your mind to relax. Allow your body to fall into your skin. Feel every part of yourself completely. You’re here, with me. Just allow yourself to enjoy this moment in time when you’re alive."

His voice has a hypnotic cadence that soothes my frayed nerve endings. I feel my muscles relax by degrees, allow my shoulders to lower, and lean back in my seat.

He releases his hold on my hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." I tilt my head. "I didn’t realize how close to hyperventilating I was."

"It’s going to be okay, I promise."

The sincerity in his voice causes my stomach to flip and my pussy to flutter. Also, a heaviness squeezes my chest. "Connor, I have something to tell you."

38

Connor

From the moment I saw her looking like a vision in her wedding dress, to seeing the panic in her eyes, and now, the sense of inevitability coloring her words, I know every encounter we’ve had has been building up to this. Is this when she finally tells me what’s bothering her?

The fact that she’s brought it up on her own is a good sign. I know better than to interrupt her train of thought, so I stay quiet.

The silence stretches, not particularly uncomfortable. More like a holding pattern, much like our position in the air at the moment.

"I… I haven’t told you much about my past."

"What is it, Fever?" I take her hand, "You can tell me anything."

She blows out a gust of breath. "My ex-boyfriend… He worked—works—at the same hospital. We were together foralmost a year. But then, things began to deteriorate. It was so difficult to find time together because of our schedules."

She raises a shoulder.

"We drifted apart. I knew our relationship was over, but it felt much easier to let things continue as is. That was a mistake I made. By the time I got around to telling him that things couldn’t continue in this fashion, it was too late."