Gunnar A Motorcycle Club Romance - Nina Levine Page 0,27
off, catching sight of the marks Mason left on my body. Bite marks on my neck and bruises on my hips. The bruises can be covered with my clothes. I’m not worried about them so much. It’s the damn bite marks that are going to be a problem. If Joe sees them, all hell will break loose. It’s a good thing my husband likes to rise early. He’s already downstairs in his office, which gives me the space and time to figure out how I’m going to cover these marks up. It would be a lot easier if it were winter and I could wrap a scarf around my neck, but since it’s October, that’s not an option. Spring practically bypasses Brisbane; it’s far too hot for a scarf.
Half an hour later, I’m dressed in a midi dress I’ve chosen intentionally to draw Joe’s attention to my body rather than my neck. It’s not really appropriate for work, but that’s the least of my concerns today. The sleeveless black dress features a super high neckline and a figure-hugging fit. I’ve teamed it with strappy heels that I know always catch his attention, and I’ve applied layers of concealer to cover the bite marks still peeking out from my dress.
Joe frowns as I enter the kitchen. He’s sitting at the kitchen island sipping coffee while our housekeeper, Maria, serves his breakfast.
“Good morning, Maria.” I glide in, all smiles and sweetness while preparing myself for my husband.
Maria smiles. “Good morning, Mrs Hearst. Would you like some breakfast?”
Maria always calls me by that name even though I didn’t take Joe’s surname when I married him. That pissed him off, but I refused to budge. I gave him my life and my body; I wasn’t giving him that.
“No thank you, Maria. I’m just going to have a coffee this morning.”
“You need to eat,” Joe says, still running his gaze over my dress, still looking perplexed.
“I’m not hungry.”
Maria finishes serving his breakfast and exits the kitchen. She knows our conversations can get heated and is always quick to leave us alone.
“What have you got on at work today?” he asks, thankfully leaving my appetite alone. It’s a point of contention between us. I’ve lost my appetite since marrying him, and he’s always trying to force me to eat. The last time he pushed the point, our fight ended with me refusing to talk to him for a day.
“The usual.” I stand across from him, willing him not to take this further. I’m careful not to change the subject, though. Joe’s a smart man whose mind works in ways most don’t; he’ll know I’m hiding something if I do that.
“You’re a little overdressed for the office, don’t you think?”
I look down at my dress and then back at him. “Maybe, but I remembered we have dinner with Nicholas and Pam tonight, and since I have a late appointment with a client, I decided to wear this in case I have to go straight from work to the restaurant.”
His lips press together. “You could take the dress with you rather than wear it.”
I sigh. “Are we really going to begin our day with an argument over my clothes?”
“I wouldn’t tolerate my staff wearing a dress like that, Chelsea. You need to change.”
“It’s a good thing you’re not my boss then. I’m not changing.”
“I am your husband, though.” His eyes say everything he doesn’t, but I choose to ignore his unspoken warning. The risk associated with him seeing Mason’s marks is greater than the risk of ignoring that warning.
I sip my coffee, keeping my eyes on him, not showing an ounce of the anxiety I’m feeling down to my bones. Fuck you, Mason, for putting me in this position. But oh God, it was worth every second of worry and fear over Joe discovering what I did. To have Mason one last time, and to have him so recklessly and passionately, was everything I didn’t know I wanted. He might have marked me, ruined a favourite dress of mine, and caused me this argument with Joe, but I wouldn’t take any of it back.
“I don’t want to argue with you today, Joe,” I say. “Please just let me wear this dress. If you must know, it makes me feel pretty and I need to feel pretty today.”
That slows him down. Confuses him. I see it in his eyes, and I silently high five myself. I must remember to say stuff like that to him in times of need