Chapter 45
Simon
The brass doorknob slipped completely from Simon’s grip.
The soft click of the latch shutting behind him sounded deafening in the quiet of the master bedroom, but Simon couldn’t look away from the center of the room. He couldn’t even breathe.
Audrey stood near the foot of the bed, bathed in the dim, golden light of the bedside lamps.
The midnight-blue silk of her nightgown clung to the soft, familiar curves he had spent the last four months agonizing over, the delicate lace stark against the smooth warmth of her collarbones.
Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders in wild, effortless waves, and her eyes—those beautiful, expressive dark eyes that had looked at him with such devastating betrayal for so long—were entirely open, burning with a quiet, undeniable invitation.
Simon felt the floor drop out from beneath him.
He didn't just walk across the bedroom; he was pulled forward by an invisible, relentless gravity. He crossed the hardwood floor in three long strides, his blood roaring so loudly in his ears that it drowned out the sound of the rain against the glass.
When he reached her, every instinct in his body screamed at him to pull her flush against his chest and devour her, to bury his face in her neck and never let go.
But he forced his hands to remain steady.
He stopped just inches away, his chest heaving as he slowly, reverently reached out to take her outstretched hand.
Her skin was burning hot against his. He slid his thumb over the delicate pulse point at her wrist, feeling the frantic, fluttering race of her heartbeat. It matched his own perfectly.
"Are you sure?" Simon whispered. His voice was incredibly rough, stripped of his usual polished executive calm, leaving nothing behind but raw, desperate devotion. "Rey, if we cross this line tonight... there is no going back for me. I am entirely yours. I need you to be sure."
Audrey looked up into his eyes, and Simon saw the absolute, unwavering truth shining there. She stepped completely into his space, resting her free hand flat against the center of his chest, right over his violently hammering heart.
"I have never been more sure of anything in my life," Audrey breathed, her voice a soft, devastating command. "Love me, Simon."
A low, ruined sound tore its way out of Simon’s throat. The last thread of his restraint snapped completely.
He let go of her hand and framed her face with both of his palms, his thumbs sweeping across her warm cheekbones. He leaned down and captured her lips, and the moment their mouths finally met, Simon felt like he was being struck by lightning.
The kiss wasn't gentle or tentative. It was a completely consuming, earth-shattering collision.
When Audrey gasped softly against his mouth, her hands flying up to grip the broad shoulders of his shirt, Simon let out a guttural groan.
He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against his body, lifting her slightly off her feet.
Without ever breaking the kiss, Simon walked her backward. The backs of her knees hit the edge of the mattress, and he followed her down as she fell back onto the white duvet. He braced his weight on his forearms, keeping himself hovering just above her so he could look down.
"You are so incredibly beautiful," Simon swore, his voice a ragged, breathless whisper. "I don't deserve you, Audrey. I will spend the rest of my life trying to deserve you."
"Show me," Audrey whispered, her dark eyes entirely blown with desire. She reached up, her trembling fingers finding the first button of his shirt.
Simon helped her, his hands shaking slightly as he tore the shirt off and tossed it blindly onto the floor.
He leaned down, his mouth trailing hot and slow down the side of her neck, feeling her arch into his touch.
His large, warm hands slid down her sides, tracing the familiar, beloved dip of her waist.
When he slipped the delicate straps of the silk nightgown down her shoulders, baring her completely to the golden light, he didn't give the cool air a chance to touch her skin. He immediately replaced it with the burning warmth of his mouth. He drew the sensitive peak of her breast into his mouth, his lips teasing the tight bud as a shattered, breathless gasp escaped Audrey’s lips.
She arched off the mattress, her fingers digging fiercely into his shoulders.
Simon groaned against her skin, the sound vibrating through her, driven completely mad by the sweet, desperate sounds she was making.
He poured everything he had into her. He wanted to burn away the heavy, lingering trauma of the affair—the sickening mental images, the insecurities he had planted in her head.
He wanted to completely overwrite the past with the sheer, absolute focus of his love, worshipping every inch of her until she couldn't remember the touch of anyone else.
When he finally parted her thighs and settled his weight over her, Simon thought his heart might actually give out from the sheer magnitude of what he was feeling. He braced himself on his forearms, catching her gaze. He kept his eyes locked onto hers, refusing to look away.
"Rey," Simon whispered, his voice trembling with an untamed, consuming passion. "I love you so much."
"I love you, Simon," she breathed, her dark eyes heavy with desire as she tilted her hips up to him, silently begging him to close the distance. "Please."
Simon let out a ragged breath and finally pushed into her.
The sensation of sinking into her incredible, welcoming heat was so profound it completely stole the breath from his lungs.
A guttural, wrecked groan tore from his chest as he buried himself completely inside her.
It was a physical homecoming. He stopped for a second, his muscles trembling violently with the effort of holding back, just letting himself feel the absolute miracle of being wrapped in her warmth again.
"You feel so perfect," he chanted frantically, his forehead dropping to rest against hers as he began to move. "I love you. Only you, Rey."
"Yes," Audrey cried out, meeting his deep thrusts with a fierce, answering rhythm. "I love you, Simon."
He moved with a desperate, agonizingly beautiful rhythm, driven by a love that had been stripped down to its very foundation and rebuilt stronger. He watched her eyes flutter, watched the way her beautiful face tightened with blinding pleasure as her nails scraped down the hard muscles of his back.
He chased her over the edge, feeling the beautiful, shattering clench of her release around him.
Her soft, breathless cry of his name echoed in the quiet room, and it was the only permission he needed.
Simon completely surrendered, pouring himself into her with a final, deep thrust, burying his face in her dark hair as his entire body shuddered with the blinding force of his climax.
When the frantic, blinding high finally subsided, a beautiful, heavy peace settled over Simon’s mind for the first time in a year.
He collapsed beside her, his chest heaving, and immediately pulled her flush against his side.
Audrey rested her head on his chest, her bare leg thrown over his.
Simon wrapped his arm securely around her waist, holding her tightly as he listened to the rapid, thundering beat of his own heart slowly returning to normal.
He pressed a long, tender kiss to the top of her head, closing his eyes as he inhaled the sweet, familiar scent of her.
Simon lay tangled with his wife in the dark, absolutely exhausted, but profoundly, undeniably whole.