Decadence by Karen Stivali Read Free Book Online Page A

crap
out of him. If Jessica confessed an affair, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to
handle it. He’d been cheated on once, by a girlfriend in college, and once was
more than enough. They’d tried to work it out and he hadn’t been able to get
past it. He couldn’t stop picturing her with the other guy. Never trusted her
completely.
    Would it be like that with Jess? Or worse, what if she
doesn’t even want to try? What if she’s tired of our relationship and wants
something new? He kicked himself for every late night. Every missed
opportunity to tell her how much she meant to him. What an idiot I am,
thinking a goddamn Spice Rack is going to make up for the fact that I’ve barely
been around for her for the past six months.
    He’d seen her change over those months. First he’d blamed it
on the stress of moving to a new house but he’d known it was more than that.
Her mood had been in a downward spiral as she grew progressively more distant.
Until the fucking classes. Then she’d perked up.
    She’d always been sexy as hell in his opinion, but this was
different. She was different. She moved with a new sense of grace, held herself
with greater poise. Hunched shoulders were replaced by self-assuredness. He’d
been so relieved to see her looking happier he hadn’t bothered to give it
further thought.
    Another mistake.
    For years he’d been telling her she had an awesome body and
he knew she’d never quite believed him. “Yeah, right,” she’d say, brushing off
every compliment. Especially after the kids were born. It had taken her nearly
a year after each pregnancy to be comfortable letting him see her naked. He’d
given up trying to convince her. He couldn’t force her to believe it.
    Lately, though, she’d been moving like a woman who did
believe it and believed it plenty. Watching her walk across their bedroom every
morning, sauntering with a newly pronounced sway to her hips, it had been all
he could do not to toss her on the bed and make them both late for their days.
But there’d still been that air of distance. That secret he couldn’t quite put
his finger on.
    Pulling into the driveway, he noted with a blend of relief
and dread that her car was already there. This is it. Moment of truth. No matter what it was she wanted to talk about, he was going to find out once
and for all. Lay it all on the line. His head swam as he keyed into the house.
    The family room was shadowy as the sun set, casting a pink
glow on the room. “Jess?” he called, not seeing any lights on in the kitchen.
    Stress knotted his shoulders. Where the hell is she?
     
    Jessica waited just out of the line of sight from the front
door. She watched as Eric put down his briefcase and tossed his jacket on the
foyer bench. “Jess?” He scanned the room.
    Her heart pounded as it occurred to her that this was her
last chance to back out. She could take off the outfit, slip into a t-shirt and
just seduce him the old-fashioned way. He’d be none the wiser. Would have no
idea what he’d missed. And she wouldn’t run the risk of making a total ass out
of herself.
    She cleared her throat. “I’ll be right there. Have a seat in
the dining room. I set out a snack.” It took every ounce of concentration she
could muster to keep her voice from quavering. Please sit in the chair I
left pulled out. Please, please, please. She tapped the tips of her fingers
together, willing him to sit down.
    Eric thumped into the chair, looking pissed. Maybe he’s
still upset about work. Her stomach flip-flopped. Hopefully this will
take his mind off whatever’s bothering him. “You know how you’ve been
asking me about the classes I’ve been taking?”
    “Yeah.” Eric scrubbed his hand over his head, still looking
totally stressed.
    “Well, I thought I should let you know what kind of classes
they are.” This is it. Showtime.
    Holding her breath, she hit the play button on the remote
control. The opening notes of Peggy Lee’s Fever drifted out of