Will and Charity come back

Will padded into the suite’s living room with that half-sated grin of a man who thought he’d stolen a moment with his wife. His hair was mussed, shirt buttons crooked, belt hanging loose. He flopped into the armchair, stretching like a satisfied cat.

“God, that shower’s gonna have to wait,” he chuckled. “She pulled me down like a lioness.”

Charity emerged behind him, cheeks pink, hair sticking slightly to her temples. She smoothed her dress as though the fabric itself might erase the evidence. To Tom, though, her gaze told the truth: eyes still glassy, thighs pressed just a little too tight together, every nerve still buzzing from the mirrored climax she’d shared with Ellie.

Ellie sat curled on the sofa next to Tom, knees drawn up, hugging a throw pillow to hide her lap. Her lips were still swollen from his kiss, a faint blush lingering down her neck. She caught Tom’s glance and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning.

Will, oblivious, looked between them all. “What’s with the faces? You guys look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Charity slipped behind him, looping her arms around his shoulders, planting a tender kiss on his cheek. “Just teasing each other while you took so long,” she purred smoothly. Her voice didn’t even crack. If Tom hadn’t just felt her come in time with Ellie, he might’ve believed her act.

Ellie chimed in, voice bright, casual, maybe a touch too chipper: “Yeah, Tom was telling me about some of the places we might visit tomorrow. He’s got good taste.”

Tom cleared his throat, forcing a smile, his pulse hammering in his ears. He prayed the flush in his cheeks read as nothing more than a sunburn. “Just… catching up. It’s been a while since I’ve traveled with you guys.”

Will grinned, satisfied. “Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. We’re gonna make this week one for the books.”

Charity’s hands tightened on her husband’s shoulders—Tom saw the faint tremor. Only he knew it wasn’t love she was holding back—it was the aftershocks of Sarah inside her, still trembling from the secret they now shared.

Ellie shifted closer on the sofa, just enough that her thigh brushed Tom’s. Under the pillow, her fingers grazed his hand in a quick, invisible stroke. A silent promise.

Tom swallowed hard. The suite smelled faintly of sweat and sex, masked only by the salt air drifting in through the balcony doors. The risk, the lies, the burning bond of Sarah split in two but both his and Will’s at once—

He thought: I won’t survive this trip.