Page 94 of Wed to the Devil

Talia takes a deep breath. I'm not sure what she's going to say, but when they come, her words stop me dead in my tracks.

"I think I might be falling in love with you," she says, her voice so soft that it's just above a whisper.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck.

Of course it would be tonight of all nights that Talia decides to throw caution to the wind and declare her love for me.

Fuuuuccccck.

It's been too long since she stopped talking. I know that she's waiting for a response. I just can't come up with words to say that will satisfy Talia but not sound too...

Lovey-dovey.

"Dare?"

"Yeah. I heard you."

Talia lifts her head, looking at me with a tiny frown.

"Did I speak out of turn?"

This is killing me. The look on her face and the neediness in her eyes are killing me. I'm hearing her voice when she told me she needed me... and then the sound of Felix's voice trying to drown her out.

Weak.

I clear my throat. "I feel something for you, Talia. There's no use denying that. But I don't want to put labels on our relationship. Love is... it's too messy and complicated. Christ, I loved Daisy. Look at how that all turned out! I don’t want that to happen again."

It's partially a lie, mixed up in a fragment of what feels awfully close to the truth.

She picks up my hand and kisses his palm. "I know how you feel, even if you won’t say the word. I can be patient with you. I... I just need you to tell me that I'm not crazy. I need to hear that you feel it, too."

"Don't put words in my mouth," I warn. "You can't just go around making up assumptions about what's going on in my head."

Talia looks at me like I'm a venomous viper who's just attacked her. She scoots away, creating space on the bed.

"What?" she asks, as if perhaps she misheard somehow.

Words just leap from my tongue. I can't seem to stop myself from twisting the knife even though the victim is my soft-hearted wife.

"Men don't like when you tell them what they feel," I argue, feeling imperious. "And they don't like being smothered, either. Maybe because you grew up without a father figure in your life--"

Her eyes widen. I stop mid-sentence, but the damage is already done. She gets up, sweeping the river of copper hair out of her face.

"Talia--" I try.

She shakes her head, her face contorting. "I'm going to go sleep in the guest bedroom with Aunt Minnie."

And as my punishment, I get to watch her dash for the door, looking for all the world like a woman fleeing her execution.

"Fuck!" I shout. I flop back on the bed, arms splayed wide.

That is not how I wanted to end an otherwise perfect day with my wife.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

TALIA