Page 125 of Twisted Temptation

"I love you."

I press my forehead to hers.

"Come inside," I say. "You're freezing."

"I'm still angry at you."

"I know."

"We are finishing this conversation inside."

"I know."

"You can't just say I love you and think it makes everything okay."

"I know that, too, and if I have to spend the rest of my life on my knees asking for forgiveness, I will. But let me give this to you. Let me end this god-awful chapter for you."

She stares at me through the rain and then nods.

"I love you too," she says. "And I hate that I love you right now."

"I can work with that," I say.

I pick her up. She wraps her legs around my waist, winds her arms around my neck, and buries her face against my shoulder as I carry her through the rain, through the lobby, and into the elevator.

She lifts her head from my shoulder and looks at me with red-rimmed eyes, rain-slicked hair, and swollen lips.

"I have a voice, and you need to hear it," she says.

“From now on I will. You have my word.”

I hit the button, and the elevator climbs.

And as I hold my wife, I know two things with absolute certainty.

I love her with every fiber of my being.

But I don’t think it will ever be enough for her to forgive me for the things I’ve done.

54

SUNNY

The hot water hits my skin, and I moan as the warmth sinks into my muscles and my bones.

Dante steps behind me, his chest against my back, and reaches for the shampoo.

His big hands work the shampoo into my hair, and a warm calm washes over me.

He doesn’t talk. Doesn’t tell me he loves me. Just lets his touch do the talking.

He rinses the shampoo out, then reaches for the conditioner and massages it into my hair with the same slow attention.

When he’s done, he tips my head back and shields my eyes with the side of his hand so the water won't sting as he rinses it out.

And that is what undoes me.

His hand over my eyes keeping soapy water from getting in them.