The Rejected Wife: Chapter 30

Yes, I’m carrying her under one arm. A part of me registered what she said. And my instincts have finally receded from the Op Critical mode they kicked into.

I was about to jump into the shower when the fire alarm went off in the apartment, and the security app on my phone blared a warning.

I grabbed the first piece of clothing I found, my sweats. Then I pocketed my phone, which is linked to the baby cam trained on Serene, and raced toward Cilla’s apartment.

Every cell in my body snapped to attention, a red mist descending in front of my eyes and the only words repeating in my mind were that I was not going to let anything happen to her. And when she kissed the corner of my mouth, the fog broke.

In seconds, I realized three things: She was safe. Serene was back home and safe. And Cilla was in my arms, her mouth touching mine. Okay, four things. I did what anyone in my situation would have. I made the most of it.

Now, I lick into her mouth, and a moan swells her throat. Soft. Sweet. Like candy and honey and every single pleasurable thing on this planet. The touch of her lips is like a spark to a fuse of dynamite. Lust rips through me. Combined with the relief that nothing happened to her, every barrier I’ve tried to put up between us collapses.

I allow her to slide down until her feet touch the ground, while maintaining my grip around her waist. Then I dip her over my arm and ravage her mouth. She kisses me right back.

Her curves are plastered to me, her breasts flattened against my side. I pull her even closer. I thrust my thigh between hers, widening my stance so my legs are planted solidly on the ground. For a few seconds, it feels like everything I need is here…with me…in my arms.

Her taste on my palate, her scent in my nostrils, her essence coursing through my veins. This is heaven. This is what I’ve been searching for. This is what I’ve missed. This is it. This. This. This.

She wraps one leg around me, pushes her hips in closer, and with her dress around her waist, she begins to ride my thigh. The drugging warmth from her core sinks through my pants and into my skin. I’m so hard, my balls feel like they’ve turned into anchors.

Then she tears her mouth from mine. “Serene, is she⁠—”

“Asleep. I have my phone, which is linked to the baby cam.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

We stare at each other. Her cheeks are flushed, her hair wild around her shoulders. Her lips are kiss-swollen, pupils blown wide. She looks wrecked. Beautiful. Mine. She looks as dazed as I feel.

The air is thick with everything we haven’t said. My heart’s still pounding. My blood’s still racing. I’m still reeling. Still adjusting to the reality that she’s fine. She. Is. Fine.

“I’m, uh, sorry I kissed you,” she whispers.

I’m not.

“Umm… You surprised me.” She pulls away from me. I let her go and miss her already.

“I wasn’t getting through to you and realized I needed to get your attention, so—” She smooths down her hair, then rubs her hands down her dress. I realize she’s barefoot in the grass, and the sight of her pink-tipped nails and her narrow feet is intimate in a way that undoes me. My heartbeat ratchets up. My pulse pounds at my temples, my wrists, even in my fucking balls.

“You succeeded.” My voice comes out like my throat is lined with gravel.

“It was the Halloumi cheese. I forgot how quickly it burns, and I was chopping the ingredients for the salad and forgot about it. Didn’t realize the fire alarm was this sensitive. Or loud. Speaking of—” She glances in the direction of the garage. “Guess it stopped. Thank God.”

My ears are still ringing—not from the alarm, but from the truth. I must find a way to have her in my life. I can’t live without her. Holy fuck, Arthur’s ultimatum provides me the perfect excuse for coercing her to marry me. If not for me, maybe she’ll agree for Serene’s sake? I know, she doesn’t trust me yet, and I can’t blame her for that, but if I can convince her to marry me, it buys me time to prove to her that she can trust me.

Even as I think that, I know it’s wrong to do so—but also, it’s not. Because it feels so right. It’s why she came back into my life. At just the right time. As a former Marine, I know how much of life is about timing. It’s why some people come back from missions and others don’t. It’s why I met her on the tube the same day Serene came into my life. It’s why Arthur gave me that ultimatum, at the time she came back into my life. It’s providence. It has to be.

“Are you okay?” She peers up at me from under her eyelashes. “You look a little shell-shocked. There was no fire.” She waves a hand in the direction of the apartment “As you can see, there’s no harm done.”

Except to my composure. I rub the back of my neck. “I can’t keep both my daughter and you safe if you live so far from the main house. I think you should move in with us.”

“What?” She laughs. “You’re joking.”

Nope. I’m going to find a way to get you to move in with me. I don’t say that aloud though. When I stay silent, her expression gentles.

“I’m all right, I promise.”

Not yet. But she will be. We will be. Outwardly, I nod.

“Come back home tonight.”

“Excuse me?” She blinks.

“Your dinner is burnt. Come over and eat with me.”