‘Okay, okay, I’ll kiss your bat.’
‘Alright then.’ He lowered her to the ground. In one motion, she spun round, giving him the finger before taking off down the garden, lifting his bat and throwing it to the side.
‘You wee minx.’ He ran after her, catching her again, but she was already on her way down, having not recovered from lifting the bat. This time they fell to the ground together, Sean landing on top of her, his heart thundering next to hers.
‘Sorry,’ he said.
‘You sound so sincere.’
‘I am sincere. I wouldn’t want to put either of us in a position where we might be at risk of committing perjury.’
‘Right, yes, perjury.’ Her voice trailed off, but she wasn’t thinking about the finer points of the law; he could see that.
‘Because committing perjury is the last thing either of us wants, right?’ Sean, leaning on one hand, raked the other through his hair. He could use a shower. One with the woman who was underneath him would suit him down to the ground. Although, flirting with her was also fun.
‘Do you want me to get up?’ he asked.
‘Maybe.’ With a small wriggle, Cherry made a vain attempt at movement, like having him on top of her was far more pleasurable. He was with her on that one.
‘You know, Cherry, it’s okay to want this. I am your husband.’ He eased her cap off, laid it to the side and trailed a thumb across her cheek. Her skin was warm and glowing from the heat. ‘You’re allowed to enjoy being touched by me.’
She stared up at him, that delectable cleavage heaving, small beads of perspiration between her breasts, his chest mirroring the action back to her.
‘You want this?’ he asked.Say yes, woman. For the love of God, say yes.
A shake of the head. ‘No.’
But her eyes were roaming all over him – his hair, mouth, chest, down to the place where their bodies were flush. She shifted her hips.
‘Do you want up?’ Sean sat back, lifted his own hips to let her go. But Cherry didn’t move, only stared at him, so he lowered himself down again, leaning over her again, hot breaths mingling.
‘You know what I think, Cher?’
‘What?’She blinked up at him.
‘I think fuck perjury. No one will ever know. And if they do, I’ll gladly pay for a divorce just to have this withyou for one afternoon, because the idea of never knowing what it’s like to touch you, to be inside you, to fuck my beautiful wife, is unbearable.’
Her nod was reflexive. She got it.Understood. Struggled with the oppressive weight of trying to resist as much as he did.
‘But you know what’s more unbearable?’ Sean continued. ‘The thought that you aren’t letting yourself have what you want now because of some fear of the future. Live for now. You deserve to be loved and fucked by the man you married…to scream down the walls while he’s deep inside you, living for every moan and whimper you make. Because that’s what I want, and I know it’s what you want.’ Sean dipped his head and kissed the soft curve of her collarbone, where the scent of honeysuckle lit a fire inside him. ‘Of course, you can correct me if I’m wrong…’
A tiny moan escaped Cherry’s throat – her body wanted this, even if her mind fought against it.How he longed for her to let go. For both their sakes.
‘I’m still scared, Sean.’
‘Of what?’
‘Of hurting you. Leaving you with nothing. It’s so hard to shake.’
Pain was etched on her face. He reached for her hand, and she let him. He wished he could do more than this, promise it would all be okay. Give her exactly what she wanted. But all he had was his words.
Four of them.
‘I only want you.’
Tears spilled into Cherry’s eyes.‘But what if you stop wanting me…?’
Sean shook his head. ‘This only happens once in a lifetime, Cher. And it’s forever.’ He found her hand with his. ‘No matter what happens, I hope you never go through that pain again. But if you do, then let it be with me, because I don’t trust anyone else to look after you like I can. Okay?’
