Chapter Fourteen
Avery
I'm just coming out of the bathroom when Hugh walks into the bedroom carrying a tray of goodies, including chocolate candies and éclairs. Every item he brought would get us both arrested by the health food police, but I don't care. The incredible experiences we shared in the living room make me need snacks that are as decadent as Hugh himself.
After what we just did, I finally understand why women call him Lord Steamy. I'd experienced a taste of that side of him when we kissed and when we had phone sex. But the full-on version of Lord Steamy… There's no comparison. It was more than hot sex. I've never felt that kind of intimacy before, like it meant more than two people getting it on.
Maybe I am falling for Hugh, a little bit. But I still don't know if we could ever work as a genuine couple. Faking it is one thing. Really getting involved with him would come with a slew of sticky issues. His family. His company. His scandal. My business. My frequent traveling. My brother. Why does everything have to be so complicated?
Hugh pulls back the covers and sets the tray of goodies on the bed. "Climb in, love. I mean to feed you."
"All of that looks yummy." I slap his ass when I walk past him to jump onto the bed. "But you are even yummier."
"Nothing tastes as good as you." He climbs onto the bed, settling in beside me. Then he moves the tray over his lap, picks up an éclair, and holds it to my lips. The custard inside it has leaked out just enough to make my mouth water. "Take a bite. Let the silky filling glide over your tongue."
I open my mouth, and he slides a bit of the éclair between my lips. I lick at the custard and moan, then bite off a chunk and chew it slowly, moaning again just to tease Hugh. "Your turn."
He bites off half of the éclair.
Once he finishes chewing, I lick the remnants of custard off his lips. Then I slide a hand down his inner thigh. "How long until you can fuck me again?"
"I'll need a bit longer." He hands me a chocolate candy. "Try a Sommerleigh caramel truffle. You should eat while I tell you the last of the pathetic tale of my time in Scotland and what came after."
"There's more? I thought I knew everything."
"Not quite. I needed a break before I shared the rest." He grabs another truffle and shoves the whole thing in his mouth, chewing it up before he speaks again. "It involves the Duke's wife."
"Oh. I won't yell at you for what you did with her, if that's what you're worried about."
"I know you won't." He lets his head fall back against the wall and shuts his eyes. "But I'm not proud of my behavior during or shortly after my stay in Scotland."
"Whatever you tell me, it won't change my opinion of you. I already know you're a good man who made mistakes." I tickle his lips with my fingers until he looks at me. "News flash. I make mistakes too. Everyone does."
He thrusts another candy into my mouth. "When I found out Callum had been secretly shagging Kate, I was furious he'd lied to me. But more than that, I was jealous. My anger toward Callum stemmed mostly from my envy of his relationship with the only woman I had ever wanted for more than sex. I did not behave well in the aftermath."
I grab a glass of water off his tray and guzzle it. "I won't judge you for whatever you did."
"Yes, I know." Hugh almost smirks, but the expression fizzles out. He picks up a napkin and wipes my mouth with it. "You have chocolate on your face."
"Oops. These treats taste so good that I can't control myself."
"Your utter lack of decorum is endearing." He drops the napkin on the tray, staring down at it. "I did a terrible thing. The MacTaggarts had arranged a series of games designed to help me and Callum realize we'd both been arses and needed to get over it. One of their ideas was to have us all play shinty—nude shinty."
"What is shinty?"
"A Scottish sport, something like lacrosse with the flavor of hockey. The MacTaggarts love shinty, and rules aren't really a part of their mindset. Intentionally injuring another player is the one of the few sins a bloke can commit on the shinty pitch. That's the field they play on." He takes a long swig from his glass of water. "I broke their only rule. I rammed into Callum on purpose and knocked him down."
"Was he injured?"
"No, not badly, thank heaven. I regretted what I'd done as soon as it happened. Callum was able to finish the game and win. After that, we talked through our issues and saved our friendship."
"So it all worked out."
He screws up his mouth as he stares down at the tray of treats. "Not long after that, I slunk back home to lick my wounds. Though Callum and I had saved our friendship, it hasn't been the same since."
Though I understand why he feels uncomfortable with the idea of talking to Callum, I also know he needs to deal with that problem instead of hiding from it. But I should hear the rest before I tell him that.
"After my humiliation in Scotland," he says, "I decided to hire a car and drive home instead of flying. Taking it slow seemed like the thing to do. On the last leg of my drive, I stopped at a pub to have a drink and, well, wallow in my guilt and shame. A bloody stupid thing to do, I know. But not as stupid as what I did next."