to syrup. Shouldn't that give me Canadian status in our sex life?
"I don’t think maple syrup is sexy unless it's poured all over your naked body. And I'm more of a football fan. But if you wanted to wear a football jersey around the house and nothing else...yeah, I could get down with that. And your French toast is amazing. You can drizzle maple syrup over that whenever you want. Now lose the pajama top."
"What?" I gripped the fabric tighter. "Shit." Why had I asked that question? It didn't get me anything and gave him what he wanted. I was supposed to be playing him, not the other way around. I needed to be smarter about my next question. "Fine." I pulled off the warm fabric and tossed it on the chair in front of him.
"Beautiful," he said.
I swallowed hard. My throat was acting weird. Not having the flannel made me cold. I was probably going to get sick. I swallowed hard again as his eyes trailed down my body. I glanced down at the thin satin fabric. What the hell had I been thinking? I folded my arms across my chest.
He smiled.
I looked back down. Folding my arms had basically shoved my breasts up to my chin. Damn it. I dropped my hands to my sides.
"My turn for a question," he said. "How would you feel about tying me to our bed instead of this chair?"
"That's not...that's not how this game works. You don't get to ask questions."
"Why not? You ask one. I ask one. We both slowly get naked. It's a win-win."
"This isn't a win-win scenario, Noah. I'm in charge. Now stop trying to distract me."
"Yes, ma'am."
The way he said it made my stomach clench. God, he was so handsome. Stop it. "Tell me about Sophia."
"It was just a kiss. A mistake. A one-time thing. There was too much alcohol flowing in the hotel bar. It meant nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Wait. What? That was not the answer I'd been expecting. Just a kiss? "But the calls. Detective Torres said there were calls to her every week like clockwork."
"To her company, not her. I don't even know if she even works there anymore. I swear. I didn't even know her last name until you told me."
I opened my mouth and then closed it again. Just once? Just a kiss? It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Not two years. Just once. He swore it was a mistake.
"Did you say Detective Torres?" He frowned. "Are you talking to a detective about me?"
I stared at his lips as he frowned. "You don't get to ask questions.” My eyes locked with his as I tried to remember what I needed to ask. “What can you tell me about Dr. Collins?"
"You had problems getting pregnant."
No shit, Sherlock. I glared at him, trying hard not to focus on the box in the corner. The one with all the unused items for our baby boy that I’d lost.
"Didn't you think there might be a solution? That someone could help? It was just consultations. That's it. I swear. You deserve children if that's what you want. You deserve everything."
He looked so sincere. And his words made my eyes grow slightly watery. I did deserve to have children. Consultations with a doctor? That explained the longer hours at work. Was this really all a misunderstanding?
"Lose the nightgown," he said.
I felt like I was dreaming as I pulled it over my head. Had I misjudged everything? I swayed slightly to the left but caught myself from falling over. My head was spinning. But not enough to ignore the fact that I was wrong. The feeling seeped into me slowly. I was the idiot. Not him. I walked over to the champagne bottle and lifted it ungracefully to my lips. Had I really drugged Noah, tied him up to a chair, and threatened to cut off his balls for no reason? I chugged straight from the bottle. No. No. He drained our bank accounts. He was going to leave me. He was a cheat. A master manipulator. An asshole.
"You're lying," I said and pointed the bottle at him.
"I'm not. I swear I'm not. I meant every word. Look at you. No one in their right mind would cheat on you. And that kiss? I swear it meant nothing. It was over before it began. Nothing compares to your lips."
I licked my lips as my eyes fell to his mouth.
"Have I earned that kiss yet?" he asked.
Why