Page 123 of Temporary Vows

“Nope.” Her tone says she doesn’t care one way or the other, but her eyes tell a different story.

“Let’s talk about it.” She doesn’t realize I’m offering her a rare chance few have ever seen.

She whirls around to face me, brows raised. “Talk about what?”

“Whatever you want. You can start with why you’re mad at me.”

She lets out a soft laugh rimmed with sarcasm. “You’re mistaken.”

“I’m not mistaken. Your actions say enough.”

“I think you must be bored or something, in which case you’d be better off with Susan, or Grace, or one of your other women. I’m sure they’ll gladly keep you company.”

Finally, we are getting somewhere. I should set her straight about Susan. Keeping my silence is another asshole move, but if I explained myself, where would that leave me?

That would erase the line I drew when I said we’d live separate lives. The whole point of the separate lives clause was so that neither of us would have to explain anything to the other.

“Is that what this is about?” I try for a different tactic.

“I don’t think we should be having this conversation, so please, let’s drop it.”

She couldn’t be more right. I should drop it. But I’m not going to. “No, clearly, you have shit on your mind, so let’s deal with it.”

“No. There is nothing to deal with. I just want to get back to your place so I can go to bed. I have things to do in the morning.”

“You meanourplace.”

She hits me with an incredulous glare. “No, I don’t mean our place. It’s your house. I’m just a guest there.”

“Lamb, stop fucking around.”

“I’m not. Let’s just go, Dorian.”

“We’re not going anywhere until we talk.” I’m getting heated by the second, hating her resistance more and more.

“What the hell is wrong with you? This makes no sense.”

“It makes sense to me.”

“Of course, it does,” she sneers, her pretty face twisting with frustration. “Okay, if it makes so much sense, tell me what you want. Because I surely don’t know. From where I’m standing, I did everything I was supposed to do. I’m yourwife.”

She’s right again. Except…

The problem we’re having is that she’s not supposed to be mad at me if she thinks I’m seeing another woman. And I’m not supposed to fucking want her.

We stare at each other, and I realize I don’t know what the fuck to say.

But…I do know what I want.

Her.

I want her. Not having her is eating me alive.

I’ve wanted her since I saw her on the auction block, selling her body to the highest bidder. And I wanted her long before that.

I was never supposed to want my former best friend’s little sister. But I do. And I’m done pretending I don’t.

Fuck my rules and reasoning.