Page 61 of Between Us

“Hey,” she said, glancing at the clock on the wall to see that it was a few minutes past seven. He usually came home later than that.

He tossed his jacket on a stool before opening the fridge and grabbing the orange juice. “Got a call from your brother today.”

Closing the tap, she turned to face him, taken aback by the lack of greeting. “I know. I talked to him earlier this afternoon.”

Roman took a mouthful of cold juice straight from the carton and gave her a level look. “Did you give him my number?”

“No.” She pressed her palms to the counter behind her, keeping his gaze. “I'm sorry he bothered you. He's just overprotective and worries a lot.”

“I don't like people meddling in my life. You are mine to do with as I please.” Despite the absolution his words conveyed, his voice was soft. Abandoning the OJ on the island, he closed the distance between them and kissed the spot where her shoulder and neck met as his hands took hold of her waist.

“You sound like a caveman,” she said with a hint of teasing, relieved that he didn’t seem upset about it. Annoyed maybe, but not upset. At least not withher. Running a hand over his broad back, Alessandra inched a little closer to her husband.

He cupped her ass under the short dress she was wearing, his attention derailed as his eyes moved down to where her thigh was now exposed. “I like this dress.”

“That's good because I bought it in three different colors.”

He drew his gaze back to hers. “You went out today?”

“No, I ordered them online some time ago.”

Roman gave a slight nod, seeming satisfied that she hadn’t left the house without protection. She wasn’t going to repeatthatmistake anytime soon.

“You can go shopping, if you want. Just let me know when so I can send someone to drive you.”

Alessandra smiled. “You want me to spend your money?”

“What kind of husband would I be if I didn't let my wife indulge a little?”

“Not a very thoughtful one, obviously.”

He let out a low laugh. “Obviously.”

They made out for a little while, taking a few moments to enjoy the other’s closeness and the blissful quietness of the house. When her lips stared to smart, Alessandra drew back and caressed his unshaved cheek. “Are you hungry?”

His blue eyes regarded her half-lidded. “I could eat.”

“There's lasagna in the fridge. I'll heat it up for you while you take a shower and change.”

Collaring her throat with his fingers, he pulled her back for one last kiss. “Thanks, baby.”

???

It was a few hours later, after a meal shared together and a quick fuck in the shower, that Alessandra found herself unable to fall asleep. Beside her, Roman was snoring softly, arms wrapped around his pillow and his lips slightly parted. She’d forgotten to close the drapes, allowing the moonlight’s pale rays to spill into the bedroom and chase away the darkness. She watched her husband for a while, entranced by the look of peacefulness of his face that wasn’t usually there during the daylight hours.

Another five minutes passed before she realized sleep wasn’t going to happen. On light feet, she got out of bed and padded into the bathroom to splash some cold water onto her face. Her long hair was still damp from their earlier shower, and she secured it into a tight bun on top of her head to help her body cool off. She usually wasn’t that bothered by the heat, and the AC was still at the same temperature she’d set it on earlier, so she could only guess her restlessness and the sudden hot flashes were an indicator of her period window approaching fast.

As she counted days in her head, she stepped out of the bathroom with half a mind to head downstairs and adjust the temperature once more. She took a few steps toward the bedroom door when the glare of Roman’s phone caught her attention. It barely made any sound, but she could see even from a few feet away the text notifications popping up one after another.

In normal circumstance, Alessandra wouldn’t have even entertained the notion of getting close to thatphone, knowing she wasn’t supposed to see anything related to Roman’s work. But she was feeling slightly irritated and she didn’t want the damn thing to wake up Roman, so her mind was made up before she could even think it through. In a few steps, she was beside the bed, reaching for the phone lying on the nightstand.

She grabbed it and was about to hit the side button to darken the screen when her eyes scanned the last text and she froze. It was from someone named Kate.

You can come by anytime you want. I'm home most...

Alessandra’s heart started galloping inside her chest. She didn’t know a Kate.

Who was she?

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