She rounded the bed, and was about to lift up the covers, but his voice stopped her.
“I told you to get on the bed, not into it.”
Glancing across the bed to him, she saw he was waiting for her to do as he asked. Dropping the blanket, she climbed onto the bed.
He’s your husband.
He has seen you naked.
You’ve got nothing to hide.
They always had sex beneath the blankets, and they rarely had the light on.
There was some light from the hallway, and he shocked her even further by turning the light on.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to be able to see you, Addie.”
“What for?”
“I’m going to watch you when I slide my dick inside you.”
“What’s changed?” She didn’t know what to make of this new husband of hers. Going to her elbows, she watched him crawl up her body, opening her thighs, and pressing a kiss to her stomach. She took in a shaky breath and giggled as his breath fanned across her stomach.
“What has changed is I’m tired of trying to talk to my wife, and not being able to.”
Frowning, she saw he was serious. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ve wanted to talk to you for so damn long. Every time I’ve tried to stop this crap that has been going between this. When I married you, I never wanted to spend time away from you, or just to meet up once a month for sex. I wanted a real marriage. Don’t you?”
Licking her dry lips, she placed her hand on his chest. “I didn’t want the marriage that we’d created for ourselves.” She had wanted a marriage like her grandparents had, a loving one. Her own parents didn’t have a loving marriage. They put up with each other, and that just sucked.
“Do you think it’s possible to love me?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I want to sell that house. I don’t want that house, and I want us both to have a real marriage, Addie.”
“That’s a lot of wants.”
Shaun smiled. “We deserve a chance to make this work. Tell me you envy your parents. I don’t envy mine.”
“We had an arranged marriage, Shaun.”
“Then let’s make it a real one, not just for us, but for our kids.”
“You think it’s possible for us to have a real marriage? Better than our parents’?” Addison had seen many couples during her walks around the cities, and even in the last couple of weeks from her book interviews. She envied people their relationships. Even Dean and Darla who weren’t together seemed to have an easy connection. Addison had been unsure around Shaun. They’d been married for three years, and only now she was touching him.
“I’m determined to make this work, Addie. There’s no other woman I want, or need. I’ve never cheated on you, and I take my vows seriously.”
Nibbling on her lip, she stared into his dark, almost black eyes. There were a few sparks of brown, and his gaze held her captive as if it was a trap.
“I’ve not been with anyone else. You’re the only man in my life.”
****
It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was still something. Shaun wanted his marriage to work, and he cared for Addie. He’d been attracted to her the moment he met her, and truly thought their marriage would be like Bruce’s. Shaun had seen his friend and PA’s love for his wife, and he envied him.