Dwight let out a quiet chuckle. Having met the infamous Wanda Mae, he understood exactly what he meant.
Sharing a laugh, the two made their way out of the room, with Doc saying over his shoulder, “I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”
Dwight made his way back upstairs after snatching up his portmanteau from where he had dropped it by the front door. Sprinting up the stairs, he turned at the landing and looked up the second set of steps to see that Mary’s bedroom door was open, so he took the treads two at a time and stopped at the threshold. She was standing in front of a claw foot wardrobe in the process of what looked like rearranging her clothing, and as he gave two soft knocks on the doorjamb, she glanced over at him and sent him a shy smile. Her quiet beauty washed over him in warm, soft waves.
“You can hang your good clothes with mine, here in the wardrobe,” she said as she opened the mirrored right-hand door of the tall piece and stood aside to give him access. “I’ve emptied the top drawer for you, too…but if you need more, I can—” she stopped when he held up a hand.
“No, that’s all right, Mary. One drawer is fine. I, uh…travel light,” he answered her raised eyebrow query.
As he stepped near, she moved unexpectedly to her right as he countered to his left, resulting in them colliding into one another. He instantly reacted by dropping his portmanteau and gripping her arms to steady her from losing her balance as they both mumbled, “Oh, sorry.”
Drawing in a surprised gasp because the tips of his fingers felt as if tiny sparks had ignited on contact with her skin, he watched her eyes widen and lock with his, making him sure she’d felt them, too.
What the heck is this?
Once, in a book, he’d read the term time stood still, and he’d scoffed at it, not believing that anything could be so powerful as to cause one to feel an anomaly such as that. Time always marches on, right? Nothing can stop it. However, that fact flew out the open window as he stared down into Mary’s eyes…his wife’s eyes… Time did seem to slow down as his mind left its main track and lumbered onto a spur line while he marveled at her beauty and wondered at his reaction to her presence.
How had he not noticed before how pretty she really was? Hazily, he surveyed the top of her head, which was crowned by crisscrossing, dark braids, while the rest of her long, rich, dark hair cascaded down over one shoulder in luxurious waves. Slim, well defined eyebrows framed eyes the hue of sapphires, and they were sparkling like the facets of those very gems, courtesy of the bright sunlight shining through the window. Her skin looked so smooth, and her cheeks had such a lovely blush of soft pink that somehow, he knew it was the result of their close proximity. Her skin seemed to have an inner beauty that made her countenance glow in a way that he hadn’t noticed before. Lowering his gaze to her lips, he watched as they parted and straight, white teeth began to worry her full, bottom lip. A curious zing whizzed through his body at the sight and he found himself swallowing hard in an attempt at control.
All of a sudden, he was hit from out of nowhere with a fierce urge to bend his head and kiss her fully on that luscious mouth. He was her husband after all, right? Well, wasn’t he?
Of its own accord, his head began to move toward hers and he watched her eyes widen a fraction more, as if she could read his thoughts and knew his intentions. Would she let him?
She was so close, when he drew in a breath, he discerned the fresh aroma of her hair, and of her, as if it hadn’t been long since she’d stepped out of the bath. Her body was warm as it brushed against his in several places. Suddenly, nothing in the world mattered more than satisfying his need to taste of those willing lips.
Nothing was stopping his progression as his eyes slid closed, and…
“Hey DJ, come see!” the loud, high-pitched voice of one of the twins interrupted.
His eyes popped back open and he watched as a similar jarring recognition mirrored in Mary’s eyes in the exact instant before they both stepped back as if they’d touched a hot stove.
Whirling on his unsuspecting sister, he growled, “What is it, Faith?”
The child’s large brown eyes widened and she blinked up at him, surprised at his bark, though he was immediately repentant. “I…” he paused, dragging a hand back through his hair and displacing it from its usual tidiness. “I’m sorry, honey. I’ll be there in just a minute.”
His sister merely gave a nod and disappeared down the hall.
“Whew,” he sighed, placing his hands on his hips. Letting his head drop as he fought to give his thumping heart time to slow, he wrestled his breathing back under control.
After what felt like a dozen heartbeats, he turned his head and looked askance at Mary, but she was just standing there, arms folded across her middle, watching him warily. He wondered what she was thinking. Probably that he was a cad who was intending to take advantage of their unusual situation, and perhaps even demand his conjugal rights—willing or unwilling, before disappearing from her life at the end of their agreement. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. The unwilling part, anyway.
As their eyes locked again, he acknowledged deep within his soul that he was attracted to this woman to whom he was married. More attracted than he’d ever been to a woman in his life. An attraction that was as far
