Clearing his throat, he takes another step away from me, putting enough distance between us that I can no longer smell his cologne or feel the heat from his body. “Well, this is your home now. If you want to invite some friends over, you don’t need my permission.” He scrubs a hand through his hair. “I probably won’t be reachable, so if you need anything, Teddy will take care of it.”
A knot of sadness wells in my throat, and tears sting my eyes. Why do I feel so rejected by a man I just pushed away? Because he didn’t pull me back. He’ll never need me enough to pull me back. “When will you be home?” I ask, in spite of myself.
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. A few days. I have to go pack.”
Then he walks out of the kitchen, leaving me aching and needy, and most of all, feeling invisible and alone.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
NATHAN
My fingers twitch against my palm as I ride the elevator to my penthouse after a long three days away. Relief at being back washes over me and takes me by surprise. I never usually care about getting home. I’ve always been equally comfortable in hotels as I am in my own apartment, but the need to get back to New York as quickly as possible was never far from my mind this entire trip. Maybe it’s because of the way we left things. Another moment and I would have had her naked and pinned to the kitchen counter.
I should have fucked her on our wedding night. Then the precedent would have been set, and we wouldn’t have settled into this bizarre limbo where I’m not sure if I’m allowed to fuck her or not. She’s my wife, right? Sex was always on the table because we’re going to have kids. But each day that passes without us having sex feels like another step further into friends territory, and I find myself completely unsure of how to make a move on her. Like I’ve lost every bit of game I ever had.
Maybe I should simply ask if I can fuck her. Or kiss her and hope it leads to more.
I lick my lips, my dick twitching at the thought of my hands on her. This morning, I sent a text and told her I’d be home tomorrow, but my business wrapped up earlier than expected. I was unable to stay away for a second longer than necessary, so I had the jet prepared early.
While I have zero desire to examine why I couldn’t stay away, I recognize that there can be only one explanation—she’s five foot four and has the most incredible green eyes I’ve ever seen.
Her infectious laugh drifts down the hallway, and I curse under my breath, hoping she doesn’t have a friend over. I want her all to myself, even if it’s only to argue with her.
“Right there, baby girl?” The deep, masculine voice makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
She releases a long, satisfied moan. “Yeah. Right there.”
What in holy fuck? I stalk toward the den, my heart pounding in my chest and adrenaline pumping through my veins. I’m going to tear his fucking head off, whoever the fuck he is.
He grunts, like whatever he’s doing takes effort, and she moans again. “You’re so good at that.”
Motherfucker! My hands curl into fists at my sides, and when I walk into the room, all I can see is the side of the asshole’s head as he holds her ankle in the air. I snarl, snatching his attention. “You want to get your hands off my fucking wife?”
“Nathan!” Melanie shrieks, bolting upright. She blinks at me, her mouth open. “I thought you weren’t getting back until tomorrow.”
Yeah, no shit. A growl rumbles out of my chest as I cross the room. The asshole drops her foot but doesn’t look the slightest bit uncomfortable that I’ve just caught him doing fuck knows what to my wife.
Melanie scrabbles to her feet, and only when she stands do I see that she’s wearing pajamas, and one pant leg is rolled up around her knee. “This is Tyler.”
I glare at him, and the cheeky prick has the audacity to smile at me. He’s fully clothed too, so I have no idea what the hell they were just doing. “We haven’t met.” He holds out his hand for me to shake.
I glare at his outstretched palm. “What the fuck were you doing with your hands on my wife?”
Melanie covers her mouth but doesn’t manage to stifle her snicker, and I train my glare on her. Does she think this is fucking funny? I guess the ferocity of my gaze stops her giggles in their tracks because her eyes widen, and she drops her hand. “Nathan, this is Tyler. My cousin. I told you about him, remember?”
I search her face for any hint of deceit. She’s talked about him several times, but this giant tattooed fucker is not the man she described.
“Yeah, man. Sorry I couldn’t make it to the wedding.” Tyler stands tall, all six foot plus of him. He’s as wide as a linebacker, but I’ll still knock him on his fucking ass.
I bare my teeth. “What the fuck were you doing to my wife?”
He just stands there and fucking blinks at me, and I launch myself over the couch at him. He steps backward, an amused grin on his face.
“Nathan!” Melanie steps between us, her face a mask of horror. “I had a cramp in my leg. He was massaging it out. He’s my cousin.” She pulls a disgusted face.
I lick my lips and glance between the two of them.
Tyler holds his hands up in surrender. “Yeah, buddy. That is definitely not my deal.” He laughs. Cocky fucker.
Melanie puts a hand on my chest, directly over my racing heart. “I get that must have sounded bad,” she says softly, her lips twitching. “But I told you that he’s a physical therapist. His hands are like a magician’s. He was just getting rid of my cramp.”
I narrow my eyes at her. Is she fucking with me? Her lips are still curling like she wants to laugh, but I’m sure she’s aware that I’m seconds away from tearing Tyler’s head off.
She tilts her head. “There’s nothing going on here, I swear to you. He just got back in town, and I invited him over for pizza and movies.”
“And even if she wasn’t basically like my twin sister, I’m all about the dick,” Tyler adds.
I shoot him a warning glare, but he merely shrugs. My pulse slows to a less alarming rate, and I direct my attention to Mel. “You were fucking moaning.”
“Ugh. That’s not your sex moan, is it?” Tyler balks, his face wrinkling with disgust. “Gross.”
Her cheeks flush pink. “No, that is not my sex moan!”
Tyler arches an eyebrow at me. “Is it?”
How the fuck would I know? I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes for a moment. This wasn’t at all what I expected to come home to.
