It's Always Been You

She held his mug, filled with his favorite breakfast blend, out to him. He took his coffee black. She shivered at the spark that passed between them when their fingers touched as he took the offered cup of coffee.

Clearing her throat, she told him, “I’ve been thinking about our fathers. We’re doing the right thing, sticking together. They can’t know the sordid details of our wedding. It would just make matters worse.”

With her mug in her hand, she blew on the coffee and took a sip. She’d planned to have a talk with her dad today, to make sure he knew where she stood.

“I agree. What happens when we file for an annulment or divorce?”

She snorted, doubting a judge would grant them an annulment now. The only thing in their favor was they were both intoxicated at the time. But even then, their history would make it hard. “Have you thought about which attorney you want to use? Maybe we can use Jared?”

He rolled his eyes. “No.”

Jared Williams was a friend that she’d met when she’d treated his twin sister, Sydney. She’d just broken up with Derrick, and “Red” had been charming and attentive. It was exactly what she’d needed at the time, but it didn’t go anywhere, since Red was hopelessly in love with another woman.

“You do know that nothing ever happened between me and Red, right?”

“That’s beside the point,” Drake said with a shrug. “Red doesn’t even practice family law. Why would we use him?”

Love sighed. It was foolish to hope there was a tiny bit of jealousy on Drake’s part. She should have known he was being his practical self when he’d dismissed Red so quickly. “Right,” she muttered under her breath. “Do you want me to ask him if he can suggest someone?”

“You could. Are we in a rush?”

The loaded question caught her off guard. “I don’t know. You brought it up, so…”

“I asked a question, Love.” His gaze locked on her as he took a sip of his coffee. It felt like a caress, like his hands were on her, touching her body. “I’m not saying I want to go out and hire someone right this second. We have a lot to consider. For one, my job. I haven’t seen any real action in the OR since we made this announcement. Even though your father doesn’t like us being married, I feel like if we get a divorce, he will really believe that I took advantage of you.”

“Is that the only reason?” She tapped her fingernails against her mug and braced herself for his answer. They’d only agreed on the fact that they were attracted to each other. Staying married was another story.

He set his mug down on the counter. “Take off your clothes,” he commanded softly, prying her mug from her clutches and setting it on the countertop, along with his.

She opened her mouth to protest even as she unbuttoned her shirt. No words followed, just soft breathing from both of them. Apparently, she wasn’t moving fast enough, because he grabbed the waist of her jeans and pulled her to him to finish. He pulled her shirt off slowly, then unzipped her pants and peeled them off at an even slower pace. It was almost like torture, and he knew it. Love wanted to beg him to rip them off. Her body was on fire for him, needing him, wanting him.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “You’re so damn beautiful. I don’t know if I’ll ever grow tired of touching you, kissing you.”

“You haven’t kissed me yet.”

He caught her bottom lip with his mouth, lingering there before moving to her top lip. They shared short, soft kisses for a few seconds before it grew more frantic, with tongue and teeth and groans and hisses. She held him to her, her fingers gripping his scalp as she fought to stay on her feet. He made her legs weak, her mind cloudy, but she was all in.

She pulled his shirt off and pushed his pants down. “Drake, I want this,” she murmured against his mouth. “Make love to me. Now.”

He released the band holding her hair up, and her curls fell over her shoulders. Sweeping them to the side, he bit down on her neck, before sucking the tender spot until she had to stifle a cry. Somewhere in the haze of desire she remembered her mother asleep in the guest room. But not for long. As Drake blazed a trail of kisses up her neck, to her jawline, her chin, then her mouth, she could think of nothing but him. His arm wrapped around her like a steel band, and lifted her against him, coaxing her to wrap her legs around his waist. This time, instead of taking her to the couch, he carried her up the stairs to the bedroom, kissing her the entire way.

The taste of him made her dizzy with need. Her mind screamed to stop this before they ruined everything, but her heart and her body wanted him.