Page 106 of The Marriage

“I’m sure everyone got that message. Loud and clear, babe.”

Including him.

When she sunk under the water, even her bandaged hands, he was undressed and already sinking with her. He held her tight, made every promise he intended to keep while her skin softened from soapy hot water, and she cried.

Only a little.

Just long enough for him to know ...

She’d never have to do this again.

*

Later, when Roman thought Karine was finally asleep in the unfamiliar hotel bed, he made a call to his father, and then decided to watch the lights of the city flicker instead of making his way to the bedroom. He needed a moment.

Just to settle his mind.

It kind of felt like those lights, blinking or too bright.

In nothing but unzipped slacks, Roman polished off three mini bottles of vodka from the wet bar, and made a note to ask for full bottles first thing the next morning. Who knew how long they were going to be here?

Instead of letting his mind wander to that place, he settled on the vision of fucking Karine bent over the footboard of the bed. God, she’d been so wet, hands on her ass to widen herself open for him while he nailed her into the mattress. She liked to be handled just rough enough that she toed the line of losing control, and he understood why.

She craved so many things.

Some that had been taken away.

Some she’d never known.

A lot she wanted back.

He could still smell her on him.

Sex clung to everything.

It also made everything so much better.

Apparently, a good hour of fucking his wife to sleep after not being able to touch her for way too long just wasn’t enough to put Roman’s overactive mind to rest.

Shocker.

“Hey.”

Roman spun on his heel to find Karine leaning in the shadows of the darkened hallway. She smiled, and he grinned back.

“Hey,” he replied.

“The bed is warm, you know.”

Roman nodded. “I know.” Her smile faltered when he told her, “Maxim’s body will be found tomorrow. He even orchestrated the way he wanted to die, by the hand of a friend, but since it’ll likely be on the news in the morning, I better tell you now.”

It took her a moment.

“How?”

He shifted from foot to foot. “My father.”

Karine’s brow knotted a little, the pain flashing in her face as he watched another chapter close in her life. They didn’t always get the answers they wanted or needed.