Raven is silent as I lead her to my car, and I wonder what she’s thinking. Did I overstep with what I said to her just now? Fucking hell. Why is it that I always lose my patience with her? The mere thought of her sleeping with someone else had me seeing red, and it’s leaving me feeling confused. I’ve never had this issue with Hannah. I couldn’t care less how many men wanted her and simply considered it part of her job, but I can’t make that same distinction with Raven.
I can’t make sense of the way my wife makes me feel. I should be heartbroken over the way my relationship with Hannah ended, and perhaps I should be somewhat resentful about my marriage with Raven, but I’m not, and I’m not sure why.
“Where are we?” she asks as I park the car in front of the building one of my friends owns.
“You’ll see. Let’s go.” I walk around the car and open her door for her, offering my hand. It’s odd, because Hannah and I never held hands. She was always too scared to be photographed with me that way. Yet somehow, I won’t take no for an answer with Raven. It’s a simple thing, but I want her hand in mine when we’re together.
Raven entwines our fingers, and I smile to myself as we walk in. “I want you to know that I have every intention of keeping my promises to you, Rave. You told me my home doesn’t feel like ours, and you’re right. So let’s fix that, okay?”
She looks up at me in surprise when she realizes where I’ve taken her. “Castello Designs,” she murmurs. I smile as my friends, Selena and Damien, walk up to us to greet us. They’re a husband and wife team that does some of the best architecture and interior design I’ve ever seen. Selena’s eyes drop to our joined hands, and she smiles. “If it isn’t Mr. and Mrs. Windsor,” she says, grinning. “I’m honored you chose us to design your home.”
Raven looks up at me with a questioning gaze, and I smile reassuringly. “They’re friends of mine, so I told them about us ahead of our formal announcement.”
My wife grins at me, and something about that smile of hers sets my heart ablaze. I don’t think I’ve seen her look even remotely as happy ever since we got married, and I only have myself to blame for it. I need to do better.
“Selena, Damien, meet my wife, Raven Windsor.”
Raven Windsor. I love her first name paired with mine. It’s a strange thing to enjoy, but I love saying it.
I thought Selena would treat Raven with the same coldness she’s always treated Hannah with, but I worried for nothing.
They refused to work with Hannah, and though I could have, I never pressured them into doing it for me. I didn’t have high hopes when I called them a few days ago, assuming they’d refuse to work with Raven too, but much to my surprise, they were more than happy to do so. I’m not too sure what made them change their minds, but I suspect it has everything to do with Raven. The odd thing is that I don’t think they’ve ever met.
Selena takes Raven away to discuss remodeling plans, and Damien claps me on my back with a knowing look. “We’ve got this,” he promises. “We’re going to build her a home so nice, she’ll never want to leave.”
I smile at him and nod. I fucking hope so. Raven deserves the world.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ares
Hannah: I miss you, Ares. How long are you going to ignore my messages? You said we could be friends, but now you won’t even speak to me.
Hannah: I got the lead role in Stars That Shine. I know you had something to do with that. I know you still care, Ares. I promise I’ll respect your boundaries. I know how you feel about marriage — I know that better than anyone else. Is it so bad that I still want you in my life? Is it so bad for me to think that you want the same?
She’s been texting me every day since we had dinner, but I have yet to respond. I’m feeling oddly conflicted. On the one hand, I’m mad at her for leaving me at the altar the way she did, yet on the other hand I’m oddly relieved. I shouldn’t be, but I am.
The door to my home office opens, and I lock my phone before putting it away, leaving Hannah’s messages unanswered. Raven walks in wearing a red nightgown that puts my wildest fantasies to shame, and I try my hardest to keep my eyes off her body, but it’s a losing battle. The fabric might as well be sheer for all that it’s covering. I can see a hint of her dark nipples, and I’m not sure she’s wearing anything underneath at all. I bite down on my lip as I remember the way she looked at me when she told me that she doesn’t like wearing panties, her bare pussy in my lap and eyes on mine. What would have happened if I’d just given into my desire that night?
I try to tear my gaze off her and fail. Raven has always been sinfully beautiful, but seeing her dressed in this way is a turn-on of a different kind. This is for my eyes only, and I fucking love it.
“Look at this,” she tells me as she lifts herself on top of my desk, putting her breasts at eye level for me. She’s so fucking close… what would she do if I spread her legs right on top of my desk?
I clear my throat and glance at the sofa she’s showing me. “I like this darker one better,” I tell her as I swipe through the options.
Raven grins at me. “I was hoping you’d say that because it’s my favorite too.”
I look up at her in surprise. “You don’t need to ask me for my opinion, you know? You can do whatever you want.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to do that. I already feel like I’m intruding in your space.”
I grab her hand and hold it gently. “Don’t, Rave. There’s no need to feel that way. This is your home now.”
“It’s ours,” she corrects me. “I’m asking for your opinion because I want you to love our home too.”
I nod at her and entwine our fingers. Designing our home together has been much more fun than I expected it to be. It truly feels like we’re making it ours, but it’s bittersweet, because it also means I’m washing away everything related to Hannah. Raven and I haven’t spoken about her at all recently, and I’m hoping to keep it that way. It’s odd, the way she and I attempt to exist in this bubble where we pretend I wasn’t engaged to her sister for years, yet it seems to work for us, for now.
“Are you done with work?” she asks, glancing at my laptop.
I nod and close it. “Yeah. I’m exhausted.”
Raven glances at my pajamas and nods. “Let’s go to bed then.”
She tightens her grip on my hand and pulls me along, both of us quiet as we make our way to our bedroom. Day by day, each memory with Hannah gets overwritten, until one day, I’ll look around and find nothing but Raven written onto my walls.
Raven lets go of my hand and walks over to her side of the bed, her cheeks rosy. We’ve gone to bed together every night since the first night she fell asleep in my arms, but she still gets shy about it. It’s odd, because we’ve always been so comfortable with each other.
We’re both silent as we get into bed, and I turn toward her with a smile on my face. “Why are you so nervous, Cupcake?”
She chuckles and turns onto her side too, the two of us facing each other. “I’m not sure. I guess this is just new to us?”