Complications (12 page)

“To what do I owe this honor?” she said, accepting the roses along with a kiss on the lips. This was new—Eric didn’t normally indulge in public displays of affection.

“Do I need a reason for picking my wife up at the airport?” He held out his hand for her carry-on bag and escorted her to the moving walkway.

“You could’ve just sent the limo like you usually do.”

“It’s outside, waiting to take us home.”

“
Us?
” she echoed. “Don’t you have to go back to the office?”

“Not tonight.”

Confusion took a sharp U-turn into downright unease, but she quickly backed off that road. After all, what was wrong with her husband lavishing her with a little well-deserved attention? Maybe their time apart had made Eric see how much their marriage had suffered for the sake of his business dealings and political aspirations. Maybe he really had missed her as much as she had him.

By the time they got downstairs, Eric’s driver had already collected her luggage. He held the limo door for them as they piled gratefully inside. Ally sighed, leaning her head on Eric’s shoulder. “Looks like someone had far too much fun,” he observed, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

“Hardly. I hit the ground running the second I got to Milan. Besides, you know I don’t sleep that well in hotels.”

“You didn’t enjoy yourself at all?”

“Well, I dropped in on the Versace party to see if I could snag an interview with Donatella. I ended up flirting with one of their models, this gorgeous Brazilian hunk with a thing for petite blondes—and older women,” she added with a chuckle. “That last part sort of killed the mood.”

Eric laughed. “How old was he? Or should I ask, how young?”

“Twenty or twenty-one, with miles of silky café au lait skin, huge brown eyes, gentle hands…”

“Sounds like quite a temptation. You should’ve indulged yourself.”

She giggled, until his lack of a smile cut her off. “You’re serious?”

“I don’t see any harm in a onetime fling while you’re away on a trip. I certainly didn’t expect you to spend your evenings sitting alone in your hotel room.”

“That’s very sweet, but…” Now wide-awake, she sat up straight. “We’ve never discussed having an open relationship. Besides, we’ve only been married six months. I’m not ready to start cheating on you yet.”

Was it her imagination, or did he just flinch? “I think you’re taking this too much to heart,” he replied in his most soothing tone. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Well, he had—a little bit, anyway. “I know you and Barbara had a different kind of marriage, but that’s not what I want. And despite what the rest of the world probably thinks, I didn’t marry you to get a closet full of designer clothes and a high-profile job.”

“Good to know,” he said with a half-teasing quirk of his lips.

She slumped against his shoulder again and dozed the rest of the way home. Eric had a light supper waiting for her: French onion soup, a mixed-green salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing, a bottle of chilled pinot grigio, and fresh-baked French bread. The food revived her a bit; she ate an entire bowl of soup and half her salad before pushing her plate away. 

After, they retired to the living room for coffee. She sat on the overstuffed couch and promptly zoned out, until Eric drew his fingertips down her arm, gently tugging her back to the here and now. “Something wrong? You’ve been off in another world since dinner.”

“Oh, I’m just getting fed up with things at work. Ten years in the news business and they’re still sticking me with the fluff pieces.” She finished her coffee, then set the cup down with a distinct clatter. “I busted my butt snagging some great interviews, and the network only aired three of the ten segments I filmed. Most days I don’t know why I even bother showing up.”

“You should see a turnaround by this time next year. I can’t imagine the network passing up a chance to put the wife of a US senator front and center.”

“Assuming you win.”

“Of course I’ll win.” He grinned. “I always do, don’t I?”

She settled back in his arms while he flicked on the TV to the business channel, but her eyelids started to droop within a few minutes. Eric smiled and helped her up from the couch, then half carried her to the bedroom.

He helped her off with her clothes and tucked her between the covers, the cool supima cotton whispering over her bare skin. He disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes and came back naked, then climbed into bed and spooned behind her, his lips trailing down her throat and shoulder. She bit back a moan, exhaustion trumped by rising arousal.

And if Eric’s smug chuckle was any clue, he knew he had her. He rolled her onto her back and dipped down to kiss her breasts, taking each of her nipples between his teeth in turn, sucking and biting them. He had a hand between her thighs too, parting her folds, rubbing her throbbing clit. Another couple minutes of this, and she’d have a damn river running between her legs.

Which was exactly where he went next, lips fastening on her clit, sucking hard as he pushed two fingers inside her. She came within seconds, waves of sensation crashing over her, crying out when Eric entered her at the moment she hit her pinnacle.

He pounded her mercilessly and she loved it, digging her nails into his back. She lost count of how many times she came, but by the time Eric did, screaming and moaning had torn her voice to shreds. She fell into a coma with him on top of her and didn’t open her eyes again until Eric’s alarm went off at seven o'clock.

He fucked her again before he got up to shower, gently this time, with soft caresses and kisses so tender she nearly burst into tears. Orgasm eluded her, but it still felt delicious lying beneath him as he moved with exquisite slowness, letting out a tiny broken cry as he came.

After, he remained inside her, both of them savoring these last few moments of intimacy. She kissed him sweetly and reached up to stroke his cheek, startled when her fingers came away wet. “What’s wrong?”

He had this strange expression on his face—incredibly sad, and incredibly distant. He pressed a quick kiss to her fingertips, then rolled off her and out of bed. “Nothing, I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”

She tried, at least until he showered, dressed and came back to kiss her goodbye. But the moment she heard the front door close, she sat up and flicked on the light. She couldn’t get his expression out of her mind. What did it mean? Did he regret having to leave her? He’d never looked at her like that on any other morning.

She replayed the previous evening in her memory until the answer popped up. When she’d told Eric about her flirtation with the Brazilian model, she’d expected him to react with concern, even a touch of anger. Instead, he’d seemed almost disappointed that she hadn’t followed dalliance to its logical conclusion. In her experience, that could mean only one thing.

No husband ever encouraged his wife to have an affair—unless, of course, he was having one himself.

Allegro Vivace

Sonata Appassionata

The First Real Thing (Icon Men #1)

Appearing Nightly (Icon Men #2)

A Fool for You (Icon Men #3)

Entangled Trio

Once a Marine

Power Play: Resistance (with Rachel Haimowitz)

Priceless (Irresistible Attraction #1)

Power Play: Awakening (with Rachel Haimowitz)

Doubtless (Irresistible Attraction #2)

By Chance (Courtland Chronicles #1)

Fearless (Irresistible Attraction #3)

Strictly Business (Courtland Chroncles #2)

Complications (Courtland Chronicles #3)

Forthcoming

Flawless (Irresistible Attraction #4)

The Arrangement (Courtland Chronicles #4)

Triad (Courtland Chronicles #5)

Cat Grant lives by the sea in beautiful Monterey, California with one persnickety feline and way too many books and DVDs. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her watching movies or TV (
Supernatural
and
The Vampire Diaries
are among her favorite shows), singing along to whatever’s on her iPod, or fantasizing about kinky sex with Michael Fassbender.

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