Chapter 254

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Yardley walked through the door with the first aid kit in one hand. He didn’t say anything. Just crossed the room and knelt down in front of her.

Nancy was still sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapped in the same towel, her hair dripping onto her shoulders. Her heart hadn’t stopped pounding since he carried her out of the bathroom.

He took her ankle gently. Turned it side to side. Pressed his thumb into the swollen spot.

She winced. “Ow p>

“Just give me a second.” His voice was quieter now. Calmer than it had been in the bathroom.

He opened the kit and pulled out a bottle of liniment. Poured some into his palm. Rubbed his hands together until the oil warmed up.

Then he wrapped both palms around her ankle.

The heat spread through her skin. Deep and slow. Nancy bit her lip.

This was too intimate. His hands on her bare skin.

The smell of medicine mixing with her body wash. Him on his knees in front of her like she was something worth kneeling for.

She wanted it to stop. She also didn’t.

The swelling started to go down under his touch. The pain faded into a warm, tingling numbness.

“That’s enough,” she said quietly.

Water dripped from the ends of her hair. One drop landed on the back of his hand.

Yardley went still.

Then he looked up at her.

Behind his glasses, his eyes were darker than she’d ever seen them. There was something hungry there. Something that made her pulse jump.

Slow and deliberate, he took his glasses off and set them on the bed.

His shadow fell over her.

And then his lips were on hers.

Nancy’s brain short-circuited. Her hands grabbed his shoulders. She didn’t know if she was pushing him away or pulling him closer.

Yardley didn’t wait for her to decide.

He pressed her back against the mattress, one hand sliding behind her neck, the other gripping her hip.

His mouth was rough, demanding, nothing like the careful man he’d been just minutes ago. He kissed her like he’d been holding back for years and the dam just broke.

Nancy gasped against his lips. The sound seemed to fuel him.

His hand slid down her hip, over the curve of her thigh, pushing the towel aside. His fingers grazed the skin underneath, featherlight at first, then firmer. His palm pressed flat against her bare hip, rough and warm.

She arched into his touch without thinking. Her body knew what it wanted even if her head was still spinning.

He made a low sound in his throat. Approval. Hunger.

His mouth left hers and traveled down her jaw, her throat.

He kissed the hollow where her pulse was hammering and she felt his tongue drag across her skin. Her fingers dug into his shoulders.

“Yardley p>

He didn’t answer. His hand slid lower, fingers ghosting over the inside of her thigh. Nancy’s breath hitched. Her thighs parted without permission.

Yardley’s breath was hot against her neck.

His fingers traced higher, teasing the edge of her heat.

She could feel how hard he was, pressing against her hip through his pants.

“Nancy,” he breathed, his voice wrecked. “I need p>

“Daddy! Mommy! Where are you guys p>

Then Orion’s voice cut through the hallway.

Nancy shoved Yardley back. Hard.

He pulled away slowly. Ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “Does your ankle still hurt p>

Nancy was too flustered to answer. Her lips were tingling. Her face was on fire.

“Daddy! Mommy p>

“We’re in here, buddy!” Nancy called out, her voice cracking.

Orion burst through the door. He was wearing his favorite pajamas, the ones with the little rocket ships on them.

He looked at Yardley kneeling on the floor, then at Nancy’s red face.

His eyes went wide.”Daddy, did you make Mommy mad p>

He put his hands on his hips, trying to look tough.

“Daddy, you can’t bully my mommy! Even if you’re down on your knees saying sorry, it’s too late p>

Yardley looked at his son. Just stared at him for a second.

Then he stood up, picked up his glasses, and put them back on. A slow smile spread across his face.

“I wasn’t bullying your mother, Orion. I would never do that. I love her too much p>

Nancy’s heart stopped.

He said “love p>

He’d never said that word before. Not once. Not even close. And now he just dropped it in front of their six-year-old like it was nothing.

Nancy didn’t know what to do with that. She didn’t even know if she believed it. But her chest was still pounding.

Orion squinted at him. “Mommy, is he lying p>

Nancy was still stuck on the word. She had to force herself back into the moment. She managed to shake her head. “No, baby. He wasn’t bullying me. I twisted my ankle. He was just putting medicine on it p>

“Oh.” Orion’s face lit up. “Okay! Can we go eat now? I’m starving p>

Dinner was a masterclass in pretending.

Orion talked nonstop about his LEGO spaceship, complete with laser cannons and an invisible shield.

Yardley cut his steak, nodded at the right moments, and acted like nothing had happened.

Nancy sat across from him, forcing down every bite.

How could a man be inside her one minute and discussing space battles with their son the next?

Yardley was a gentleman again. No lingering looks. No wandering hands.

That night, they stayed on their own sides of the bed. Neither one crossed the invisible line.

But Nancy lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling.

She kept replaying the kiss. The way he looked at her before he did it. The way he said he loved her.

Like he meant it.

And she had no idea what to do with that.