Page 30 of Slightly Married
“My ex-husband had had a vasectomy, and I never became pregnant, but his mistress did.”
“It would serve him right if the child wasn’t his,” I responded, unable to suppress my contempt for a man who betrayed her.
“He did a prenatal paternity test. He’s the father.” She set down the fork, shoulders dropping. “I don’t know if I can go through another procedure in two weeks. I need a break.”
The image of Thalassía flashed through my mind—my father’s prized possession, my family’s legacy. Yet, looking at Kayla’s expression, the decision was surprisingly simple. “We can skip this month and the next if you like.”
“What about your planned wedding to Stella?” she asked. “The island—”
“Will have to wait,” I said with finality. “What’s another few months for perfection?”
“Perfection, huh? That’s a lot of pressure to put on a wedding day. Though I suppose when you’ve been waiting for months already, what’s a few more months of planning the perfect Greek island celebration with your fiancée?”
“I wasn’t referring to the wedding. I meant our child.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh,” she said softly. She looked down, fingers fidgeting with the edge of her silk nightgown before meeting my gaze again.
“Our child,” she repeated, her voice carrying a mixture of surprise and awe. “I didn’t realize...” She paused, a hint of a smile touching her lips. “That’s... actually really sweet, Konstantin. I didn’t realize you thought of our baby that way.”
“Any child of mine deserves the best possible start. That includes allowing their mother to remain stress-free as it can affect fertility outcomes.”
She nodded, adjusting the edge of her silk bonnet where it framed her face. The simple gesture drew my attention to the elegant line of her jaw and the warm brown of her skin.
Our eyes met, and something shifted in the atmosphere between us.
“I should probably brush my teeth and get back to bed,” she said, but made no immediate move to rise.
I studied the contours of her face, the smooth skin I’d never touched, the full lips I never kissed. My body remained perfectly still, yet the invisible barrier between us had begun to dissolve.
“It’s getting late,” I agreed, yet remained seated.
She moistened her lips. “Thank you for the dessert and for understanding about... everything.”
The air between us seemed to thicken with unspoken possibilities. One of us would need to break this suspended moment. To either retreat to safer territory or advance into uncharted waters.
“Kayla...” Her name escaped before I could consider what might follow it.
What was I going to say? That despite our arrangement, I found myself increasingly drawn to her? That the nature ofour marriage was becoming complicated by very unbusinesslike feelings?
The silence stretched between us, filled with tension that had been building since our first meeting. Just as she rose, a black blur streaked through the partially open verandah door.
She shrieked and leaped into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her face in my shoulder. My hands instinctively found her waist to steady her, the warmth of her body immediately apparent through the thin silk.
“It’s only Zeus,” I told her, my voice low near her ear.
She lifted her head slowly, and I watched relief wash over her features. Santo’s Irish Wolfhound stood before us, tail wagging with complete innocence.
We both laughed at our overreaction, but the laughter faded as awareness bloomed between us. Her body was pressed against mine, our faces mere inches apart, her silk gown riding up her thighs. Each breath brought her vanilla rose scent deeper into my lungs, clouding my judgment with its sweetness.
She looked into my eyes before leaning forward and brushing her lips against mine. The tentative touch roused me.
I drew her closer, deepening the kiss with unwavering purpose. The kiss quickly intensified and then subsided, only to surge forward again with renewed force.
Guilt flared briefly as Stella’s face flashed in my mind, but was quickly consumed by the fire Kayla had kindled. For a man who prided himself on honor and commitment, this surrender to desire felt like betrayal.
And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to stop. I was caught between two competing obligations. My promise to Stella and my growing feelings for the woman who was, in the eyes of God and law, my wife.
Kayla’s body moved against me, the undulation of her hips creating an exquisite torture. I grew harder beneath her, mybody responding with embarrassing eagerness to her every movement.
