Chapter 1218
Right before things went all the way, Elysia clung to her last shred of sanity and warned Tarquin in a shaky voice, “Only… only once, okay p>
Tarquin’s breathing was heavy, but he agreed right away. “Okay! Just once p>
The night was soft, and love was electric.
Of course, things never go exactly as planned.
That “just once” quickly turned into twice… then three times… and, well, you get the idea.
So the next morning, Elysia was absolutely wiped out.
She tried to get out of bed several times, but her legs were jelly. She felt like she’d been trampled by a stampede of wild horses.
There was no way she was getting out of bed. The minute her toes touched the floor, her legs started trembling.
Lying defeated on the bed, Elysia shot Tarquin a murderous glare and gritted her teeth. “Tarquin, you jerk p>
Tarquin knew he’d gone way overboard. He didn’t dare argue back-he was worried if he made her mad, she wouldn’t let him anywhere near her again.
“I know, I’m a total jerk. I’m sorry, it’s my fault He apologized over and over, trying everything to make it up to her.
He brought her pain relief cream, helped her to the bathroom, even took care of every little thing so she wouldn’t have to worry.
“I know you’re embarrassed and don’t want Dad and Mom to know you can’t get out of bed. Don’t worry, I’ve got a cover story all set p>
“If Dad asks why you’re still in bed, I’ll say you pulled an all-nighter studying for your psychology certification p>
“Studying?” Elysia shot him a look. “More like you kept me up all night p>
She wasn’t buying it. “What if Dad asks me what book I was reading p>
“He probably won’t,” Tarquin tried to reassure her.
Elysia glared. “What if he does p>
Tarquin grinned, “Then I’ll just grab one of your books from the study and show him p>
Elysia frowned at his smug smile. “What are you smiling about p>
His grin only got wider, but when Elysia shot him another icy glare, he quickly coughed and tried to look serious. “Don’t be mad. I’m not laughing. Does my excuse work p>
Of course the excuse would work. But Elysia was in no mood to be
friendly, so she just ignored him and
pulled the comforter over her head, pulled the
muttering curses at Tarquin under
her breath.
She’d planned to meet up with Winona today, and maybe take her parents and the kids out for brunch and a stroll around the park. Now, all her plans were ruined. She was stuck in bed, totally at Tarquin’s mercy.
Tarquin gently patted her through the covers. “You rest. I’ll bring you some breakfast p>
“I don’t want any p>
“You’ll be hungry p>
“Go away! Leave me alone p>
Tarquin just smiled even more and tucked her in, trying to look as apologetic and helpful as possible.
Downstairs p>
Clayton had been up for hours already.
He’d taken a morning walk around the neighborhood, checked out Elysia’s place, and now he was
settled on the living room couch net
flipping through a thick stack family photo albums-pictures of the kids when they were little ones Elysia had printed out years ago.
The photos brought a smile to his face. When Tarquin finally came down alone, Clayton looked up and asked, “Where’s Irene p>
Tarquin lied smoothly, not missing a beat. “She stayed up all night reading. She’s catching up on sleep and said not to wake her for breakfast p>
Clayton frowned in concern. “What book kept her up all night p>
“Some psychology stuff. She wants to get certified, maybe look for a job down the line p>
Clayton shook his head. “She shouldn’t be losing sleep over books. It’s not good for her health p>
“I’ll talk to her. No more all-nighters,” Tarquin promised.
Clayton nodded thoughtfully. “So Irene’s thinking about going back to work p>
“Yeah. She’s got dreams and ambitions, and I fully support her p>
Clayton smiled. “Work can be tough, but if it’s what she wants, we should let her go for it. It’s good to have dreams. Do you know what she wants to do p>