feeling warm, good, safe. Her mind tried to convince her it was a dream, but she remembered feeling that way before she fell asleep. She questioned herself, Is this real? Her soft skin rolled on the silky sheets, felt radiating warmth. Hesitantly, she slowly opened her eyes. Right in front of her, close enough to touch, was Tony’s firm broad chest. Again, the questions. Is he really here? He usually left her bed before she woke. Why is he still here? Now as Claire rolled onto her back and saw the beautiful ornate ceiling she wondered, Where is here? This isn’t my room.
With a rich raspy tone, he greeted her, “Good morning, Claire.” His smile revealed the winner of his internal monologue; adoration and love showed through. He leaned down to kiss her head.
“Good morning, what are you doing still in bed?” The room was quite dark. “Or is it early? It is so dark.” The eyes that watched her weren’t.
“I have been watching you sleep.” He slid his arm under her back, placing her head upon his shoulder. His aroma was exhilarating. His hard strong shoulder made the perfect pillow as his arm gently surrounded her warm body.
“Why would you do that? I need a shower and probably look awful.” She buried her face into his chest, allowing his hairs to tickle her cheeks. She inhaled deeply.
He took her chin and turned her face toward his, gently kissing her lips. “I have been watching you because you are so beautiful. Your face is flawless.” Claire tried to look away from his eyes. They were light, honest, and real. The candidness made her uneasy. “Please don’t look away. I see you now and think about what your face looked like, what I did to you. I am not going to keep bringing this up, but I want you to know how much I regret it. And how amazing I think you are. You went through so much. I don’t want anything like that to ever happen again.”
She couldn’t stop the tears that trickled down her cheeks. She wanted to hide her face, but he held her chin firmly. “Tony, I am glad to know you are sorry. I am sorry too.” He let go of her chin, but she continued watching him as she spoke. “I am sorry about Meredith. I really didn’t say anything to her. She walked up and recognized me. Like the article said, we were sorority sisters. I never suspected that she was a reporter. She asked if she could join me. I didn’t want her to, I thought about your rules, but then I thought about appearances and I decided telling her no would be rude. I am sorry I made the wrong decision.”
He rolled her over onto her back. The skin of his chest pressed against her bare breasts. Looking up into his face she saw his eyes darken only slightly. His features looked like those of a model, prominent cheek bones and strong jaw line. His gaze went on for an eternity before he finally spoke. “I can’t promise I will never get upset. I can probably promise I will. However, I promise I will do my best to never hurt you like that again. But I need something from you.”
She assumed it involved gratification and she didn’t mind. “What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to make me a promise.” Claire raised her eyebrows as if to ask him to continue. “A promise that you will do your best to follow my rules, that you will do your best to never give me cause to hurt you again.”
“Tony, I promise I will do my best to make you proud. And I accept your apology. You do not need to keep apologizing.”
Looking at his expression she read a mixture of emotions: gratitude, adoration, and relief. “Have I told you how amazing you are? I’ve watched you and Dr. Leonard fifty times. You were in such pain. God, even water made you sick. Yet you were perfect and made me so proud. I listened to your answers over and over. I understand his concern. Our story didn’t hold water. I was just so worried about you, lying on the floor and I couldn’t get you to wake up. I had to get you some medical help. I was upset about what I thought you’d done. The longer I waited for you to get home that night, the more betrayed I felt, I
Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 1 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 2 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 3 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 4 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 5 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 6 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 7 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 8 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 9 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 10 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 11 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 12 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 13 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 14 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 15 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 16 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 17 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 18 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 19 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 20 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 21 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 22 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 23 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 24 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 25 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 26 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 27 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 28 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 29 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 30 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 31 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 32 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 33 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 34 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 35 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 36 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 37 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 38 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 39 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 40 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 41 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 42 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 43 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 44 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 45 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 46 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 47 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 48 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 49 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 50 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 51 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 52 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 53 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 54 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 55 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 56 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 57 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 58 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 59 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 60 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 61 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 62 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 63 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 64 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 65 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 66 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 67 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 68 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 69 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 70 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 71 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 72 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 73 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 74 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 75 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 76 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 77 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 78 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 79 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 80 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 81 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 82 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 83 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 84 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 85 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 86 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 87 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 88 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 89 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 90 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 91 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 92 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 93 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 94 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 95 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 96 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 97 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 98 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 99 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 100 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 101 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 102 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 103 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 104 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 105 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 106 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 107 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 108 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 109 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 110 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 111 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 112 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 113 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 114 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 115 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 116 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 117 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 118 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 119 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 120 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 121 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 122 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 123 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 124 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 125 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 126 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 127 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 128 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 129 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 130 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 131 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 132 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 133 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 134 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 135 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 136 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 137 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 138 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 139 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 140 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 141 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 142 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 143 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 144 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 145 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 146 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 147 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 148 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 149 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 150 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 151 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 152 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 153 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 154 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 155 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 156 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 157 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 158 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 159 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 160 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 161 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 162 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 163 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 164 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 165 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 166 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 167 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 168 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 169 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 170 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 171 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 172 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 173 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 174 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 175 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 176 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 177 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 178 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 179 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 180 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 181 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 182 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 183 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 184 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 185 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 186 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 187 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 188 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 189 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 190 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 191 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 192 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 193 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 194 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 195 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 196 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 197 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 198 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 199 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 200 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 201 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 202 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 203 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 204 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 205 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 206 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 207 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 208 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 209 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 210 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 211 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 212 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 213 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 214 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 215 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 216 Consequences (Consequences #1) - Aleatha Romig - Page 217