Now on to part 2...
Chapter One
Part Two
She turned to him. As she
drew in breaths, her full chest rose and fell in a rapid rhythm. She worried her
lips again with her teeth, drawing his attention to their lush plumpness.
The urge to crush their
silkiness against his mouth rose as he remembered all the times they’d been intimate.
Her softness. Her moans. Her passion. Everything else faded away. It had always
been them against the world. Yet, all that had changed when she left him.
He ignored the persistent
urge of his desire and removed his hand from her thigh.
“I don’t know why,” he
replied instead. “All you said was that you needed a break. That was three months
ago.”
In a flash, she rose and
walked away from the sofa. From him. Again. The stinging emptiness returned. It
took a chunk out of his self-control not to reach out and pull her back beside him.
Not to hold on to her and never let her out of his sight.
Her skirt swirled around
her knees as she pivoted to face him, her arms back under her chest, lifting her
breasts into prominence.
“Yes, I needed a break,”
she said. “You and I are not working out. There’s no point prolonging the agony.
I thought that was why you came here.”
Regret washed over him, its
bitterness souring his mouth. He knew then he should have kissed her. He should
have never let her leave their home. He should’ve stopped her, spent more time with
her, and done whatever he needed to persuade her to stay.
Joshua got up and strode
in a different direction from where Christy stood, stuffing his hands into his trouser
pockets. Otherwise, he would reach for her. All consequences be damned.
“I came here to talk to you.”
He looked at her, and their unrelenting gazes clashed. “To make you see sense and
come home.”
“I don’t think there’s anything
to talk about,” she retorted.
He took a couple of long
strides toward her but stopped just out of touching range. Any closer and the passion
between them would likely combust in an instant. Their lovemaking had always been
fiery—one of the things about their relationship that had worked so well. He hadn’t
touched her in three long months. If he did now, it wouldn’t stop there. He would
have to take her. Right here.
“You’re my wife,” he said
in a calm voice that hid the depth of his fury at her. “I don’t know what’s come
over you, but we need to discuss this.”
Christy had always been bold
and strong-willed. As a teenager, her willful rebelliousness had been amusing to
watch at times. Yet, her bravery and compassion had attracted him to her.
Even now after all these
years since they first met, Joshua was still as attracted to this defiant young
woman as he had been to the determined teenager. He’d seen through her rebellion
as a mask for her loneliness as an only child, a feeling he was familiar with. In
Christy, he’d thought he’d found a kindred spirit. Had he been wrong all along?
“Joshua, when I left three
months ago, you didn’t stop me. Why does it matter now?” Christy curled her lips
in a skeptical pout.
She had him there. He should’ve
never let things get this bad. Still, her decision to move out of their home had
come at the worst possible time. He’d been distracted with urgent business issues.
The consequences would’ve been catastrophic if he hadn’t dealt with them at the
time.
The fact that he’d dismissed
her impromptu action as whimsical had obviously not helped matters. Her actions
had annoyed him, but he’d hoped she’d realize their futility and come home.
But this? Another wave
of rage passed through him. He fought the urge to scrunch the brown envelope in
his hand and tossed it on the table instead.
“Is there someone else?”
He couldn’t resist asking
the question though he dreaded the answer. The thought of Christy with another man
would make him insane. Insanity led to crazy things like murder. And murder was
illegal. Shame.
She reared back as if he’d
hit her. “You think this is about another man? You think I’m seeing someone else?”
“Well, I don’t know what
to think, Christy.” He waved both hands in the air. “You’ve refused to speak to
me in so long. Even your parents are worried about you.”
“I should’ve known you’d
gang up with my parents,” she snapped.
“No one is ganging up against
you. We’re just worried,” he countered in frustration.
“There’s no need to be. I’m
grown up. I know my own mind. And what I want is outlined in that document.” She
pointed to the envelope on the table.
Read Chapter One - part one HERE.
Read Chapter One - part three HERE.
Blurb:
Marriage has stripped their relationship of its
thin, rose-tinted coating, and bared their monochromatic existence for what it
was. Will Joshua and Christy get a second chance this holiday season?
When Christy Inemi-Spiff
discovers that the man she vowed to love and honor has no such feelings for
her, she’s determined to cut her losses and move on with her life. A quick,
quiet divorce is all she wishes for Christmas.
However, Joshua has other
ideas. He’s not ready to walk away yet, especially when he doesn’t understand
why Christy wants out of their marriage. So he demands she agree to spend a
quiet Christmas on a remote African Island with him, hoping they can salvage
their relationship. If she still wants a divorce after these two weeks, he will
let her go. But not before he’s had his fill of her.
But
with the sparking tension between them, and the secrets behind the
disintegration of their marriage threatening to explode, will either of them
get their wish? Or will this season of good will show them what really lies at
the bottom of their hearts?
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