Page 94 of Checkmate
She made a soft noise as her arms came out from under the duvet, stretching above her head. Her back arched off the bed, exposing her chest to him. He looked away respectfully, drumming his fingers against the breakfast tray.
“How the times have changed,” he muttered to himself, giving her a moment to cover up. “Merry Christmas, Sophie.”
She sat up, resting back against the headboard as her blue eyes finally met his. “What time is it? Did you let me sleep in?”
“It’s past lunch,” he replied, pushing the breakfast tray towards her. “I figured I’d let you have a lie in after you polished off the Baileys last night.”
She pulled a face, pushing the hair from her face. Yeah, that was the look of a woman who’d knocked back half a bottle of liqueur in one sitting.
“But it’s Christmas. I wish you’d have woken me.”
He shrugged and pushed the tray towards her. He had a schedule to stick to, and no way was he going to wake her up any earlier than necessary, so he’d have to deal with her.
“Breakfast.”
“Why is there bread on the tray, Marcus?”
“Fuckin’ Déjà vu,” he muttered to himself. He’d lived this morning before, countless times in their brief marriage.
It wasn’t until now that he felt like such a chump for putting up with it for so long.
“The toast is mine,” he said. “Like it always is. Shut up, eat your breakfast, and be grateful for once in your fucking life.”
Gasping in shock, Sophie’s eyes widened as she stared at him. Ah, let her stare. In an ideal world, he’d have kept his cool and let her believe he was the loving husband he had always tried to be.
But man, that attitude.
Now that he knew they were over, that was not something he would put up with. Sophie reached for her fork, cutting into the egg-white omelette and taking a bite. Surprisingly, for the first time in their relationship, Sophie finished a meal he had made. Finally, Marcus understood where their relationship had gone wrong.
He didn’t excite her.
It was a hard thing to admit his own shortcomings, but that didn’t make it any less true. No doubt, she enjoyed him making her meals and keeping her house neat. But a maid could do the same thing. And they wouldn’t bug her for leaving her stuff everywhere.
Twice now, Sophie had responded to a harsher tone from him. Once, months ago, when she brought home that ridiculous lingerie. And then, just now, when he had chastised her.
Mild-mannered Marcus did nothing for her. He was certain, given the texts he had seen, that Alex was anything but mild-mannered. Marcus could be a brute when needed. But, given Sophie’s upbringing, he thought she deserved someone who put her first.
Fat load of good that did him.
“That was nice, thank you,” she said, pushing her plate away. He nodded once and gathered their plates.
“When you’re ready, your gift is in the living room.”
Leaving her to it, he left the bedroom, releasing a puff of air once he was out of sight. He didn’t expect to feel so nervous.
He glanced at the kitchen clock and chewed his lip. His thoughts turned to Erica. If things were going as planned, she’d be eating dinner with her family before the big reveal.
He needed to get a move on.
Placing the dishes in the sink, he checked Sophie’s present one last time before taking a seat to wait.
It didn’t take long before he heard her slippers shuffling down the hallway. He was hyperaware of every sound around him. The ticking of the clock with each step she took, the whisper of fabric against fabric. She came into view with a gasp. Her hands covered her mouth as she saw the size of the gift in the middle of the room.
“Marcus! Oh, God! What is all this?”
“Nothing that you don’t deserve,” he replied, gesturing to the gift. “Have fun.”
She squealed and rushed forward. She pulled the wrapping paper off in a hurry and ripped off the lid of the first box.
