Papers for Roses

Chapter Thirty Five

Chapter Thirty Five

Megan

"I know you've been busy and all." The voice that met their ears was soft and sultry—so unlike the voice of a confident and authoritative woman Megan knew all her life. Even so, a little tinge in the woman's voice was familiar to her ears. "But I can't help it. I mi—"

"What the hell, Simon?"
"I can't listen to that again."
"You made me choose!"
"I did. So choose again."

Megan glared but Wade's face remained impassive. "You should've removed the tapes you didn't want me to listen to anymore. I wouldn't even know."

"They bore no mark. My time is too important to classify them."

"For a very efficient man, you're such a sloth."

Wade hugged her from behind and peppered her neck with little kisses. Her eyes shut as the fight gradually left her body.

"You missed this sloth, though."

After a fantastic, mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex in Wade's office, he canceled his entire schedule for the day. Wade told her what he found in his father's room and wanted to know if they were going to be on the same page. It was a box full of cassette tapes containing the voicemails her mom left to his father when they were on the verge of breaking up. Wade said that his father cut all his ties to her mom long before Mariana and Reed were killed, but her mom never seemed to get over it.

Wade didn't know all the details but the cassette tapes revealed a whole lot more. Megan, on the other hand, didn't want to draw any conclusions before she listened to any of it.

She didn't want to betray her parents by confiding with who they assumed was the enemy. At the same time, she didn't exactly know what to feel about Wade either. Megan was blindfolded when all of these happened. Hell, maybe she'd been daydreaming about her crush in 6th grade while they were suing each other.

She hadn't heard from either of her parents after she confronted them a few days ago. Hadn't really heard them telling her to divorce the son of their archenemy—which made having sex with Wade Simon easier. Sure, her feelings about them and Wade were a mess. But she wanted Wade and her parents didn't really give her much to make her choose them either.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Megan shook out of her trance as Wade's low voice rumbled in her ears. "Be honest with me, Simon."

"Wade, please."

He insisted on calling him that before they even signed the marriage contract. She refused to call him so as she felt that it was too personal when their arrangement was anything but. Wade blurred the lines today when he admitted he missed her. However, a part of her wasn't sure if he was only changing tactics.

Megan sighed and turned to his embrace. His blue eyes twinkled as he stared down at her. "Everything's too much to take. I'm not sure if we should do this."

She was looking at his collar, adjusting the perfectly ironed fabric, as she said the words. "You've treated me fairly... even inside the bedroom." She chuckled. "You made me like you and even if you haven't said it yet, I know you like me, too. But I feel like our timing is wrong, Wade. So many things aren't settled yet."

A warm, callused hand cupped her face, forcing her to look straight into his eyes. "I didn't know what to feel when you left. Frankly, I still haven't gotten in terms with my feelings yet. All I know is, I longed for your horrible voice when you left." She was about to swat his arm when he took her wrist with a grin, placing a kiss in it. Wade's eyes softened. "I longed for your cooking, longed for your stupid typing skills, longed bickering with you while you paint your face and pick your clothes for two hours, longed seeing you dance around my penthouse, longed watching you decorating it with all your colorful stuff. Even though those colors hurt my eyes.

"I longed for you. Every one of those little things, Megan. No matter how wrong the timing is, this, whatever we have before then and now, is right. This feels right."

Megan snickered at their inside joke, despite the flattering tears welling up in her eyes. Her heart increased in size for all the lovely words this man had said. They stare at each other, baring their souls and the feelings that weren't said.

She was left speechless, unable to find the right words to say for his perfect ones.

"You said you're still unsure about what you feel about me. What if you suddenly realize that killing me is the only way to get back to my parents?"

She laughed but her pulse spiked by the idea.

Wade snorted. "The last thing I want is to end up like them."

Silence.

"Wrong thing to say." He chuckled awkwardly. "No, Megan. I'm not going to kill anyone—especially you. I'm going to do this in the legal way."

"What if they weren't the killers?"

Wade gave her a blank stare. She gave this a lot of thought. Some tiny sliver of hope in her mind kept telling her that maybe, just maybe, all these troubles were for nothing and her parents were innocent. But Wade was so sure that they were and he said that all these cassette tapes only strengthened that.

He sighed. "That's what we are going to find out."

They both looked at the tapes sprawled all over the table in front of them. Megan picked the closest to her and removed the tape in the player. "I'm going to listen to this one while you're at work."

Wade smirked. "Suit yourself. Just don't wake me when you can't sleep after hearing that."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Wade engulfed her small hands with his huge ones. Megan flushed thinking how a simple act could make her feel so feminine. "Whatever you hear in these tapes, promise me, nothing is going to change between us, okay?" Megan warily nodded. "I know that I want you. And I see you. It's too much to ask, I know."

He kissed each of her fingers, "But I want to see where this is going to go. Your connection with them doesn't matter to me anymore, understand?"

x any thoughts? x