“No one looks like you.”
She rolled her eyes.
“She may have your curves,” I conceded, “but she doesn’t sound like you. She doesn’t have your sense of humor, your wit. She doesn’t have your heart.”
“Oh, Gideon.”
I brushed wet fingertips over her brow. “Turning off the lights wouldn’t help me at all. A random, stacked blonde wouldn’t smell like you. She wouldn’t move the way you do. She wouldn’t touch me the same way, need me the same way.”
Her face softened and she pressed her cheek against my shoulder. “That’s what I thought, too. I couldn’t do it. And the moment I saw Brett with that girl, I knew that you wouldn’t do it, either.”
“Not with anyone. Ever.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “You’ve changed what sex means to me, Eva. I couldn’t go back. I wouldn’t even try.”
She shifted around to straddle me, sending water sloshing up and over the rim of the tub. I looked at her, taking in the slicked-back hair the color of wheat, the smudges left by her makeup, the sheen of water on her golden skin.
Her fingers massaged the nape of my neck. “My dad wants to pay for the wedding.”
“Does he now?”
She nodded. “I need you to be okay with that.”
I was okay with anything when I had my naked, wet, and frisky wife wrapped around me. “I’ve had the wedding I wanted. You can do whatever you like this time around.”
Her brilliant smile and enthusiastic kiss were all the reward I needed. “I love you.”
I pulled her closer.
She bit her lower lip, then said, “My mom is going to have a fit. She can blow through fifty thousand dollars in just flowers and invitations.”
“So tell your parents your dad is paying for the wedding and your mom can pitch in for the reception. Problem solved.”
“Ooh. I like that. You’re handy to have around, Mr. Cross.”
I lifted her and licked across her nipple. “Let me prove it.”
—
THE bedroom was lightening with the coming dawn when Eva’s breathing settled into the deep, even rhythm of sleep. I extricated myself from both her arms and the sheets as carefully as possible, standing beside the bed to watch her. Her hair was tumbled around her shoulders, her lips and cheeks flushed from sex. I rubbed my chest, pained by how tight it had become.
Leaving her like this was always hard and became more difficult by the day. My skin hurt from being parted from hers.
I closed the curtains in the bedroom, then moved into the living room and did the same there, plunging the room into darkness.
Then I settled on the sofa and fell asleep.
—
A sudden flash of light woke me. Blinking, I scrubbed at my gritty eyes and saw that the curtains had been parted to send sunlight shafting across my face. Eva walked toward me, the light haloing around her na**d body.
“Hey,” she whispered, sinking to her knees beside me. “You said I’d wake up with you.”
“What time is it?” I looked at my watch, saw I’d only been asleep an hour and a half. “You were supposed to sleep longer.”
She pressed her lips to my abs. “I don’t sleep well without you.”
Regret pierced me. My wife needed things I couldn’t give her. She woke me with light instead of a touch because she feared my reaction. She was right to be cautious. In the grip of a nightmare, the stroke of a hand might have me waking up with fists flying.
I brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m sorry.” For everything. For all you’re giving up to be with me.