40. Chris

Chapter 40

Chris

T he two women bidding on my brother was embarrassing, especially since I never raised more than three million… and the fact that the woman I planted in the crowd to bid on him lost. If it keeps him far away from Jaclyn, I don't care who won. The auction is for a single date, to anywhere the bachelor chooses. With the beautiful, eager redhead winning, I have no doubt that the tides are turning in my favor. It's only a matter of time before he forgets about my wife and moves on.

Jaclyn and I are exhausted after the busy few weeks we've had, so I suggested we make it an early night. As soon as everything wrapped up at the gala, we skipped the afterparties and headed to our room. I made sure to reserve the largest one available—a metaphorical honeymoon suite.

Despite my apprehension before the accident, I love being married to Jaclyn. The more time we spend together, the more confident I am that the two of us will survive this. She's the perfect woman, and the biggest regret of my life is not noticing it sooner.

I unlock the hotel door with my key card and drop it onto the front entryway table, flicking on the lights. I hold the door for Jaclyn, who looks as tired as I feel, as she carries her red strappy heels in one hand and a clutch in the other. Only a few feet inside, she places her clutch on the table and tosses her shoes haphazardly onto the floor.

"Can you unzip me?" She huffs out a breath. "I'm probably going straight to bed with my makeup on."

I guide her by the small of her back further into the suite, turning on lights as we go. On the dining table, I find the red roses that I had delivered next to a single blue rose. Jaclyn pauses for me to help her with the dress as a growl is stuck in my chest, unable to tear my eyes from the flower. There's no card, but I know damn well that rose is from my brother.

"Everything okay?" she asks sleepily.

I pick the rose off the table and toss it into the trash. She follows my movements but doesn't react. Either she's too tired or doesn't care.

Maybe she's already over him, and chose me?

"Yeah, everything's fine." I step behind her to unclasp the top of her dress and unzip it until it stops just above her ass .

Holding the crimson fabric with her arm over her chest, she turns. "Thank you."

Jaclyn's hate that she used to hide behind her eyes has diminished, and I breathe a sigh of relief that this woman may finally be mine. I close the distance and slide my hand into her hair, kissing her softly. She doesn't melt into me, but she doesn't fight me, either.

"Tonight was amazing; you did an incredible job. While you get ready for bed, I'll set up my CPAP, and we'll call it a night."

It earns me a small smile, and she makes her way through the bedroom to the ensuite, turning on the shower. Opening my suitcase, I take out a pair of boxers and set them aside. As much as I'd love to sleep naked with her, I don't want to push my luck.

While she showers, I pour distilled water into the plastic compartment of my CPAP machine and make sure everything is plugged in properly. The water shuts off in the bathroom after what has to be the quickest shower Jaclyn has ever taken. She emerges from the ensuite with a white towel wrapped under her arms and another on top of her head, twisted in her hair.

"My turn, already?"

"You could've joined me," she chuckles coyly.

I shrug as nonchalantly as I can as my heart leaps at the thought that things are starting to really look up between us. "I didn't think you wanted me to. "

"I mean, you probably would've had to hold me up. I almost fell asleep in there." She gestures with her thumb to the bathroom.

"We should get you to bed before you fall asleep on your feet, Mrs. Auctioneer." Grabbing my boxers, I head toward the bathroom, kissing her cheek as I pass her.

After taking a shower, I climb into bed, finding her asleep. Her damp hair is braided, and she's naked for the first time since the accident. Looking back and forth between the CPAP and my wife, there's no way I could curl up behind her with that thing strapped to my face. At first, I wrap my arms around her, loving the feel of her naked back pressed against my chest, but as I begin to drift off to sleep, guilt seeps in. The last thing I want is to wake her with my snoring; she needs her sleep after the busy night we've had.

Jaclyn's right. I should take my health more seriously.

I kiss her shoulder and whisper against her soft skin, "I love you, Jackie."

Her sleepy, mildly robotic sigh of "I love you, too" is all the reassurance I need. We're going to be okay. I turn over and fit the mask over my nose and mouth, then turn on the machine. As I breathe deeply for several minutes, my mind begins to conjure ‘what ifs.'

What if she's forgiven me, and we get to live in marital bliss, putting this all behind us?

What if when we get home, she suggests we try for a baby ?

The thought of practicing has my cock tenting in my boxers as I drift off to sleep.

" Y es, baby, right there. I'm so close."

"Fuck, I missed this tight pussy, Jackie," I grit out between thrusts.

Meeting my rhythm, her hips piston against me, taking me deeper. Her nails digging into my triceps, I'm trying my best to keep from coming. Our breathing picks up, and she's right fucking there. I'm desperate to have her sweet cunt pulsing around my cock as she comes with me, but I can't seem to catch my breath.

With thrust after thrust, the air has completely left my lungs. I try to clutch at my chest as the vision of Jaclyn slowly fades away—first her hair, then her dark blue eyes, then the remaining features of her face… until I'm left with nothing but dark gray clouds surrounding me.

This delicious dream has turned into a fucking nightmare, and I need to wake up. I reach to pinch myself, but my limbs are heavy, and I'm no longer able to feel anything. I'm left only with an ache in my chest as I plummet into the darkness.