Bought For Love

I grabbed a cool cloth before kneeling beside her and sweeping her hair up into an elastic band I found by the sink. After swiping the cloth over her clammy forehead, I placed it on the back of her neck. “Emma, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“Go away,” she grumbled as she flushed the toilet. Then she leaned into me and buried her face in my chest. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”

I stifled a chuckle as I slipped my arms around her waist. “Can you stand?”

“I’m dying. What do you think?” she snapped.

Damn she was cute. Even when she was sick. I scooped her into my arms and stood, placing her on the sink. Then I wiped her face with a fresh cloth before putting toothpaste on her brush and handing it over.

“Damn scallops must have been bad,” she mumbled as she brushed. When she was done, she collapsed into me again. I brushed a kiss over her wild curls and carried her to the bed. Stripping us both down to nothing, I climbed in behind her and wrapped her soft body in my embrace.

The next time I opened my eyes, my arms were empty, and I scowled at the vacant spot on the bed next to me. A quick look at the clock told me it was after ten a.m., well past the time Emma usually got up. But she’d been sick and shouldn’t be out of bed. Plus, I hated waking up without her.

Sliding reluctantly out of bed, I pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and went in search of my wife. I found her pecking away at her computer in the office I’d set up for her next to mine on the main level of the townhouse.

“What are you doing out of bed, sweetheart?”

She gasped and flipped around in her chair, her hand flying to her chest. “You scared the crap out of me, Miles.”

I sauntered into the room and bent to kiss her sweet lips. “Good morning to you, too.” When I lifted my head, I gave her a stern glare. “Now, answer my question.”

She shrugged and turned back to her computer. “I feel fine. Great, actually. Must have just been a bout of food poisoning. And I wanted to get this done.”

I wasn’t so sure she should be up and about, but her color had returned, and she did look as though she’d never been sick. I decided to let it go but keep a close eye on her all day. Perhaps I’d lure her back to bed later for a…nap.

She typed a few things, then clicked her mouse, and I scanned the computer screen curiously. “NYU?” I asked as I realized she was working on an application for admission.

Emma nodded and looked up at me, almost shyly, through her thick eyelashes. “I’m tired of feeling lacking when I’m around all of these high society women I’m forced to associate with in your world. So, I decided to go to school.”

I sighed and spun her chair around so she was facing me. With a hand on each armrest, I leaned down and brought our faces close together. “Sweetheart, you’re more than those women could ever hope to be, whether you have a college degree or not. You’re perfect for me, just as you are.”

Her cheeks flushed, and her dark eyes sparkled as she smiled. “Really?”

Closing the gap between us, I took her mouth in a deep, deep kiss that had me contemplating that nap right away. My body certainly agreed, if the tent in my pants was any indication. “Really,” I murmured against her mouth.

I felt her lips stretch against mine as she smiled again. She pulled back, and her eyes searched my face, looking for confirmation behind my words. She would find it, because I meant every word.

“Still, it’s something I’d like to do.”

“Then I fully support you,” I told her with a firm nod. “As long as you’re doing it because you want to and not because you think you need to prove something.”

She stood and threw her arms around me, smacking a kiss on my cheek.

I growled playfully and swatted her delectable ass before weaving my arms tightly around her. “That is not the kind of kiss you give your husband, Emma Deveraux.”

She lowered her eyes coyly and wiggled her body enticingly. “I think I can do better.”

In the blink of an eye, I’d tossed her over my shoulder, fireman style, and was racing up the stairs, her laughter trailing behind the entire way.

I kept her in bed for most of the day, but eventually, our need for food dragged us from our cozy little bubble. Calling in a favor, I made a reservation for a restaurant I knew she’d been longing to try. If all went as planned, her satisfied state mixed with the delicious food would soften the blow of what I needed to tell her.