Page 47 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

She spoke the word so softly he wondered if he imagined it. Of course, he could just keep standing here.

“I saidokay, Rusty.”

He propped the pillow against the headboard and sat as comfortably as he could while sitting close to the edge of his side of the bed.

At least I’m not on the ground.

“You know, they have cots.” He was reaching for the phone when she spoke.

“Don’t.” Sharp and definitive.

His hand stilled. “It’s no big deal, Remy. No one will know.”

“I will.” Less strident.

What does that mean?

“Can you turn off your light?”

“Sure.” He flipped the switch and the room fell into almost complete blackness. A sliver of light from where the drapes didn’t meet filtered into the room. What was he supposed to do now? He hadn’t brought a book, and it’d be tacky to ask if he could watch television. After all, this was their honeymoon. Not that this was how he’d pictured it going down. He hadn’t been expecting sex—too soon in the relationship for that, but he also hadn’t foreseen that sharing a bed would be a big deal. He should’ve given this more consideration. Once aware of Zach’s plans, he should’ve booked another room. Being alone on his wedding night wasn’t ideal, but anything was better than what he was enduring at the moment.

“You can watch television.”

Again, the words were said so softly he might’ve imagined them.

“It’s okay.” Another whisper.

His chest tightened as he reined in his temper. “It’s not okay. This is clearly not okay. You’re not okay, and I’m definitely not okay.” He snapped his mouth shut.Calm down.“I can’t fix this if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

She shifted, rolling onto her back, but still huddling on her side of the bed. “You said it yourself—I’m not okay.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it. I didn’t see today ending like this.”

“How did you see today ending?” No sarcasm in her voice, just a quiet and questioning tone.

“If you’re asking if I had expectations—the answer is no. We’ve only known each other for a month and a half. We were only engaged for a week. I hoped that one day, we might be comfortable together. That you won’t be compelled to hide on the other side of the bed.”

“Are you expecting sex?”

He should’ve expected the question, but it still caught him unaware. “Not expecting, but hoping. I’m hoping someday, we’ll have that kind of relationship.”

“Conjugal relations.”

Ouch.“That makes it sound so clinical. It’s called making love. It’s what healthy adults do when they’re married.”

“This was a mistake. This marriage.”

As if he couldn’t guess what she meant. “No, it isn’t. We both need this. The girls need this. They need to know we’ll always protect them.”

“If my parents couldn’t protect Calleigh, then how am I supposed to?”

One step forward, two steps back.

“You’re doing a great job with Calleigh. You’re handling the girls like an old pro. If you’re unsure, then that’s in your own mind, because I’m not seeing anything to question your abilities. I trust you with Mira, and that’s not easy for me.”

“I won’t ever hurt her.”

“I know you won’t. Just like I’ll never hurt Calleigh.” He paused. “Or you. You know that, right? That I’ll never hurt you?”

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