The immediate smile that brightened her delighted face made me feel like I had done the right thing in agreeing. “It does. He’s my best friend, and I love him dearly.”
And there went my bloody mood completely. “Oh, you love him dearly?” I mimicked her words as I lifted myself off the bed, blatantly naked and quite in my emboldened state, even if I was in a foul mood. “Bloody fun-fucking-tastic. Should we toast on it?”
“Stop it. You… you’re the love of my life.”
“You say that now…” I sounded more accusing because I was a sad, jealous bastard. “He was your first love. He was your ‘everything’ at one point.” My insecurities were truly unbecoming, and still, I couldn’t help spilling everything away, making me look like a weakened fool with no control over his emotions. “I hate the fact he has those memories with you. I guess I’m always going to be jealous, no matter what. I just have to learn how to live with that. That’s what marriage is all about, is it not?”
“It is.” She slid off the bed and strode towards me before she gave me a smile that showed understanding, then she tiptoed and kissed me softly. “Thank you for agreeing, even though you’re not completely happy about it. You’re the man I chose to marry. You’re my husband. Mine and no one else’s. It makes me happy that this evoked some old emotions in here.” She tapped on my chest before looking at me again. “I thought you had forgotten how much you’ve wanted me. Shhhh…” She put a finger over my lips to stop me from saying anything. “I was worried, you see, that, after we exchanged our vows, things would change. And, after seeing you around in these events even though I know you’re not doing much to get attention, I know women want your… I’m just happy you haven’t been tempted to cheat on me, but you can’t blame me for feeling threatened. They are, after all, beautiful and gorgeous, and something new. Men tend to like that.”
“I’m not like other men.”
“I know you’re not,” she softly said. “That’s why I’m thanking you for agreeing to have Kyle over for dinner.”
Sighing, I hugged my Sienna, pouring my love over her. She was the most precious thing to me, and I would do anything to keep her safe and smiling. It was my duty to be the better man, to be the better husband. It was best I started making amends with my nemesis.
“We have to do this sometime, so might as well get this over with now. He’s a part of your life, too, and I have to accept that.”
“I’ll invite Toby and Lucy, just in case. You’re bound to go bonkers and might try to kill Kyle with a steak knife.”
I made a dry laugh. “Cara, you know me too well.”
She playfully tapped my chest, giving me the evil eye. “You better not, or you won’t get any sex for a whole month.”
That truly got my undivided attention. “A whole month?” I asked, aghast at the very idea. “But that’s a lifetime—”
“Precisely.” She wiggled her brows. “So, if you want me to be a compliant wife, who lets you do whatever you fancy in bed, you better behave.”
This wicked woman drove a hard bargain. “Bloody hell…” I pondered before eyeing her again. “But a month?”
“You better believe it.”
The Façade of a Ticking Time Bomb
Blake
With the rest of the day to get through before dinner with Kyle Matthews, I spent most of it thinking about the past while I was in meetings or in conferences. I hadn’t a clue why, but the thought of Matthews back in town brought out memory lane. I was so consumed by it I didn’t hear anyone knock.
“Mr. Knightly, do you have the signed Montano contract?” Luke emerged from the double doors, looking polished and put together on any given day. I doubted I had seen him looking less pristine. He was so unlike Chad, who was rambunctious and lived life to the fullest with a devil may care outlook in life.
Damn, I had work to do, yet my mind was busy rehashing the past.
“If you were Kyle Matthews, how would you feel about me?” I asked, thinking out loud.
His brows furrowed, confused for a moment. “Kyle? Sienna’s ex?”
I nodded, waiting for his reply.
He was clearly unsure of how to approach my question. “What made you prompt me to ask this question? Is he back in the picture?” he slightly pried. Since he was technically family by marriage to Chad, I considered him as such. This was me asking his opinion as a friend and not just someone he worked for.
“Sienna invited him for dinner,” I provided.
He made a curt nod, pondering the situation before finally responding to my earlier question. “Well, in that case, I’d probably despise you on sight.”
Count on Luke to be upfront. “That’s warming.”
“You did sort of chase after his childhood love,” he pointed out ever so clearly.
Matthews had cheated on Sienna and broken things off with her over the phone. What kind of a blasted fool would break a woman’s heart through a phone call after they had spent all those childhood years together? It was crass, and I had hated him since then.
“She needed a man, not a boy. Besides, could you blame me for wanting her for myself? I was already in love with her before she even had a clue about it. I pretended to be platonical with her, flaunting my dates to her face almost on a nightly basis, hoping I’d get some sort of reaction; but nothing ever did. It was hard to hide how I truly felt, but when I saw that opening, I went for it and won her over.”
“Well, I suppose I could say to brave it out and brace yourself for the inevitable. Besides, knowing Sienna, this would mean the world to her. And that means that you would be a bloody fool to cause any fights just to prove that you’re the alpha man. She wants you to make peace. This is a major part of her old life, and she wants to mend that broken cord, joining the past to present and future.” He gave me a pointed look, seeming unfinished with his lecture. “This is a test, Knightly, and you better be on your best behavior if you still want that pretty wife of yours to carry on your bloodline.”
Bloodline. My children… in five bloody years. Could she at least agree to one before having another with a five year hiatus?
“I suppose you’re right.” After I said those words, Luke didn’t bat an eyelid until he was back to talking business again.
Well, tonight ought to be interesting.