Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
He must hear my sigh because he asks, “What is it? What are you thinking?”
I don’t answer him, and he asks again. “Spill it, Maddie. What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”
“I guess this is over.”
“Oh,” he states simply.
When he doesn’t say anything else, I figure I might as well ask. I’ll regret it if not. “I mean, that’s what we said, right? One night.” I mutter the last two words. Why did I ever agree to something like that knowing I wanted more than one night?
“We’ll be here for another day or two, Maddie, and I’ll be honest. I can’t see myself staying here with you and not touching you.”
I roll to the side and try to search out his face in the darkness. “Is that true?”
He grimaces. “Yes. Right now, it’s killing me not to have my hands on you.”
I lean toward him, and I can’t keep the frustration out of my voice. “Well, then why haven’t you?”
He repeats my question. “Why haven’t I touched you? Because I’m cold. I just came in from outside and didn’t want to touch you with cold hands.”
I practically dive across the bed. I’m half lying on top of him, my leg fitted between the two of his. “Why didn’t you say anything? I can help keep you warm.”
He grips my ass firmly in his hand and squeezes. “I love this ass, Maddie.”
I wiggle against him and sigh as I wrap my body around his. “I could stay like this for… another day or two.” I almost said forever, but I know that would freak him out.
He brings his hand up from my ass and rubs my back. “Me too.”
I’m drawing shapes on his chest with my fingertip. “Rhett?”
“Yeah?” he asks tiredly.
“Can I ask you a question?”
He tenses for just a second but then relaxes. “Sure, you can ask me anything.”
I lean my cheek against his chest. “You never talk about Margie. Do you still…”
“Love her?” he asks.
I clench my eyes. It shouldn’t bother me, but it does. “No, I mean, I know you’ll always love her. I just mean, geez, I don’t know what I’m even asking.”
He’s quiet for so long I’m about to apologize for even bringing it up, but he starts to talk, and I’m hooked on every word he says. He and Margie were married for five years. She died right before he inherited the ranch next to ours. He’s lived a quiet life, and I have always wondered what she was like.
“I’ve never really talked about this.”
“You don’t—”
He cuts me off. “I want to tell you.”
I hold him tighter. “Okay.”
He feathers his fingers through my hair. “We were married for five years. We had been having problems. She didn’t like ranch life. Her family came from money, but I thought we were in love and nothing else mattered. She was happy… for awhile. At least she said she was. Then she started going to town all the time. I didn’t think anything of it. She was a social person, and I understood her need to see and interact with people. She seemed happier, so I didn’t complain.” He blows out a breath, and I don’t think he realizes it, but his whole body is tense under me. “I know you probably heard she died in a car accident. And she did, but she was not the only one in the car. She was driving her boyfriend—”
I gasp and raise my head up to look at him. “Boyfriend?”
He nods. “Yeah, boyfriend. She had been seeing the guy for a few months, I guess.”
“But the newspaper never said anything about someone else being in the car with her.”
He sighs. “Like I said, her family had money. They were able to sweep it under the rug. They paid off quite a few people to keep it under wraps.”
I reach up and cup his cheek. “Oh Rhett, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. Elliott never told me.”
He shakes his head as his eyes find mine in the darkness. “Elliott doesn’t know. I never told anyone.”
My heart aches for him. “I’m sorry.”
He keeps running his hands across my hair. “I’m fine. It’s just not something I’ve ever wanted to talk about, I guess. It doesn’t paint me in a good light or anything.”
I raise up this time and sit next to him. “Wait. This has nothing to do with you.” I shake my head. “I mean, what she did… that’s on her, and I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but that was her choice. That wasn’t your fault.”
His eyes keep going to my chest. “Fuck, Maddie. I can’t keep talking to you like this. Not with your boobs right there in my face, tempting me.”
I would like nothing else but to get lost in each other's arms, but I feel like this is a pretty important conversation. I jerk at the sheet and pull it up to cover my body. “No, listen, her cheating is not on you.”