The Mistress in the Room novel · Chapter 19 of 24

Chapter 19: What the Lamp Showed

I stripped the big bed at midnight with Evan standing in the doorway, holding his duffel bag.

Douglas's pillow went in a garbage bag.

His blue robe went on top of it, and his reading glasses, and the framed photo of the firm's ten-year party.

"You don't have to do this for me," Evan said.

"I'm not doing it for you." I snapped a clean sheet over the mattress. "I'm doing it for this bed. It's mine, and it's going to have something good happen in it."

He set the duffel down.

"Then tell me what you want."

"Take your shirt off."

He did.

In the lamplight the bruise on his collarbone had gone yellow-green at the edges, and a faint scrape crossed his ribs where the shed door had caught him.

I touched the scrape with two fingers.

"You said you were fine."

"I am."

"Evan."

"I was scared you'd see how much I wanted to be here." He caught my hand and held it flat against his chest. "I'd rather you saw it."

"I see it."

That was all I needed.

I kissed him, and he lifted me and carried me through the bathroom door, and he turned on the shower with his elbow.

We stood under the water in the dark, and it ran down both of us.

His hands moved over my back and my hips, soaping me, slow and thorough.

I washed the glass dust out of his hair, and he let his head fall forward onto my shoulder.

"I've wanted to do this since the night in your kitchen," he said into my skin.

"Only since then?"

"Since you put your hand on my bruise. I'm not good at hiding it."

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