Page 47 of Under the Table

God, she loved this. She wanted this so much, this freedom, this comfort and warmth and connection. Why couldn’t she have this all the time? Reaching forward, Angelica pulled Hope in for another kiss, sliding her fingers deep into Hope’s hair and kissing her hard. The kisses turned from pecks to passion, deepening to swiping tongues and mingling breaths.

“Just… one more,” Angelica whispered, not quite ready to give this up.

If they could live in this bliss for longer, she’d absolutely take it.

“Just one?” Hope asked.

Angelica shook her head. “No. You’re right. Many, many more.”

Hope laughed and then kissed her. “Yes.”

Chapter

Sixteen

“What did she say about the kitchen?” Rex’s voice rocked through Hope as she stood in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror.

She didn’t look any different, did she?

She felt a freshness she hadn’t in ages. If she closed her eyes and focused, she could still feel Angelica against her, inside her, the kisses and softness of her body.

“Hope?”

“Sorry. What?” Hope flicked her gaze to Rex’s reflection in the mirror. She really needed to focus, but she couldn’t deny that something had changed.

“What did Ange say about the kitchen?”

Hope furrowed her brow, trying to keep up with what on earth he was talking about, but she honestly couldn’t remember. She turned around and leaned against the counter, cocking her head at him.

“About the renovation issues?”

“Oh!”

Right. That had been Hope’s entire reason for stopping by Angelica’s room the night before. They needed to talk about the out-of-code issues with the kitchen renovations and what exactlyto do about them. But they hadn’t gotten to talk—not about work, and honestly not about much. Hope curled her fingers around the edge of the counter and shook her head.

“We didn’t…”

It was now or never, wasn’t it?

Hope’s heart raced, her palms were cold and clammy. She didn’t want to keep this a secret from him, and he deserved to know.

“I slept with Ange last night.”

Rex paled instantly.

Hope’s ears rushed with white noise at the look of pain on his face. But there was no way to avoid it. Did she feel guilty about sleeping with Angelica? Absolutely not. But she felt horrible that she’d broken his trust and shattered the world they’d been living in up until now. She moved to reach for his arm, but he pulled back sharply.

“You slept with her?” he asked, but Hope was damn sure that he didn’t need her to clarify. He’d heard her clearly, and she’d made it obvious.

“I…” Hope clenched her jaw before dipping her chin and giving in. Well, she’d started this conversation. It was time to actually have it. “I went to talk to her about the kitchens last night, but we didn’t… talk.”

Rex swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. His mouth was slack, his eyes wide with unshed tears, and God, Hope should have done this any other way. Shouldn’t she? Except there was no way that this was going to be good for anyone.

The knock on the door was loud and jarring. Hope stared at Rex, who wasn’t moving. Her heart hammered. Slipping past him, she shut the bathroom door behind her and opened the main one to their room. Their nanny, Molly, stood on the other side, a smile on her face that never wavered.

“Is Eva ready?”

“Oh umm… Yeah.” Hope sniffled and brushed her fingers over her cheeks. She turned around to find Eva and figure out if she was actually ready to leave. She hadn’t realized just how much time had passed while she stood in the bathroom completely lost in her thoughts. It had been nearly an hour. “Eva?”