“I mean you remembered how much I loved this. I mean, love this ice cream. I mean, I—” She was stammering and stuttering and had the most adorable flushed face.
I pushed past her into the living room, not allowing her to protest. I paused to appreciate the little touches she’d added to the once-sterile décor to warm it up and make it a home. I’d have to ask her to do the same for my place.
“Where are the kids?”
“In bed. They were exhausted. It’d take a stampede of elephants to wake them.”
“Good.” I didn’t comment further as my filthy mind turned down a dirty path. This might be an even better night than planned. Maybe I’d put that ice cream to good use after all.
I rummaged in a couple kitchen drawers and produced two spoons, then plopped down on the couch. I patted the cushion next to me. Caro hesitated, but when I held the first spoonful of ice cream up to my lips and made a show of sucking it into my mouth, she laughed.
Caro sat down next to me, keeping a safe distance between us. Safe was an illusion. I was anything but safe tonight. I wanted her. I’d had a taste of her earlier this week, and I craved more of the same and then some.
She reached for a spoon and dug in. I watched as she put the spoon to her lips and licked the ice cream off it. Oh, fuck. I was going to lose it just watching her. A dab of ice cream was on her lower lip. Before she wiped it off, I leaned in and slid my tongue along her lips, savoring the sweetness of the ice cream combined with the heady taste of her.
My cock jerked in my dress pants, begging to do the deed. My boy was tired of being told no, and to be honest, so was I.
Caro pushed me away. Her eyes were wide and questioning as she gazed up at me. When she looked at me like that, I wanted to be her hero, but I wasn’t anyone’s hero, and that line of thinking was going to get me in deep shit.
“Don’t push me away. You want this as much as I do.”
“The kids,” she countered in a hushed tone with a glance over her shoulder toward the long hallway.
“You said yourself it’d take a stampede of elephants to wake them.”
“I’m not ready.”
“You feel ready to me.” I ran my hand over her crotch.
She sucked in a deep breath and gazed up at me with glazed eyes. She was unable to resist me. I saw the lust peppered with resignation in her eyes, as if she’d given up fighting me.
Resignation?
That wasn’t what I wanted from her. Right then, I knew the time wasn’t right. I couldn’t do this, not under these circumstances, and I hated myself for being so noble.
I scooted away and rose to my feet.
Caroline point of view
I blinked several times, attempting to get my bearings. One second, Easton and I were on the verge of fucking each other’s brains out; the next, he stood away from me, hands in his pockets, while his impressive erection pushed against the fly of his jeans.
Stunned by what just happened and trying to make sense of his actions, I stared dumbly at his crotch for a long time before dragging my gaze up his body to his face.
“Easton?”
“I can’t do this.” He was in agony yet determined.
“What?” I stared at him incredulously, not making sense of his words.
“It’s the look on your face.”
“What look?”
“I saw the look on your face, like you were resigned to your fate. I don’t want sex with you to be like that. Either we’re both looking forward to fucking with zero regrets or we aren’t doing it. I don’t want to hurt you or be hurt by you. I don’t want resignation. I want what we used to have—fire, passion, absolute commitment to each other’s pleasure.”
“I’m confused.” Easton just turned me down, and I was shocked.
“You’re the mother of my children. I can’t walk away and never see you again. We’re forever bound together by the twins. Therefore, we need an amicable relationship. If sex causes you regrets, we can’t do it. We have to be on the same page and want this for the same reasons.”
“And those reasons are?”
“Short term, sexual gratification and fun. Long term, I haven’t a fucking clue.”
At least he was honest.
“We’re on the same page,” I said quietly.
“I don’t think so.”
I considered protesting but didn’t and nodded slowly. “I understand.”
“I’m leaving it up to you. I want you, Caro, so badly I haven’t looked at another woman since you came back in my life, but any relationship beyond friends causes complications.
Are you willing to live with those complications? I know we have to think of the kids. You plan everything. Maybe you need to figure out if sex with me fits in your plan.”
He was right, and there wasn’t any arguing with his logic.
“I’ll think on it.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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