Chapter Nineteen

Violet

When I woke up in the morning, I was washed by an overwhelming sense of guilt. The sunlight spilling across the sheets and the warmth of the room did nothing to soothe me. What have I done? Gaius was my brother-in-law and I'd slept with him. Last night, I had not been thinking when I ran out of the house and into Gaius's arms. All I wanted was to proof to myself that I was still desirable. And Gaius had proved that I was. The soreness between my legs were a sweet reminder of everything we did last night. Still, the guilt didn't go away.

I rushed out of bed naked and hurriedly found my robe. I looked around for my panties and when I didn't find it, I banished the search and left the room. Downstairs, the scent of coffee was inviting. Gaius was in the kitchen, terribly good looking with his hair tousled and chest, bare. He was flipping something in a pan like this was normal. Like we did this all the time.

He looked over his shoulder and smiled softly. "Hey, you're