Page 71 of Wicked Games

Still, though, that could be years away, and maybe if Seth forgets, Violet never will. That’s where Brooke went wrong. When she was having trouble with Seth being at work all the time, she should have talked to Violet. Seth respects her and he would have listened to her. That might not say very nice things about him and his relationship with his wife, but all’s fair in love and war and you do what you have to do. I plan on having Violet on my side, and if things get out of hand, it will be two against one. And if that doesn’t work, hmmm. Well, it will. There’s no man alive who’s won a fight against two women.

Lara calls Winnie home (we didn’t give her anything to eat since it didn’t feel right feeding someone else’s dog), and we clean up what little there is. He asked me to stay the night, and because I didn’t want to have to run back to the house, I have my pajamas and toothbrush with me. I brought my laptop too, and I say, “If you want to do some work, I can keep myself busy. Maybe later we can watch a movie?”

He cuddles me to him. “How do you always know what I need?”

“I don’t think I do yet, but it’s easy to guess. Say hi to Violet for me, but don’t tell her it’s my fault you got burnt today.”

Chuckling, he says, “I’ll take part of the blame.”

After a full day, the evening settles into one that I can see us having many of. Me at the kitchen table transcribing what I’ve written of my novel so far and him on the couch with his own laptop, where I think he sits when he tries to look into my house, his feet propped up on the coffee table.

It’s pleasant, listening to him grunt over a piece of news or watching him frown in annoyance.

I let him choose the movie this time, and he picks love and war. While we watch, his fingers linger over my skin and create a tension I haven’t felt in years. If I wouldn’t have been wearing a tampon, I would have been soaking wet. When the credits finally scroll across the screen, I’m more than ready for him to drag me to bed.

He knows it too, arousal and humor glittering in his eyes. “Ready to go upstairs?”

“More than,” I say, grabbing his hand and leading him across the room.

He laughs, but then says, “Okay. Do you hurt?”

I pause at the foot of the stairs. “A little. The ibuprofen I took this morning wore off,” I admit.

He whispers a kiss over my lips. “Then I’m in control tonight. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Good. You can get undressed in the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” I say, grateful he knows I have something to throw away.

In the bathroom attached to his bedroom, I take off the shorts and tank top I wore all day and pull out my tampon. I bleed kind of heavily during my period, and I have no idea how sloppy we’re going to be. He wanted messy sex, and that’s what we’ll have.

Seth’s already naked when I come out, and I toss my clothes on top of his. The room’s not dark, the sun not completely disappearing yet, and the glow highlights his skin. I don’t know what he does to stay in shape, but I admire the results.

I step into his arms, and he immediately tangles his fingers in my hair and traps me against his chest, a hand to my back. I wrap my arms around his neck and he kisses me, his tongue sliding into my mouth. We stand like that for a while, just kissing, and I enjoy the feeling of being wanted.

He lets me go and rubs his thumb over my cheek. I love it when he does that, and I close my eyes and sigh.

“I promise I will always see you, Avery,” he says, moving his thumb from my cheek to my lips.

My eyes flutter open. “What do you mean?”

“The kind, compassionate, lovely person you are. You’re beautiful, inside and out, and I love you very much.”

“I love you too,” I whisper, “and I hope it helps. You’re so strong, like nothing happened, but if you need me, I’m always here.”

“That’s why I’m strong. When I drove out here, I was a mess. I didn’t know how I was going to survive or if I even wanted to. Then I looked into your eyes and everything fell away. A very small piece of me started healing the second I touched your hand. I’m here because of you, and don’t you forget that. You can’t ever leave me. I mean it.”

Some would take that as a threat, a billionaire who always gets what he wants, no matter the cost or how many people he hurts. But I hear it as a plea, and I sprinkle kisses over his chest. “I promise.”

“Get into bed.”

He’s already drawn the comforter and sheet down, and I get in. He follows, pulls the bedding up, and curls his body around mine. His hand slides down my belly and between my legs. Nudging my thighs apart, he says, “If you’re already sore, I’m probably going to hurt you. Tell me, and I’ll ease up. I won’t stop, but I’ll ease up.”

I swallow. “Okay.”

He kisses me, and gently, he pushes a finger inside me. It doesn’t hurt, and I melt into the bed and his kiss.