My back tenses as I know that means she’s following me back, and I also know this means she senses my displeasure right now. I take a deep breath and will myself to remain calm. Now is not the time for a fight.
As I loosen my tie, I hear her step into the bedroom behind me and shut the door. She whispers so we aren’t overheard. “Is something wrong? You seem bent out of shape about something.”
Yanking my tie free, I start on my cuff links. I debate for a split second whether I give her honesty or I hold peace, either option being appropriate in my mind, but then I decide… I’ll give her simple and honest. “I just thought we’d have a nice family night. Didn’t figure on company.”
“Well, I didn’t either,” she says with a hint of fight in her tone. “I certainly didn’t expect an emergency call from my boss that would prevent me from cooking dinner, or make me ask my intern to babysit. But it happened, and I made do.”
“But did you have to invite him to stay?” I ask as I set my cufflinks on the dresser before turning to her.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she says sarcastically. “Did you have to miss my celebration dinner a few weeks ago?”
“So this is payback?” I hiss at her as I attack the buttons on my dress shirt.
“No,” she says with a horrified look on her face. “This is adjusting to circumstances. Something got in the way of our plans.”
“Something always gets in the way of our plans,” I mutter as I pull my shirt off and throw it on the floor rather than the basket for our dry cleaning. That will drive Moira nuts and was completely petty, but deep down, I know I’m in the wrong here so it’s bringing out the inner petulant child in me.
Moira snorts in disbelief and says exactly what I expect. “Well, welcome to my world, Zach. Now you know how I feel most of the time.”
And fuck… I knew that would pack a punch, leaving an empty hole in the middle of my chest that immediately fills with guilt, but I didn’t expect it to almost knock the strength from my legs. Suddenly, I feel bone tired, helpless, and out of control. I scrub both hands through my hair and turn away from my wife so she doesn’t see that bit of vulnerability.
Immediately, I feel her hands on me… lightly on my lower back and then circling around my stomach. She presses her body up against mine, soft breasts resting against my back, and I can feel her cheek touch my shoulder blade.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, and that makes me feel even guiltier.
I spin around, catch her face firmly, and bend down until we’re almost nose to nose. “Don’t. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who’s being a jackass.”
“But you’re a cute jackass,” she says impishly. “And you’re my jackass.”
I can’t help it. This woman just gets me.
Gets to me.
In the best fucking way.
Chuckling, I pull her in hard, hug the breath out of her, and rest my chin on her head. “Christ… I’m sorry. All I’ve been thinking about all day is you in that green bra and panties, straddling me… getting ready to ride my cock, and I’ve been desperate to get home to be with you.”
“We’ve still got time tonight, baby,” she says soothingly.
But that’s not true. By the time the pizza gets here, we entertain our guest, and then get the kids ready for bed and down… I know without a doubt what will happen.
What happens almost every other night.
We’ll be too tired to do anything but a quick, fumbled fuck where we’ll fall into a deep, exhausted sleep immediately after.
Again.
“I’ll send Josh home,” Moira says suddenly in an attempt to give me something she can see I really need. “We’ll shove some PB&Js down the kids’ throats and lock them in their rooms. I can be naked and in the bed in about fifteen minutes.”
I can’t help it. I laugh at the thought of my wife kicking Josh out, running around like crazy all so I can do dirty things to her all night. God, I love this woman.
Shaking my head, I lean down to kiss her. “No, let’s go be good hosts to your intern. He seems nice and deserves your freshly ordered pizza, I suppose.”
“He is nice,” Moira says as she grins up at me. “You’ll like him.”
I cock a skeptical eyebrow at her. He’s young, clearly brilliant, and good looking. I’m betting he’s single. My kids like him, and he works in close proximity to my hot-as-hell wife. I don’t like him at all, but I keep that to myself.
“And besides,” Moira continues on with a mischievous sparkle. “He doesn’t have any family here, so I invited him to spend Thanksgiving dinner with us next week.”
“You did?” I ask tightly, but I maintain what I think is a jovial smile on my face. There goes another intimate family dinner.
“Yup. And I invited Lila today before I left your office,” she says with an even bigger, more mischievous grin on her face. “I think they’d make a cute couple, don’t you?”
I blink at my wife in awe. “You’re trying to set Josh and Lila up?”