Page 73 of The Husband Diet
I closed my eyes and swallowed. He sighed.
‘It’s become way too obvious that this is serious stuff, sweetheart. Maybe neither of us expected this to happen. But is has and there’s no denying it.’
Sweetheart. I laughed bitterly at the sound of the endearment. I wasn’t used to hearing it from my husband’s lips, let alone from another guy. And if I could think of a billion reasons to go with him back to his house, I could think of two billion for not doing it – now, as the rain pelted the scurrying passengers outside, forcing them to run for cover. Were they going to meet their lovers, too, or were they going home to their families, where I should have been as well, getting a nice roast ready instead of flirting around?
Who was I kidding? I’d never been able to flirt in my whole life. I was a total loser in the romantic field. And to the point where here I was, caught in one of those pathetic scenes you only see on really bad daytime TV.
I lowered my head, feeling the top of the ketchup bottle pressing into my forehead. That would leave me a nice round red mark for all to see. K is for ketchup and kissing.
As hard as I tried, I couldn’t tear my hand away from beneath Julian’s hot, protective touch. He’d have to do it for me and pronto, because my body was dying to reach out and grab him by his coat and beg him to stay. Forever, if he was crazy enough.
‘Do you like Boston?’ I blurted.
He stared at me and then grinned.
‘Love it. Why?’
Fan-bloody-tastic. ‘Just wondering. And what’s your second favorite city? Or country?’
He groaned. ‘Jesus Christ, Erica – just answer this question. Do you still love your husband? Is that what’s stopping you?’
I looked up, raising my eyebrow. ‘Hello? Have you not been listening to a word I’ve said since we met?’
As much as I’d wanted Julian, who represented all that had been denied to me previously, the truth was, I was terrified of admitting thiswantif he was going to refuse to move to Tuscany with me. It was way too early in the relationship to ask him, yet the right time in my life. I’d always put others – namely Ira – first. Wasn’t it time to think about the kids and me?
Julian suddenly beamed at me, his finger reaching down to touch the sore spot where the ketchup cap had carved itself into my forehead.
‘I’m happy when I’m with you and you’re happy when you’re with me,’ he said.
Huh. Simple as that. Concise but true.
I nodded. ‘But don’t you care about your reputation? Or your job?’
‘Not as much as I care about you, no,’ he said, holding onto my hand, stroking the back of it.
How quickly our dutiful principal had morphed into a lovesick puppy. At least he looked like one, though I knew all he wanted was to get into my pants again. Which earned him oodles of brownie points.
‘So, you’d leave your job if you had to?’
‘Erica, nothing is going to happen to my job because I’m sleeping with you.’
Just then, my eyes faltered and caught sight of his dark juicy lips. The lips I was dying to kiss again. The temptation was killing me. He was so close. What harm could one kiss possibly do? Just one.
‘Technically, you’re sleeping with a married woman, you know that?’
He shrugged. ‘You’re divorcing him.’
‘And I have two kids.’
Julian took my chin in his hands. ‘The kids adore me. Erica, work with me here. What are you afraid of? That I’ll leave you?’
‘Technically, we’re not even together yet,’ I said, and he rolled his eyes.
‘My chaise and bed don’t agree with you. Besides, my mum’s curious to see what you look like with your clothes on. Even though I prefer you naked.’
I gawked at him. ‘You want to introduce me to your mom?’
‘Well, technically you’ve already met.’
