His Open Marriage, My Forbidden Secret

Chapter.9

Lia POV

Friday took forever to arrive. Lia went through the motions of her life like she was underwater. Everything felt slow and muffled and far away. Breakfast with Julian, who spent the entire meal on his phone texting someone. Probably Vanessa. Probably making plans for another night away. Lunch alone because Margaret canceled at the last minute. Thank God. Lia couldn't handle another lecture about proper behavior and disappointing the Whitmore family.

All she could think about was tonight. About Caspian. About the way he'd kissed her in the garden three days ago like he was drowning and she was air. About the text message she'd read a hundred times. Same hotel. Same time. Friday. Don't make me wait.

She wasn't going to make him wait. Couldn't if she wanted to. Some invisible string pulled her toward him and fighting it felt impossible.

At six PM, Lia started getting ready. She stood in front of her closet for twenty minutes, pulling out dresses and putting them back. Nothing felt right. Finally, she grabbed the emerald dress. The same one she'd worn that first night. When she'd walked into the wrong room and found him instead of some nameless escort. When everything had changed.

The dress slipped on like water. She looked at herself in the mirror and barely recognized the woman staring back. Her eyes were bright. Her cheeks flushed. She looked alive. Happy. Things she hadn't been in five years.

Julian was in his study when she came downstairs. He didn't even look up from his laptop. "Going somewhere?"

"Meeting Isla for dinner."

"Have fun." Two words. That was it. No questions about where or when she'd be home or who else might be there. He didn't care. Hadn't cared in years. The open marriage he'd demanded was working perfectly for him.

Lia grabbed her keys and walked out. The evening air was cool against her skin. She sat in her car for a moment, hands on the wheel, trying to calm her racing heart. This was crazy. Reckless. Everything she'd never been before Julian had crushed the life out of her.

But she wasn't that woman anymore. That quiet, obedient wife who swallowed her pain and smiled for the cameras. She was someone new. Someone who took what she wanted. Even if what she wanted was dangerous.

The drive to the Azure Hotel felt both too long and too short. Traffic was light. The city looked beautiful in the fading sunlight. Lia's hands shook on the steering wheel. Not from fear. From anticipation. From need.

She pulled up to the valet and handed over her keys. The same guy as last time. He smiled at her like he recognized her. Like he knew exactly why she was here. Heat flooded her face but she walked into the lobby with her head high.

The elevator ride to the top floor felt endless. Lia watched the numbers climb. Five. Ten. Fifteen. Her reflection in the mirrored walls showed a woman she was still getting used to. Bold red lips. Dark eyes. A dress that hugged every curve. She looked like she belonged in Caspian's world. Like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

The doors opened. The hallway was quiet. Empty. Just two doors at opposite ends. Suite A and Suite B. She knew which one was his now. No more mistakes. No more wrong doors.

Lia walked to Suite B and stood there for a moment. Her hand raised to knock. This was it. Last chance to turn around. To go home and pretend this wasn't happening. Pretend she didn't want him so badly it hurt.

She knocked.

The door opened immediately. Like he'd been waiting right on the other side. Like he'd been counting the seconds until she arrived.

Caspian stood there in dark jeans and a black shirt. No suit tonight. Sleeves rolled up showing those forearms she remembered from the first night. Tattoos and muscle and strength. His gray eyes locked on hers and the world narrowed to just the two of them.

"You came," he said. His voice was rough. Like he'd been holding his breath.

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"I hoped." He stepped aside to let her in. "But I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd stayed away."

Lia walked past him into the suite. It looked different than the first night. Cleaner. More organized. The whiskey glass was gone. No rumpled clothes thrown over chairs. The bed in the other room was made with fresh white sheets. Like he'd prepared for her.

The door closed behind her with a soft click. She turned to face him. They stood three feet apart. The air between them felt electric. Charged. Like one touch would set everything on fire.

"I know this is wrong," Lia said quietly. Her voice shook slightly.

"I don't care."

"We barely know each other."

Caspian moved closer. One step. Then another. Slow. Deliberate. Like he was giving her time to run if she wanted to. "I know enough. I know you're trapped in a marriage that's killing you slowly. I know you're stronger than you think you are. I know that when you walked into my room that first night, something changed. For both of us."

"Caspian." His name came out like a plea. For what, she wasn't sure. For him to stop. For him to never stop.

"Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you haven't been thinking about this. About us. About what happens when we stop fighting it."

She couldn't tell him that. Because he wasn't wrong. She had been thinking about it. About him. Constantly. Every moment of every day. In the shower. In bed at night. Sitting across from Julian at breakfast. All she could think about was Caspian's hands. His mouth. The way he looked at her like she mattered.

"What do you want from me?" she whispered.

"Everything." He closed the distance between them. His hands came up to cup her face. Gentle. Reverent. Like she was something precious. "I want everything, Lia. Every piece you'll give me."

Her breath caught. "That's dangerous."

"I know." His thumb stroked her cheek. "I'm a dangerous man. I do dangerous things. But with you, I want to be different. Want to be better. Even though I know I shouldn't. Even though this will probably end badly for both of us."

"Then why are we doing this?"

"Because some things are worth the risk." He leaned down, his forehead resting against hers. "You're worth the risk."

Lia's eyes closed. She breathed him in. Expensive cologne and something darker. Something uniquely him. "I don't know how to do this. I've only ever been with Julian. I don't know how to be with someone who actually wants me."

"Then let me show you." His lips brushed hers. Soft. Teasing. "Let me show you what it's like to be wanted. Desired. Worshipped. Because that's what you deserve, Lia. That's what you've always deserved."

She kissed him. Not soft this time. Desperate. Hungry. Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. His arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her slightly so she had to stand on her toes. The kiss was fire. Need. Everything she'd been holding back for three days pouring out all at once.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Caspian pressed his lips to her forehead. "Slow," he murmured. "We're going slow tonight. I want to know you. Not just your body. You."

"Why?"

"Because this isn't just s*x anymore. Not for me. And I don't think it is for you either."

He was right. Somewhere between that first night and now, this had become something more. Something deeper. Something that scared her more than anything else in her life.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

The question surprised her. "What?"

"Food. Are you hungry? I had dinner sent up."

Lia blinked. She'd expected him to pull her straight to the bedroom. Expected hands and mouths and the desperate rush of bodies coming together. Not dinner. Not conversation.

"I... sure. I guess."

He led her to a small table by the windows. The city sprawled out below them, lights beginning to twinkle as evening fell. There was pasta and wine. Nothing fancy. Just food. Like this was a normal date. Like they were normal people.

They sat across from each other. Caspian poured wine into two glasses. Handed her one. Their fingers brushed and electricity shot up her arm.

"Tell me something about yourself," he said. "Something you really want ."