I blink in surprise and smirk at her, my cock involuntarily stirring at her words. “Yeah,” I whisper, a wicked smile on my face. “Fuck me too.”
She bites down on her lip, her sorrow making way for something that looks a lot like lust. Fuck. I drop my forehead to hers in an attempt to steer the conversation back to where it was, but having my lips so close to hers isn’t helping. This chemistry between us… it’s always been there, but it’s inescapable now.
“In all seriousness, Rave… I’m sorry I was one of the reasons you were upset today. I’m so fucking sorry, you have no idea.” I pause and inhale deeply, her signature cupcake scent sending my heart into overdrive. “I want you here, Raven. There is no one I’d rather have in my bed than you.No one.You may not believe that, but it’s true. From the moment I married you, you’ve had my loyalty right down to my every thought. There’s no one on my mind but you. When I look at you, all I see is mywife. Nothing else.No one else.There’s no space for anyone but you — not in my mind, and not in my heart. This may all sound like pretty lies and a poor attempt to console you, and I get that, but baby, over time you’ll realize that it’s the truth.”
I shift on top of her, my lips brushing over her forehead as I press a chaste kiss to her skin. “I never meant to make you feel like you’re unwanted, because you aren’t. Do you have any idea how much it means to me that you chose to marry me? You could’ve walked away from everything and left me to deal with the consequences, but you didn’t. You were there for me when I needed you most, Rave, and I’ve done a really shitty job of thanking you for it. I’ll do better, okay? I just… it was hard for me too, and I was foolish to assume I knew what you needed. I’m learning the hard way that I only ever knew a small part of you, and it’ll take me a little bit of time to discover the rest. Will you give me that, Rave? Will you give me some grace? Will you forgive me for fucking up?”
She buries her hands into my hair, and I swallow hard. The way she looks at me… yeah, she’s got my heart racing in a way it never has before. There’s so much trust and hope in her expression, and it fills me with a deep need to give her the fucking world. I never want to let her down, and from now on, I won’t. I’ve never felt something so… intense. I want her desperately, but my entire fucking heart is in it, too. My need for her transcends the physical, and it’s something I’ve never experienced before.
“I’ll give you some grace,” she murmurs. “On one condition. Honor my request, Ares. No assumptions, no overthinking. Please, Ares. Please communicate with me. Do you know how hard it was for me to admit how I’ve been feeling? I just… all week I’ve felt like I was losing you, and I… I just don’t want to be kept guessing. Please don’t do that to me.”
I tilt my head and press a soft kiss to her cheek, just on the edge of her lip. “I’m sorry,” I tell her as I hold myself up on my forearms so I can look her in the eye. “I promise to communicate from now on, no matter how hard it is. It’s just… I’m so used to all these fucking mind games that this is… it’s new to me, Rave.”
She reaches for me and cups the side of my face. “You give me honesty, and I’ll give you grace. How about that?”
I nod, my heart racing. I don’t think I’ve ever had a moment that felt thisreal. Not with anyone. But then again, for years now, the only one that’s ever been able to make me lose my endless patience is the woman lying underneath me, mywife. “Yeah,” I whisper. “I promise.”
She smiles at me so sweetly that my heart clenches. “Then give me a moment of honesty, Ares. Tell me one thing no one else knows? Give me a part of you no one else has.”
The edges of my lips turn up into a small smile. “You already have my last name, Raven. It’s the one thing I’ll never give to anyone else.”
“Never?”
I shake my head and grab her tightly, taking her with me as I roll onto my back. She shifts in my embrace, until she’s got her head on my chest and her leg hooked over my hip, her inner thigh brushing against my cock teasingly. Does she realize how hard she makes me?
“Never,” I promise her. The moment I married her, I knew Hannah and I were over. I never should’ve entertained the idea of divorcing Raven in three years — not unless she asks it of me. That isn’t me, and she deserves better.
She looks up at me and smiles, and it fucking does something to me. I can’t quite explain it, but I’m certain I’ll always remember the way she’s looking at me right now.
“Feel better, Cupcake?”
She nods, and I hold her tightly, my hand stroking her back until her breathing evens out. I stare up at the ceiling as she falls asleep in my arms, my thoughts whirling. I can’t believe I’ve been staying away from her when I could’ve hadthisall along. One night with her, and I think I’m already addicted.
ChapterThirty
Ares
* * *
I stare up at Raven’s office building, thinking back to the last time I was here. I’d come to pick her up because I needed a present for Hannah’s birthday, and she’d been more distant than usual. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking on my part, but could it be that she was acting that way because she didn’t want me to marry Hannah? I shake my head and run a hand through my hair as I walk in. Lately, my mind has been a mess. Perhaps it’s all been cognitive dissonance, a way of convincing myself that there really could be something between Raven and me… or maybe there’s some truth to my suspicions.
The lady at the reception desk rises to her feet when I walk in, her eyes widening. “Mr. Windsor,” she says, sounding surprised.
“Hello. I apologize for barging in unexpectedly. Could you tell me where I can find my wife?”
She smiles then and points at one of the doors. “Raven is in her office.”
I nod in thanks and push Raven’s office door open, my smile melting off my face at the scene in front of me. My darling wife is standing by the window, her face inches from Diego Massimo’s, a famous fashion designer who is far too fucking handsome for his own good.
What in the fuck am I walking in on here? Why the fuck is he standing so close to her? A rush of pure violence courses through me as he looks up at me. Raven’s hands are on his shirt, and she steps back when she sees me, putting some distance between them.
“Ares?” She sounds shocked, as if I’m interrupting something, and jealousy uncurls in my stomach.
I grit my teeth and walk up to her, my arm wrapping around her waist as I pull her into me roughly. Her eyes widen and I smile at her despite my anger, my free hand wrapping into her hair. “Cupcake,” I say through gritted teeth.
She looks up at me, her eyes filled with questions. “What are you doing here?” Her voice is soft and carries a hint of confusion. I thought she might be happy to see me, but it’s clear that she’s not. Perhaps I’m not the only one with lingering connections from the past.
I smile humorlessly as I tighten my grip on her hair and lean in, my nose brushing against her. “Why? Can’t I surprise my wife at work?” I ask, my voice loud enough for Massimo to hear me calling hermy wife. Then I lean in further, my lips brushing over hers. Raven inhales sharply, and I capture her bottom lip between my teeth for a moment, sucking down on it before I tilt my head to kiss her fully. She melts against me as my tongue brushes over her lips, opening up for me. Fucking hell. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of kissing her, of claiming her asmine. Raven’s arms wrap around my neck as she rises to her tiptoes, and I smile against her lips, pulling away a little to look at her.