Eligible Ex-husband - Marie Johnston Page 0,16
“It’s this—It’s nothing.”
“Natalie, you don’t cry over nothing.” She tears up at movies where the love story ends in a funeral. She cried when her grandparents died, and when she was pregnant, she cried at—well, I couldn’t predict when it’d happen then, just a lot. But other than that, she holds her emotions in, only opening up to me when she really needs to talk.
That she’s reluctant to let me in now is a kick to the nuts.
She waves at her computer. “This job. Am I crazy to think I can do this? How do I even find my first client? I’ve been in this office for hours trying to figure it all out. I can’t open my virtual doors and hear crickets. The girls are going to ask. They’re going to ask how many people I’m working for and they’re going to ask how’s business going. And what if… what if I suck?” A tear escapes each eye and streaks down her face.
I gently brush them away with my thumbs. “One, you don’t suck. You know that. Two, you’re going to kill it because you know how to do the job and you want it.”
“I haven’t done it virtually. This isn’t like picking up dry cleaning and grabbing coffee.”
“You did more than that.” Gainesworth Equity was our brainchild. She might’ve done a lot of administrative duties, but only because she wanted to be free for the kids. I clasp her hands. “Whatever is asked of you, you’ll be fine. You’ll figure it out and you’ll be good. Before you know it, you’ll be so in demand that you’ll have to turn clients away.” She makes a face, but I press on. “Remember that statistic? The one that said women wait to apply for a job until they’re like ninety percent qualified and men will apply even if they’re ten percent qualified?”
She gives me a small smile but it’s a win. “I don’t know if those percentages are correct.”
“The point is, you’re going to do great. You’re going to be awesome.” I look at my big hand over hers. “You were the best thing that happened to me.”
She goes rigid. “Simon—”
“I mean it. I can’t imagine anyone who’ll be better at this job than you. You were excellent in the company and you did a hell of a lot more than pick up dry cleaning. You’re an amazing mother. And you were the only wife I ever wanted.”
More tears spill over. She rolls her lower lip in. “You were the only husband I ever wanted.”
The question “Then why?” is on the tip of my tongue, but the last thing I want is the same old fight that’ll drive more distance between us.
Instead, I show her how I feel. Her face is only a couple of inches higher than mine where I’m kneeling on the floor.
I flatten my hands on her thighs and stretch up. Our lips press together and I don’t force it. How’s she going to react?
She doesn’t at first. But she isn’t pulling away. My body’s shaking from the restraint. We haven’t been apart nearly long enough for me to forget what it’s like between us. If I wasn’t captivated by her smile and the way she moves through life, then I would’ve been irrevocably tethered to her based on the chemistry between us.
I add pressure to her lips and hers melt under mine. Finally. She tastes of mint and tears and it’s familiar from our years together.
She sighs and cups my face with her hands. Triumph races through my blood, but I hold myself still. This isn’t about me. This is about offering comfort and support the only way I know how.
When she opens for me and our tongues touch, my fingers dig into her thighs. I relax my hands and stroke them up and down her legs.
I want this woman. I always have.
Her tongue clashes with mine and she scoots to the edge of the chair. I can wrap my arms all the way around her.
Blood rushes to my groin until I’m harder than I’ve been in months. The object of my fantasies is in front of me again.
Footsteps pound on the floor. “Mom? Dad?”
Natalie gasps and shoves against me. Her chair wheels back until it hits her desk. Her eyes are wide and her lips are pink from my kiss.
I sway, but stay where I am. The situation won’t get better with my erection on display.
“We’re in here,” I call over my shoulder.
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