After I returned to work, the wheels took off in my brain and wouldn’t stop spinning. Was I crazy to have moved in with him so soon? Maybe I needed to stay at my place a night or two each week, if only to keep my sanity. That was when I decided I would go home to my place that night.
I would have texted him when I got home, but damn if he didn’t beat me to the punch. By the time I walked into my apartment, which now seemed terribly tiny, my phone vibrated.
Hugh: I’m home. Where are you?
Well, shit. In the little time we’d lived together, he’d gotten home after me. Wasn’t this my luck?
Me: I decided to stay at my place tonight.
No response. That was odd. Usually, he texted me back immediately. As I was changing out of my work clothes, someone pounded on my door. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who it was.
Hugh stood there when I opened the door and then barged inside. “Molly, what’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just needed a little breathing room.”
“And you can’t breathe at my place?”
“Of course I can breathe there. It’s just a saying.”
“Then explain.”
“Stop ordering me around.”
“I’m not…” He stopped and frowned. “I’m sorry. I’m upset you left. Can you please explain?”
That was better. “Yes. Like I said, I needed a little breathing room or space. We’ve taken this really fast.”
“You’re having second thoughts?”
“No, it’s just that the way you accosted me at lunch made me think of how things might be between us. I’ll be honest, I didn’t care for that and it really upset me.”
“I understand and I could’ve handled it better, but I was upset as well when I found out. Can we at least call a truce?”
“We sort of did at the restaurant, but yes, let’s.” I held out my hand.
“Oh, no. I have better ways to seal that deal.” His mouth landed on mine and soon we were in the bedroom, naked. I had orgasm number one when he came right after me. That was when we heard the knock on the door.
“Who could that be?” he asked.
“I have no idea.” I hopped up and threw a robe on. When I looked out the peephole, Chloe stared back at me.
“Open up, Molly, I know you’re home. Your car’s right outside. It’s Chloe. Let me in.”
Fuck. I couldn’t avoid this, so I swung the door wide and she pushed past me. “I’ve been calling you and you haven’t answered your phone. I was worried about you. What the hell is going on?”
My mouth flopped open and closed a few times and then I said, “I’ve been kind of busy.”
“Busy? With what? You look like you’ve been sleeping.” Then a crash and an Oh, fuck came from the bedroom. “Oh, my God, you have a man in your bedroom, don’t you?”
“No, I… uh, that’s to say, I, er…”
“Just tell her the truth, Molly.”
Chloe frowned. Then Hugh walked out of the bedroom and sparks flew out of her eyes.
“What are you doing here? And not wearing a shirt.” Her gaze flicked to me and I felt like a five-year-old. “Oh, shit, oh, hell. You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you? Tell me I’m seeing things.”
I couldn’t stop squirming under her penetrating glare. “I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you’d react like this.”
“Yeah, because you knew how much it would hurt me.”
“Chloe, please let us explain,” Hugh said.
She stuck her finger out at him. “You don’t get to say a word about this. You hear me? This is between Molly and me.”
“Chloe, I knew you’d react this way if I told you, which was why I didn’t,” I said.
“You know, you’re right, Molly. I hope you two have fun together.” Chloe hurried out of my apartment as I called out to her.
I sagged, but not with relief when I closed the door. Chloe and I were peas and carrots, but this exchange had put a deep ache in my heart.
He wrapped his arms around me. “You do realize this was bound to happen one day.”
“Yes, I know, but her feelings were destroyed.”
Ten
Hugh
How could I be this attached to a woman so quickly? But here it was. This woman had more than a firm hold on my balls. There was most certainly more, I just couldn’t name it yet. My father had warned me that one day there would be a woman who would tame the wild beast inside me. And when that day came, I would fully understand why he’d married my mother.
Was this that day?
Lunch with Molly had clued me in to several things. There wasn’t much she could do to make me run away. Which was why I made a call to my friend and lawyer the following day.
“Arthur, it’s been a while,” I said to my buddy I hadn’t talked to much since his wedding.