MAY. 

I unfurl from the couch, walking over to the door. “Who’s there?” 

There’s a grumbled response from a voice I don’t recognize, and I peer in through the hole in the door. There’s a man and a very drunk Ethan who seems like he’s five seconds away from passing out. 

Groaning, I pull the door open and the man looks at me with wide eyes. He mutters something that I’m not quite sure I heard correctly, but sounds very much like, “Shit, Chase. Your wife’s smoking hot.” 

Ethan’s dark lashes flutter open and he grins like a child upon seeing me. He pushes his friend off him and lunges for me, wrapping big arms around me. “Maaaaaayyy,” he drawls, kissing the top of my head. “You smell so good.” 

I freeze for all of two seconds before shoving him off me. It’s a light shove, but he lands on his rump dramatically, and he laughs, lying on his back with his arms spread wide on the tiled floor. And he’s turned my name into a freakin‘ song. 

Just how much did Ethan drink? 

“Hi,” the pretty man says, extending a hand. “I’m Jared, and I’m sorry about Chase. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t stop drinking.” 

My eyebrows rise as I toss Ethan a scowl. “I thought he went with Neil.” When he was earlier, I laughed on purpose, pretending not to hear his very loud‘ conversation with Neil. I couldn’t even see the TV or hear anything. I was too angry to pay attention to anything that wasn’t him. 

I still am. 

My intrusive thoughts want me to straddle him, toss him around like a ball in a lacrosse game, kick him, and maybe let him keep sleeping on the floor and singing my name out loud. Maybe I’ll take a video of that later, just for keepsake. 

And when we make up–if we ever make up- I’ll have it playing on the TV screen for two weeks. 

The idea already makes me happy. 

“Neil, the fucking idiot left him there with those women trying to eat him alive,” Jared cusses, wiping something off his shirt, and when he looks up, he sees the glare I have directed at 

Ethan. 

Oh, so he went out to hang with the ladies? Left me on the couch wondering if he was alright. It’s three in the morning! I was so scared that I’d fall asleep and he’d spend the night outside, knocking. 

I may be an early bird, but when I pass out because I’m tired, it takes more than a bucket doused on my head to wake me up. 

But no. My husband, who had me sign papers, and then got mad at me for signing the papers after suggesting that I go find the love of my life outside our marriage definitely didn’t think of me while spent the night out, drinking, in the company of women who’s perfumes have clung to his shirt. 

“Oh, no, ma’am,” Jared says, raising his hand with worry in his eyes. “You have completely misunderstood what I meant. Chase gets flocked by women when he goes out. It’s his normal. But he doesn’t do anything with them.” Jared pauses, laughing. “Couldn’t stop saying your name and ‘my wife doesn’t like this‘ or ‘my wife is beautiful too‘ whenever they tried talking to him.” 

And for some reason, that makes me blush. Coupled with the sincerity with which Jared smiles and says, ” He’s all yours, 

yours, ma’am.” 

Is he now? 

I bite my bottom lip to hide my blush, and I take his hand in a firm handshake. “May. Stop calling me ma’am. It makes me feel old.” 

When he leaves, I shut the door and look at Ethan. His sleeping now, and he looks…cute isn’t the word. I look away from him before I forget that I’m mad at him. 

My gaze drifts across to his room. I should take him in. I start to reach for him when I remember a particular clause in the agreement that I’d read. 

*I will not touch you, and you won’t touch me. We will stay in our separate rooms and never invade the privacy of the other…* 

I hiss inwardly and leave him lying on the floor. Definitely not interested in breaching his precious contract. 

**** 

ETHAN. 

She left me to sleep on the floor. 

My neck feels stiff and my back hurts everywhere. What kind of woman leaves her husband on the floor, while she sleeps on her warm and comfortable bed? 

We all know who. May Ethan Chase. My lovely wife. 

The least she could’ve done was tuck me in. 

She knows how much I despise dirt, and she let me sleep on the floor. I had to spend more time in the bathroom, scrubbing my body until it was red and I was satisfied, 

I cross my ankle over my knee, sipping from my coffee cup as I wait for her. I’m going to ask her why in the world she thought it was okay to do that. 

As if hearing her name, her bedroom door creaks and she steps out, towel in hand as she wipes her hair. 

When she sees me sitting on the couch, fully dressed for work, she pauses and murmurs nonchalantly, “Good morning, Mr. Chase. Does your head feel fine after last night?” 

Mr. Chase? What’s with the formalities? That’s beside the point. 

“You left me on the floor,” I say softly. I rarely ever yell. I used to pride in my ability to keep calm, regardless of whatever situation I found myself in. Well, that was before I met May. 

May stares at me with clear, beautiful eyes, and she straightens, letting her wet her fall down her shoulders. It’s a simple movement, but it does something to me. Especially watching the droplets of water roll down her ivory skin 

“I did.” 

I sentence snaps me out of my daze. “That’s all you have to say?” 

May looks at me and turns, her hair flipping in my face and the water splashes on my face. She walks on bare, small feet to the dining room, and she picks up the agreement where I left it. 

I stare at her as she hands it to me and says, “Clause 5.” 

Stunned, I take it from her and read through it. It’s terrible, like I included without even thinking. I didn’t think she would sign it, so I pulled the silliest lines I could, making sure to let her read through it, so she’d refuse to sign it. 

It would’ve been a sign that she truly cared about me, even if she was mad. 

And now, I’m staring at the pages, wondering why the hell I had this drafted out. 

“Considering the terms, I couldn’t get you to your room. Or touch you. I wanted to help you, but I wasn’t able to. I also considered draping a blanket over you, but I couldn’t get yours from your room and I wasn’t sure if giving you mine would breach the agreement.” She pauses and a bit of remorse shines in her eyes. “I’m sorry, but it truly wasn’t my fault.” 

Yeah, because it was mine. 

I smile, though my fingers vibrate with barely leashed anger. “Well, you did the right thing,” I say through gritted teeth. 

May smiles. “Yeah, I know. Will you have breakfast?” 

Though her smile looks genuine, I can tell she’s doing this to me on purpose, and I don’t even have the right to be angry anymore, because I’ve stripped myself of that too. 

Hell, Chase. What were you thinking? 

Chapter 36