Page 97 of Earned Husband

“Maybe you’re not such a good boy after all,” I murmured, but then I pushed the shorts all the way to his ankles and left them for him to kick off.

Colin moaned as I licked a line across his hot shaft, letting out a deeper, more primal sound when I finally took him into my mouth. His hands flew to my hair, holding it in a tight grip but still making sure to give me space to breathe.

I’d noticed that about him, how careful he always was not to take things too far.We’ll work on that.

For now, as much as I wanted him to lose control completely, I focused on sucking him into my mouth and sliding my tongue around the underside of his shaft, sinking down low before withdrawing again. I didn’t stop until he was gasping, every muscle in his body taut, and his handsome face looking absolutely livid.

“Deja…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but I reached for the condom I’d stolen from the stash in his duffel bag and hidden under the pillow while he’d been in the shower. Handing it over, I planted a chaste kiss right on his tip. He let out a surprised, breathless laugh but didn’t waste any time before rolling it on. Then he took my hands as I straddled him, holding on to me when I slowly sank down.

Tingles of pleasure shot through me, that orgasm that had been building earlier suddenly back in full force. It was hardly asurprise, though. I’d learned over the last few weeks that going down on Colin was one of my favorite things.

He started moving. I rested one hand on his chest for balance but held on to his other hand, looking nowhere but into his eyes as we rocked together. I lost myself in him completely, so absolutely in love that I almost burst into tears when the most exquisite pleasure I’d ever felt finally swept through me.

Colin wasn’t far behind. He pulled me into his arms as soon as the climax had subsided, wrapping himself around me, holding on so tight that it felt like he would never let go.

Early the next morning, however, the sun hadn’t even fully breached the horizon yet when I watched him wheel his suitcases to the door. He had let go. And now, he was leaving.

He hadn’t even had any need to unpack, so the entire process was easy. When he reached the door, he stopped, resting a hand on the handle of one of his suitcases as he looked over at me.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said evenly, all the warmth, happiness, and ease I’d gotten used to seeing from him gone as if it had never existed.

I sat with my back against the headboard, dressed in the same sundress I’d been wearing when I’d come here yesterday afternoon. My arms folded over my chest of their own accord as I held his gaze, an instinct whispering deep down inside that I’d need to hold myself together for whatever was coming.

“Are you actually coming back?” I asked, my voice steady despite the emotions tearing through me.

Mostly because he didn’t look sure that he would be back. In fact, I’d never seen anyone look so conflicted—or so gutted once the question was out there.

His shoulders visibly dropped, his mouth twisting as his eyes slid shut. The confident composure he’d been moving with all morning cracked and he sucked in a sharp breath.

“Deja…”

I shook my head. “Answer me, Colin.”

When his eyes finally reopened, he looked so haunted that I almost flinched. “Is being married to a man whose father is a convicted felon, and whose family is being dragged into another highly publicized court case, what you think you deserve? Because I don’t.”

I stared back at him, absolutely stunned. Yesterday, while we’d been talking, I’d known there was a lot he was holding back. I’d seen that something was eating him alive, but I’d let it go because I’d wanted him to tell me when he was ready.

I had not, for one second, thought it would be something like this. “What are you talking about, Colin? None of that matters to me. I thought you knew that.”

He looked away. “I do, but itshouldmatter, Deja. When everything that’s been going on hits the press, you’ll see what I mean. You really don’t deserve to be dragged into that.”

Before I could even begin to formulate a response that would let him know how little I cared about what the world thought, three polite raps sounded against the door. “Mr. Thayer? It’s Devon. Your driver. May I help you carry your things, sir?”

Colin’s jaw tightened, but then he looked back at me and nodded. “I have to go.”

“Yeah.”

He held my gaze for another beat before he cracked a little more, letting out a soft breath like he’d lost some sort of fight before he strode across the room toward me. He bent over slowly, almost hesitantly, and pressed a tense kiss to my forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his lips lingering against my skin for another second before he straightened up, cracked open the door, and started passing his luggage through it.

I heard him talk to the driver in a quiet, curt tone. Then he glanced back at me. My breath caught as I looked at him,that dark hair back to being immaculately styled instead of the windswept, relaxed look he’d had the last few weeks. Tension lined his strong features, the corporate armor of a bespoke suit and polished shoes also back on.

“Goodbye, Deja,” he said softly after a few long beats of simply staring at me. “Try to have some fun in Luxor, okay? I wish I could see those temples with you.”

Before I could even tell him that I’d much rather be on that plane with him than see the temples again, he was gone, leaving me and our entire relationship in limbo.