Page 40 of Confessions of a Smutty Romance Author

“I was married.”

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. “What?”

He nodded slowly. “I married my high school sweetheart a week after graduation, and we went to college together.”

“What happened?” I asked. I couldn’t even imagine Jonas being divorced. That had to be a dirty word in the house he grew up in, even if he was still a child when he made that commitment.

His eyes were trained on the ceiling as he spoke. “We were young and dumb. Being married wasn’t as fun as we thought it would be, especially surrounded by eligible singles. We fought all the time. I nearly dropped out of college and came home to work at the shop with Dad. But after the last semester of college, she packed her bags and told me she was transferring to another college out of state and that she never wanted to see me again.”

I covered my mouth with my hands. When I was eighteen, I was focusing on surviving, making my rent and utility payments. Jonas had another whole human, an entire marriage, to worry about. “That sounds awful.”

“It was. But I learned a lot and focused on my studies.” He kind of shrugged, as well as a person could shrug while lying down.

“Do you ever think about getting married again?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said without hesitation. “But this one is going to stick.”

I laughed slightly. “Flip a coin. You’ve got a fifty-fifty chance.”

“I forgot you don’t believe in that kind of thing.”

“That’s not it,” I said.

He rolled his head to the side, looking at me with those deep brown eyes. “What is it then?”

“I just have no doubt you’ll make it work with whoever she is. Especially if your bathroom continues being that nice.”

He gave me a teasing grin. “High praise fromtheMara Taylor.”

“It is,” I agreed, letting out an involuntary yawn. The day had worn on me, and it was late, well past midnight at this point.

“You’ve had a big day,” Jonas said. “Why don’t you get some rest?”

I smiled sleepily, lying back down. “Sounds good.” I tucked my arm under the pillow. “Just don’t spoon me in the morning. The only-one-bed trope only works if you wake up spooning.”

“Got it.” He smiled at me. “Goodnight, Mara.”

“Goodnight, Jonas.”

15

Jonas

I didn’t spoon Mara.

No matter how much I wanted to feel her back pressed into my front.

No matter how many hours I stayed awake listening to the sweet sounds of her gentle snoring.

No matter how much the curve of her hips under my blanket turned me on.

But when I woke up, she was spooning me.

Her arm draped over my middle, and her warm chest was pressed to my back. Her knees curled into the crook of my legs, and her breath softly played against the back of my neck.

And shit if I didn’t have morning wood.

Every part of me wanted to roll over, kiss her awake, and then give her the morning sex of a lifetime.

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