Page 102 of Rebound
“Kai thinks I would enjoy a boring life.”
I set my salad down on the table and settle back against the couch.
“And Kai is the foremost expert on all things Lavinia Callahan Maddox?” I make it sound like a question, but it isn’t one. Lavinia’s lashes flutter at the sound of her new last name and god, how I love attaching my name to hers.
“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?” Her smile is coy.
I scoff and when she raises an eyebrow, I admit, “Yeah.”
“Why?” She laughs. “He’s my friend.”
“It’s not that. I don’t think he’s going to do anything with you or has any interest.” I rake a hand through my hair. “They have your attention, and I want it.”
Lavinia swallows a bite and chases it down with beer. “You do know, they have my attention in a different way, right? They’re my friends and you’re my husband.”
I can’t stop the smile that steals across my face. Lavinia rolls her eyes. “Get over it.”
“I don’t think I will. For as long as I live.”
Lavinia takes a deep, bracing breath, as if she’s asking the universe for patience and then flips me off. I laugh as I bring my beer to my mouth, taking a sip. This is the most fun I’ve had in years, and it doesn’t surprise me that it’s with Lavinia.
“And to think you once said marriage is a crazy institution and two people should never be forced to spend that much time together,” Lavinia says.
“That’s because I didn’t picture myself ever getting married, and definitely not to you.”
Lavinia crosses her legs and sets her plate on her lap. I rest my arm along the back of the couch, spreading my legs and eating up the small space between us.
“Roman, we’re friends, right?”
“I think these rings make us a little more than friends, Blossom.” With my other hand, I tweak the ring on her finger, adjusting it so the sapphire faces up. When I saw it, I knew it was meant for Lavinia. The pale pink undertones reminded me of the way her pale cheeks turn red when she blushes.
“Right, but we’re also friends,” she insists.
“Sure,” I say, my voice dry.
She nods, taking a bite of her pizza, her eyes returning to the movie. I know there’s more she wants to add to that, and I’m willing to be patient. It doesn’t take long.
Swallowing, Lavinia reaches for her beer and takes a sip. Her lips puckering around the bottle are way too distracting. Setting her plate aside, she turns her body towards me.
“I’m wondering, what if one of us has…needs. Are we free to get thoseneedstaken care of?”
She wants my permission to fuck other men? Huh, so this is what murderous rage feels like. I’m being consumed from the inside out. Not at Lavinia. I can never be angry at Lavinia, even if she takes my half-beating heart and stomps on it. I want to kill any man who touches what’s mine.
Mindlessly, I wrap two fingers around her curls and tug lightly. Ever so softly, I let my fingers trail along her skin, let them wrap around her neck. With my hand around her throat, I pull her towards me until our lips almost touch.
“How about this, sweetheart? You’re my wife, which means any time you have needs, you come to me. Those can be our new ground rules.”
Lavinia’s lips part and she braces a hand on my thigh to steady herself. She looks up at me almost innocently. “What about your needs?”
How can I want anyone else when I have her?
“Ma petit etoile.” I brush a thumb along her bottom lip. “If I come to you every time with my needs, you won’t get much work done. But yes, you’re the only one I’ll be coming to because you’re the only one I want.”
“Good,” Lavinia breathes, the sweetest blush spreading across her cheeks.
I nip at her bottom lip before releasing her. Though, when she sits back, she has a small smile on her face which makes me think maybe I’ve been hustled.
THIRTY-THREE
