Page 35 of Stranded
I heard a shuffling sound inside the bedroom, and a second later, the door cracked open. Aiden’s red-rimmed eyes were painful to look at.
“What do you want?” he asked, pursing his lips.
“I want to talk. To see how you’re handling everything. Open up, please.”
“Aren’t you afraid your wife will find out what we’ve done behind her back?”
“Stop it. I’m trying to help.”
“Then find a hitman and make her disappear.”
“Aiden—”
“I’m joking. Maybe.” He released the door but didn’t open it any wider either.
I used my shoulder to shove it open and kicked it shut behind me. Aiden walked over to his computer desk, and I came up behind him, a choking sound escaping me when I saw what he had in the search bar. Thankfully, he hadn’t hit send, so somewhere on the internet, his IP address would link him to a search enquiring where to find a hitman to hire.
I placed the plate and drink on the desk and hit the back button on the computer.
“Hey!” He tried to slap my hand away, but I caught the arms of his chair and spun him around to face me.
“Don’t ever do that again.’
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Listen to me. If you search that stuff up on your computer and anything happens to your mother, the authorities will find you in a heartbeat.”
“It’s not like I was actually going to do it.” He slipped through the space between my arms and started to walk away.
I caught the back of his shirt and pulled him into my chest, wrapping my arms around him from behind.
“Deni, promise me you won’t do that again.”
“What good is a promise?” he whined. “You said we were going to still have—have sex when we return, and we haven’t.”
“It’s just been a week.”
“You know how horny I get.” He swiveled around in my arms so we were facing each other. “Last night, when I couldn’t take it anymore, I used the biggest dildo I have in my ass, and it still wasn’t satisfying.” He pushed me in the chest. “And it’s your fault. You fuck me to within an inch of my life, giving it to me just the way I need it, then you leave me high and dry. What am Isupposed to do in my cold bed alone at night when you’re having sex with your wife?”
“I am not having sex with anyone, and that includes your mother. I promised you. Didn’t I?”
“Well, lots of men have made me promises, Jackson, and they meant squat.”
Gritting my teeth, I took his face into my hands. “I am not most men, and I don’t like to be compared to the other men you’ve fucked.”
His bottom lip trembled, and his eyes filled with tears, spilling down his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m just so frustrated. I’m not sure I can do this, Jackson. It’s killing me inside.”
My chest tightened in panic. “You want to leave me?”
He nodded. “But I can’t now because you’ve ruined me for anyone else. All I can think about is you.”
“And you think I don’t think about you?”
“I don’t know. You seem so unbothered by everything.”
“Baby, that’s not true.” I took his arms and propelled him over to the bed, where I sat and pulled him into my lap. “I’m only better at hiding my feelings than you because I’ve been trained to withstand pressure, but make no mistake, this is the hardest shit I’ve ever done. There’s not a night I go to sleep not wishing you were snuggled next to me.”
His voice broke. “I can’t even touch you.”
