Page 47 of No More Lies

Chapter 12

Megan lay asleep on the couch in the den, a blanket draped over her. She and Steve had decided not to move her since she’d been on edge sensing things were not quite right.

That was an understatement. Diane sat at the kitchen island and poured herself another glass of wine. The shower was running. Steve had said he wanted to freshen up and change. More like he wanted to be anywhere except in the same room with her. She took a gulp of wine, barely registering the feel of it sliding down her throat. Why couldn’t life be normal?

What even was normal? Somewhere along the way she’d lost sight of it. Lost sight of how to be happy. Life just seemed to be about surviving these days. Goddammit, it was all such a mess, and she was to blame. She'd failed as a wife, a mother, even as a lawyer. She swiped at the tears spilling down her cheeks and took another small sip of wine. Her body ached, exhaustion spreading through every muscle. It felt like it had been months since she’d gotten a good night’s sleep. Taking the wine with her, she made her way upstairs to the bedroom. Feeling lost and alone, she changed into shorts and a tank. She was about to lay down for a little while when the shower shut off.

The bathroom door opened, and Steve stood there in nothing but a towel hung low on his hips. She licked her lips at the sight of him. She couldn’t help it. He was so handsome. She let her eyes roam over his bare chest. All of his body was toned and tanned by the California sun. His arms rippled with muscle, showing him to be strong, muscular. Protective. Why had she ever doubted he could handle whatever she needed? There was nothing like the feeling of those arms around her. He always made her feel safe, secure. Loved. When her gaze moved to his face, she met his eyes. She shivered at the unmistakable heat in them. Whatever else was going on with them, they still turned each other on. The chemistry had never faded. Making love with her husband was her escape from reality. And she really needed an escape right now.

“I was just going to lay down for a while.” She spoke hesitantly, trying to gauge his reaction as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll get dressed and get out your way.” He moved toward the walk-in closet.

“You’re sleeping on the couch again?” Her voice caught on the words.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “I won’t be sleeping.”

Diane took another sip of wine. How was she going to try and sleep when he was obviously upset with her?

“Steve, please.”

He turned to face her. His eyebrows raised.

“Can we talk?” she whispered.

His clenched fists at his side, but then he released them as if mentally calming himself.

“We needed to talk days ago. Weeks ago, in fact.”

“I know.” She kept her voice soft, not wanting to get into a fight.

“Then why didn’t you, Diane? I don’t understand. There is nothing you can’t tell me, nothing. How do you think it makes me feel? Knowing you were going through this, and I had no fucking clue? I’m your husband, not to mention a special operator. I was sat in that diner with Megan while you went to his hotel room.”

It was obvious he was trying hard not to get angry, but his voice was thick with emotion.

“I was wrong. I know that now and I’ve said I’m sorry.”

“You put Megan’s life in danger.”

She stood, even though her body trembled. “I would never intentionally do that. I was doing my best. Can you at least try and see this from my point of view?”

He stalked forward but stopped a couple of feet away.

“He had me and Megan followed. Had pictures of us. Goddammit, Diane, he could have taken her. We could be burying our child right now. Can you see that point of view?”

She turned away as a sob wrenched from her throat. The thought of anything happening to Megan... How could he say that? How could he think for one minute she would risk that? Steve cursed and then he was behind her, wrapping those strong arms around her waist and gently pulling her against his chest.

“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry,” he whispered. “It frightened the crap out of me. I see a lot of bad things in my job and the thought of Megan...”

When he trailed off, she didn’t say anything, scared to ruin the feeling of his arms holding her tight, if only for a minute. Everything always felt alright when she was in his arms. Heat pooled between her legs. Jesus, this was not the time. Yet she wanted nothing more than to escape her thoughts. Sex was the one thing she didn’t seem to be a failure at. She leaned back into him, reveling in the feel of his cock against her ass. Yeah, he felt the heat, too.

She traced the outline of the muscles in his forearms and heard a small groan. Mustering up courage, she turned. Pleased he didn’t lower his arms, she roamed her hands over his naked chest. It was still warm from the shower. She moved down, toward the towel.