Page 83 of Keeping Skylar
“No.” She shakes her head vigorously. “I love you!”
“Then, why? Why goddammit!” I yell.
She swipes her tear-soaked cheeks with the back of her hand. “To finally end our marriage!” she cries out. “The dinner wasmerely to tell him that I’ve moved on and that I’m proceeding with the divorce.”
Everything in the room comes to a standstill, the air turning cold and stale, almost suffocating. She went out to close the final chapter with her husband, and I—blinded by jealousy—accused her of betrayal.
Good job, arsehole!
“Fuck, Skylar. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.” I reach out for her, but she leans away. When she quickly stands and turns to leave, I follow her instinctively towards our bedroom. “Skylar, please. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. Can we just talk?” I plead as we step into the room.
When she continues to ignore me, I take her by the arm and pull her in close, making her face me. Our bodies press together, and she looks up at me with fiery intensity. I can’t tell if it’s fuelled by anger or the burning desire that ignites every time we touch, but either way, it only sharpens my need for her.
“Let me go, Heath.”
“Not unless we talk.”
“Fine. Me first. You’re an arsehole!”
She tries to push away from me, but I grip her tighter. When she realises I’m not letting her go, she finally stops fighting me.
I lift my hands to cup her face. “Yes, I am, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you of lying or sneaking around. When I saw how happy you looked with Kaden tonight, it hurt, and I lost control. I’m just so afraid of losing you. Please forgive me. Please,” I plead, my voice breaking with desperation.
She lets out an exhausted sigh. “If we’re going to do this, Heath, we need to stop jumping to conclusions and start talking things out more, otherwise this will never work.”
“You’re right. I agree with you. I do trust you; it’shimI don’t trust. I should’ve never listened to Kaden and let him get inside my head. Tonight was all on me.”
She frowns, looking slightly confused. “What do you mean he got inside your head?”
I release her and let my arms fall to my sides. Moving to sit at the edge of the bed, I lean forward, elbows resting on my knees, my gaze fixed on the floor as I admit the real reason behind my outburst tonight. “I ran into Kaden at work the other night, and he threatened to take you away from me. He said he was going to fight tooth and nail to win you back. Then, when I saw the two of you together tonight, looking so happy and at ease, I couldn’t help but think he had finally gotten through to you—that maybe you’d realised your marriage was worth fighting for.”
Skylar’s expression softens as she walks over and kneels in front of me. I lean back slightly to make room for her, my hands resting on my knees. She gently slides her hands up and down my forearms before settling them on top of mine.
“You’re not going to lose me, Heath. I would never go back to Kaden. Our relationship ended a long time ago. He’s about to have a baby with his girlfriend, and I told him to focus on that instead of wasting his time trying to fix our marriage. It took him a while, but he finally accepted that it was over. And just before I walked away, he wished me all the best with you,” she explains, offering a heartfelt smile.
I’m not at all surprised by the news of Kaden getting his mistress pregnant. That shit normally happens during or after an affair. What surprises me more is his willingness to finally let Skylar go and be happy with me. Not that I ever cared about his approval of our relationship. But for him to willingly accept defeat, raise the white flag, and surrender the woman he loves? That’s a huge step for Kaden.
“Hate to break it to you, but you’re stuck with me now,” she teases, her smile overflowing with warmth and affection.
I frame her cheeks in my hands and lean in, our lips hovering just inches apart. “I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty fucking amazing life to me.”
She giggles softly and presses her lips to mine. “I really am sorry, Heath. I should’ve told you I was meeting up with him. I just didn’t want to worry you. But please understand it was something I had to do on my own.”
I give a small nod, understanding that she needed closure.
“I love you, baby,” she whispers.
“I love you, duchess. More than you’ll ever know.” I kiss her with all the hunger I’ve been holding back, our love colliding like a powerful cyclone—wild, fierce, and all-consuming.
We spend the next hour, taking our time, worshipping every inch of each other’s bodies. The sounds of our moaning and skin slapping against skin fill the space around us as I make love to her in every position, and in every way imaginable.
I lose myself in an intense fusion of emotions and sensations as I bury my cock deep inside her. With every heated kiss, and every slow, deliberate thrust, our pleasures intensify to an almost unbearable peak. And when we can’t hold back any longer, we surrender and let our orgasms consume us in powerful waves, one after another, until we’re left irresistibly sore, breathless, and renewed.
As we bask in the afterglow of our lovemaking, both of us feeling emotionally and physically satiated, I hold her tightly against me, my arms a silent vow that I’ll never let her go. She will never face this world alone, and she will always, always feel the depth of my love for her.
Epilogue
Skylar
