Fractured Affections (The Affections Series Book 1)

Chapter One

Reagan

"COME ON BOYS! We needed to leave like five minutes ago." Every morning I go through the same thing. Getting three boys up and ready to go in the morning is enough to make you contemplate blowing your brains out. First it's breakfast, then lunches and checking book bags to make sure they have everything they need, while they whine and holler that they don't want to go to school. Like that would even be an option.

"What are you guys doing up there?" I yell as I climb the stairs.

When I reach the top, I head down the hall to Dylan's room. He is the oldest of the boys and the most caring. At ten years old, he almost reaches my height at five-foot-six. Then there is Max who is seven and Colt is five. I can hear snickers coming from behind his bedroom door.

"Ssshhhhhhhh! She's going to hear us," Dylan whispers.

I am now terrified of what I might find when I get inside his room. Nothing good ever comes from this type of situation. My anxiety is slowly creeping up on me as I crack his door to peek inside.

"Surprise!" they yell, as I walk in the room.

I look up to see my husband standing there with the most beautiful bouquet of calla lilies, my favorite flower. I'm completely caught off guard. I thought he left hours ago for work.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, as I take the flowers and reach up on my toes to press my lips against his. After almost eleven years of marriage, he is still the best husband I could ask for. He has never left my side.

"I thought you might like the day off. I figured you could take yourself a nice hot shower while I get the boys off to school, and then I made arrangements for someone else to take care of work, so we can have some time just the two of us," he says.

He's up to something. He never takes off work. He has always been dedicated to the business he started when we first got married, building homes for people from the ground up. He helps to guide the owners to make it their own. Every home is special in its own way. It's time-consuming work, but it is what he loves, and he has provided for his family with it. Not many people are that fortunate.

I stopped working dead end jobs once Dylan was born and have been a stay at home mom ever since. Some days I'm happy to do so, and on others, I resent staying in this house caring and cleaning up after others. I have lost my individuality. Most days I am a mom and a wife, not Reagan.

"I don't understand; you never take off work. What is really going on, Dalton?"

"Well, that changes today. I'm not sure how often we can do this, but now that all the boys are in school full time, I plan to take off more, so we can be together. Just the two of us," he says, as he wraps his strong arms around my waist and pulls me in close to him.

I smile at the gagging noises coming from my children, since it's so gross for their parents to touch one another.

"Alright boys, get your things. It's time to go." He turns to whisper in my ear, "And you take your time in that shower. I would hate to see you finished before I get back." His breath tickles my ear as he speaks sending a shiver down my spine.

I'm still standing there with my eyes closed as they all leave me alone. I soak up the quiet and take a deep breath. A day alone with Dalton, just the two of us, sounds absolutely amazing, but I can't help but feel as though something is going on that he's not telling me. I will not hound him about it. I need to enjoy our time together.

I walk slowly down the hall to our master bedroom and take in all the pictures lining the walls, pictures of our little family from over the years. My, how time flies. I feel like it was just yesterday that we were so young ourselves and getting married. Shortly after, Dylan was born and Dalton was there, helping me through. I was so unsure of things as a new mom. It's amazing how strong some people can be. When you are falling apart, they are picking up the pieces. He has always done that for me. I love him more and more every day for it.

I enter my bathroom and slide out of my clothes. The silence blankets over me as I step into our shower and turn the water on. Closing my eyes, I let the warmth wash over me. My muscles begin to relax, and after some time I grab the soap and begin to lather myself. As I slowly slide the soap down my leg, until I am completely bent at the waist, I hear the shower door slide open behind me.

"Mmmm Mmmm Mmm, I came back at the perfect time," he says, as his hand slides over my bottom and up my back.

I begin to stand.

"Don't move Rea, let me feel you."

I lean back into him as he steps under the spray of water with me. The feeling of his hands tracing my skin causes gooseflesh as they wrap around my waist, then up my breast and back down again. His teeth lightly nibble my neck. Tilting my head back, I close my eyes while enjoying the sensations he is awakening in me. I turn in his arms and press my lips to his. He deepens the kiss, causing a moan to escape my lips, and presses me backward until my back hits the shower wall. I shiver from the coolness of the tile. Lifting my leg, Dalton wraps it around his waist. I can feel his erection pressing against my center. I rock my pelvis into his; igniting a fire in me that only his touch can feed.

"Dalton, I need you, please."

He slides his hand down and applies pressure to my clit, "What do you need, my sweet Rea?" His voice is a husky whisper and it's a sound that makes me want for more.

"I need you," I moan. "Inside me, please."

He rubs circles on my clit before pinning both of my hands above my head.

"You have me, Rea. I would live inside you, if I could," he says, as he lifts my leg higher and slowly slides into me.

He continues to thrust into me while staring deep into my eyes, my hands still pinned to the wall. I try with everything I have not to break the eye contact, but the feelings he causes in me make that difficult. My head tilts back on its own volition, and I can't control the sounds that are coming from my lips. While swallowing my moans, his tongue sweeps against mine. He places both of my wrists in one of his hands and trails the other down my side until he reaches my clit again.

Heat and pressure are building inside me. I long for that intense explosion that is so close. His movements become faster and more intense. I know we are both close. Dalton abruptly pulls out of me and spins me around. Bending me forward, he slams back into me, causing a delicious sensation to spread through me.

"God, Rea, I love the feel of you swollen around me." He is pounding into me hard and fast, and I explode around him, screaming out into the silence. My sounds echo around us. After a few more thrusts, he pulses inside of me, releasing a deep grunt.

After our breathing settles, he pulls me into his arms and holds me close, placing a sweet kiss to my forehead. He pulls in a deep breath through his nose and exhales.

"We should have had more days like this over the years, my sweet Rea. I'm sorry I didn't try to build more memories with just the two of us."

We spend the rest of the day naked, in bed, wrapped in each other's arms. It was a great surprise, but at the end of the day I can't help but feel like something is wrong. For whatever reason, Dalton wants to keep me in the dark.