Shared In Tangled Sheets

Unsatisfying Pillow Talks

The smell of sautéed garlic and herbs greeted her the moment she stepped into the apartment. She smiled softly, dropping her bag onto the counter, already feeling the familiar warmth of home.

“Hey babe, you’re back early,” her husband said, turning from the stove, a spoon in hand.

His apron wrapped around his body like a pro chef, his hair tousled like his hands had run through it so many times since he started cooking.

“I thought I’d try your favorite tonight, loaded sweet potato and garlic butter shrimp.”

She leaned into him over the kitchen counter for a quick kiss, inhaling his comforting scent. “You didn’t have to,” she murmured, resting her forehead against his.

“I know, but I wanted to,” he replied, eyes bright with longing.”

“What did I ever do right to deserve you as my husband Mr Xander Moore?” she said smiling.

“How was the meeting at the office today?”

“Intense,” she said, smiling faintly. “You wouldn’t believe the things I had to wrangle today.”

“I gave a grown man a lecture for twenty minutes and he thanked me.”

He chuckled. “That’s because you’re good at giving orders.”

She met his gaze. “Yeah,” she murmured, “but sometimes I wish someone else would give them to me.”

He laughed softly, brushing a hand down her arm. “You always make it look so effortless. You’re… incredible.”

She felt warmth bubble in her chest. He meant every word. He always did. But tonight, something felt… unsatisfying.

While he finished cooking the meal, Ava went ahead to set the table. They ate in silence, sharing the familiar warmth.

“Would you like a massage after dinner?” Xander asked.

“Sure babe. But you could have kept it as a surprise for when we get inside the bedroom,” she said, wrapping her hand around him as he did the dishes.

“I didn’t know if you were up for it, considering you had a stressful day at the office. That was why I asked.”

“No, it’s ok babe. I liked that you asked,” She planted a kiss on his neck.

She stepped into the bedroom, the soft glow of the lamp casting golden light across familiar sheets. He pulled her close before she could speak, his hands warm as they traced the curve of her back.

“I missed you today Mrs Moore,” he murmured against her ear.

She laughed, kissing him softly, the brush of his lips gentle on hers. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling lightly, searching for that spark that always seemed to be there but was just out of reach.

His hands roamed slowly, cautiously, memorizing her in a way that was comforting and yet frustrating. She shivered under his touch, loving the way he made her feel, but wanting more because it lacked the edge she craved.

“Tell me what you want babe,” Xander said as her trailed kisses down her neck to the middle of her breast.

Her pulse quickened, not from his touch, but from memory.

The elevator. That smirk. That command in his tone.

She imagined the collision, the way he had held her in place, unflinching, confident, daring her to respond.

She let out a soft gasp as his lips trailed along her chest, hands slipping under the hem of her shirt.

“Is this what you want?”

Every move was tender, careful, almost apologetic. And yet… her body remembered a different rhythm, one she’d tasted only for a heartbeat.

She pressed herself against him, needing more, her body craving something bold, urgent, unyielding, but it wasn’t there. His touch stayed soft, light, as if he were afraid to push boundaries she hadn’t invited.

“Touch me, Xander, you own me. Do not seek permission,” Ava whispered between moans.

A sigh slipped from her lips, muffled against his shoulder. He kissed it away, oblivious to the storm inside her, and she clung to him, torn between love and desire.

When it was over, she lay in his arms, warm and safe, yet restless and insatiate. Her mind kept returning to the elevator. The way his hands held her firm, his voice low, his command absolute.

And in the quiet of the bedroom, she realized just how hungry she was… for something more.

Something Xander couldn’t give her.

That fleeting moment in the elevator, the collision, the smirk, the way he didn’t back down…

Heat curled low in her abdomen, her breath hitching before she could stop it. She pressed her thighs together under the bed cover, as if it could smother the memory of him still replaying in her mind as her husband’s hand lingered on her waist, warm and comforting, but it was not enough. Not for her.

She sighed into the pillow, biting back the words she couldn’t say aloud. She loved him, God! She loved him.

But he didn’t know. He didn’t know she wanted someone who would tell her what to do, who would challenge her in ways that thrilled and terrified her all at once.

She loved her husband’s familiar soft kisses, whispered I love yous, and the safety of a routine, but she needed more. Her pulse still thrummed with the memory of the elevator guy.

“This was never about him, he has just brought to the surface what I've been hiding for a very long time now. Something dangerous.”

Xander was her world and everything she was revolved around him. She couldn't break the bond they shared over a simple desire.

“We made vows Ava, and vows shouldn’t be broken,” she thought to herself.

She knew the gravity of these thoughts she had in her mind. She knew it could be the end of her marriage, and she didn't want to risk it.