His smile is a flash of white teeth against his tanned skin. “I did. And you?”
Heat flushes my skin. “I did, too, but I wish you were next to me when I woke up.”
He scans my face intently, then nods. “Make sure you’re next to your wife when she wakes up after a night of fucking. Noted.”
“Oh, my God.” I blush even more. “You are filthy.”
“Only when I’m around you.” He looks surprised by his admission. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to wake you up, but I wanted to make you breakfast.”
“Breakfast?” My stomach grumbles on cue.
It’s his turn to laugh. “I love that you have a healthy appetite, though I have no doubt, the night’s activities also contributed to it.”
I make a face and mumble, “It’s so embarrassing.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. I love feeding you. Seeing you eat satisfies me in a way I didn’t think was possible.” He shakes his head, that bemused look back on his face. “Take a seat.” He nods toward the island.
I make my way to a stool and slide onto it. He works a complicated espresso machine and brings me a cappuccino, complete with a design in the foam and a dusting of cocoa on top.
When I look at him in surprise, one side of his lips hitches up. "I saw the milk frothing wand at the apartment and since Felix takes his coffee black, I concluded that was your drink of choice.”
“Oh.” I nod slowly. “It was a gift from Lizzie. She won a competition with her troupe and bought it for me with her prize money. I was so upset with her. I’d rather she spend money on herself, but she wanted me to have something nice, she said, something that wasn’t about the essentials of life.” I smile in recollection.
“The two of you love each other.”
I can't stop the smile that spreads over my face. “We do. I’m lucky to have her for a sister.”
“And she’s lucky to have you,” he says in a serious voice. “You love her.”
I nod. “As you do Felix.”
I don’t know why that just dawned on me, but something about the wistful expression on his face clued me into it.
His eyebrows knit. “Of course I do. I’m aware I may not be demonstrative about it, but I do.”
“You should tell him so.”
I wish I could tell you that I’ve fallen for you, too. I wish I could come out and say I love you. I wish you’d say the same to me, for I’ve seen how you look at me. I’ve felt how your body feels against mine. How when you fuck me, you do so with your entire body and soul. I wish... We’d cross this unsaid barrier that’s still there between us.
He half smiles. “Noted, wife.” He returns to the coffee machine and fills a mug with a stream of brown almost black liquid.
A warmth squeezes my chest. I love, love, love it when he calls me wife. Also, I loved his performance on our wedding night. As if he’s read my mind, his forehead furrows. "Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?"
I pause halfway to bringing my coffee cup to my mouth, then decide to take a sip of my cappuccino before I try to answer that one.
"Not that I’m complaining.” He seats himself at the island with me and takes a sip from his own cup.
"Of course not." I snort. “And I didn’t tell you because, whoever heard of a woman reaching twenty-three and not having done it yet? I was embarrassed.”
“And Felix?” His tone is cautious.
When I look up at him, he holds up a hand. “Not that I want to know about my son’s sex habits, but”—he shakes his head—“you must admit, it’s strange. The two of you were about to get married, after all.”
“It’s not like Felix didn’t want to, but I didn’t feel… ready? And when I said I wanted to wait until our wedding night, he agreed. And I was relieved.” I laugh without humor. “That should have warned me that marrying him wasn’t the right thing to do. Talk about hindsight.” I take another sip of the cappuccino.
When he stays silent, I sneak another peek at his face. “What?”
“You have nothing to regret. You have the rest of your life in front of you. It’s best to commit mistakes early, so you learn from them. The trick is simply not to repeat them again.” His voice is sober. I spot regret in his eyes.