Page 106 of Faking the Pass
That would only have made this harder.
Also, part of me really,reallywished he would.
“Yeah, I guess we should plan some outings for photo ops,” he said as he pulled things out and set them on the counter, oblivious to my internal tug-of-war game.
“That way they’ll stop parking on the street out there, driving my neighbors crazy. What should we do first? Skinny dipping in the cove?”
The naughty gleam in his eye dimmed when he looked up and saw my face.
“What’s the matter?”
“I didn’t mean about the photographers,” I said. “Yes, of course we should go out and give them a chance to see us doing stuff together, looking married or whatever. I’m talking about in the house.”
Presley’s expression was all solicitous concern. “You want to change something about the house? We can do that. I’ve got a friend who’s a contractor.”
He seemed to be purposely misunderstanding me. Wasn’t “we need to talk” a universal relationship alarm bell?
“The house is fine,” I said. “Better than fine—I love the house. I just… after what happened in the car back there, I want to makesure there’s no… misunderstanding about what’s happening here.”
He watched the back and forth hand gesture I made between our bodies, his eyes growing darker.
“Okay…” He dragged out the word. “And whatishappening here?”
I stared down at my fingers twisting together on the countertop.
“Well, you know… the contract. The no-sex part. We added the clause allowing it while we were on the island, but now we’re… not.”
Presley shook his head as if in disbelief.
“That wasn’t a contract, Rosie. It was a few lines in a notebook. Obviously it meant nothing.”
“Well it meant something to me,” I said, instantly defensive. “And youagreedto it.”
“No, you laid down the law,” he said, “and I went along with it—reluctantly—because you insisted on it. And thenyouchanged it.”
I nodded and blew out a long breath. This was awful. He was clearly angry.
“Yes, because of the situation, and because… well, it doesn’t matter because Itoldyou it was atemporaryclause—a hall pass—that we’d go back to separate sleeping arrangements when we got home. And now we’re home.”
The vein in his temple pulsed, and his eyes were fiery.
“So you’re telling me that because of a few scribbles in a journal, I’m not allowed to have sex? Or kiss mywife?”
Why was he acting this way?Was he really going to make me spell it all out—again?
“Notjustbecause of the contract.”
I shouldn’t have had to explain this to him. He knew as well as I did what this arrangement was.
“Because it’s the best way to handle things,” I said. “Until the court hearing is over and we dissolve our marriage.”
The look Presley gave me was searing.
“And you think we’ll be fine living in the same house day after dayplatonically? After what happened on the island?”
“I will,” I lied.
“Right. Because you ‘don't feel that way’ about me,” he snapped.
