Free FindingRelease by Debra Smith Page A

meal.

Chapter Two
     
    Everything seemed perfect. The aroma of baked macaroni and
cheese with bacon filled the still air. Her heartbeat accelerated at the sound
of a closing car door. He was home. Anticipation and fear formed a bittersweet
taste in her mouth as she readied to greet him.
    The door opened with ease and his presence filled the room.
God, how she’d missed him. Two weeks, the scope of his absence, too long to be
apart.
    A smile lit his face, causing her breath to catch. Her gaze
roamed his body, which was dressed down in his faded blue jeans and a navy
cotton t-shirt. Her mouth watered. Utterly delicious. The denim clung to his
ass like it knew the near perfection it rested against. Unceremoniously he
tossed his suitcase to floor, drawing the cotton of his shirt flush against the
hard planes of his back.
    Clasping her hands together, she struggled to keep from
running them over his body.
    “Hi, baby,” he drawled.
    Her stomach clenched as she formed a smile. “Hi. I missed
you.”
    He stepped toward her and slid his hands along her back,
caging her with his body and his passion. Her nipples pushed against the lace
of her bra, sending tendrils of lust snaking down her spine to rest deep in her
belly. The slightest touch made her body ache for him. His lips brushed softly over
hers, tempting, seducing. Then, with a seemingly wicked smile, he pulled back.
    “Dinner smells terrific. You made my favorite.”
    Breathless from his kiss, she blinked. “Yes, I did. I even
added bacon.”
    “You spoil me.”
    Grinning, she added, “Don’t you forget it.”
    Stepping from his grasp, she motioned to his place at the
table. “Have a seat. I will dish you.”
    Eva pulled his plate from the cupboard and spooned a large
amount of food onto the china. She grabbed the salt and pepper from above the
stove in one hand and placed the bounty in front of her husband. He never took
his eyes off her. She could feel the heat of his stare on her body as she
retrieved a fork from the silverware drawer to the left of the stove. She
returned to the kitchen in search of something to soothe her.
    “Aren’t you going to eat?”
    “No, I’m not terribly hungry.” She bent over to search for a
bottle of wine. Turning at what she thought was a groan, she looked behind her
and furrowed her brows while he shifted in his seat. Maybe it was nothing.
Hopefully the wine would help calm her nerves and give her the strength needed
to tell him of her sensual plans.
    She paused for a moment, considering her options. She could
pretend that nothing was wrong. She could keep things the same. A pang of fear
echoed in her chest. If things didn’t change then she couldn’t see herself in
the same marriage for the next forty years. It was selfish but no less true.
She owed him a chance. He was so much stronger than she. He could handle it.
    “What’s the occasion?” he asked almost suspiciously,
interrupting her thoughts.
    Gently placing the unopened bottle on the counter, she then
reached for one of her cobalt-blue wineglasses. “I thought we could celebrate.”
She shrugged. After opening the bottle, she sighed as the deep-red liquid
sloshed into her glass.
    “What’s in the box?”
    “It’s part of the surprise. I thought we could try something
new.” She brought the goblet to her lips, drawing his gaze. Slowly she drank
the vanilla-and-currant-infused liquid.
    “Oh, like what?”
    Her face flamed and she felt the heat from her neck all the
way to her ears. Swallowing, her mouth dry despite the wine, she tried to find
the words to tell him the truth.
    * * * * *
    Something was up. He knew the moment he came through the
door. She’d made his favorite meal and seemed to be holding back. Fuck, he was
fighting the temptation to take her. The feel of her beaded nipples pushing
against his chest was almost enough to make him throw her on the couch and do
what he’d dreamed of for days. Two weeks without her—pure torture.
    The chaste kiss