The Broken Vows: Zane and Celeste’s Story (The Windsors)

“We should get going,” Celeste says as she rises from the sofa, where we’ve been playing an electronic card game, so Archer can play too.

“No,” Clara says, her brow raised. “You’re staying over.”

Celeste’s eyes snap to mine, and something akin to discomfort flashes in them, almost like she feels bad for me. “Oh, um, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she says hesitantly. “Zane has plans tomorrow.”

My mother-in-law looks at me then, her expression daring me to break my promise. “You’re staying over, aren’t you?” she asks, her tone sharp.

“Yes, ma’am, as agreed.”

“And you don’t have plans, do you?”

I shake my head. “Not until the evening. I’ll have to go over to my grandmother’s house for dinner, but otherwise, I’m free.”

Clara crosses her arms and stares Celeste down, her brow raised. I suppress a smile when my wife throws me a helpless look. I merely shrug, not having forgotten the cow shit story. “Come to think of it,” Clara says. “I have a bunch of onions that need peeling. Sounds like an excellent task for tomorrow, Celeste, since you don’t have plans and all.”

My wife’s shoulders sag in defeat, and she throws me a hateful look that just turns me on. “Yes, Mom.”

“Take Zane up,” Clara orders. “He worked so hard today, helping with all of that food prep. I’m sure he’d like to get some rest. The freezer is filled for months thanks to him, after all.”

Celeste stares at her mother openmouthed and throws her hand up in a what the hell gesture, both of us well aware she did the majority of the work. I can’t help but smile at that cute, outraged expression of hers and her beautifully flushed cheeks. “My pleasure,” I tell Clara as I rise to my feet, adding fuel to the fire.

Celeste glares at me before storming out of the living room, and I grin as I follow her, finding her particularly adorable tonight. She leads me upstairs, and my smile melts away as I remember all the times I’ve been here before — every stolen kiss, all the sneaking around because we couldn’t stay away from each other for even one single night.

I instinctively turn to the right at the landing, toward the guest room, and she grabs my wrist, her eyes meeting mine. “We’re married,” she whispers, pulling me in the direction of her bedroom. I raise a brow, remembering her father’s scrutiny and the countless spot checks he’d done in the first few weeks, worried I was ravaging his daughter behind his back — which I was.

My heart races as I quietly follow her to her room, a hint of nerves settling in the pit of my stomach. I haven’t gone to bed with her since we got married. Something about it feels too intimate, and it’s hard enough to keep the boundaries between us intact these days.

She glances over her shoulder as she pulls me into her room, her hand still wrapped around my wrist, like she’s scared I won’t follow her if she doesn’t make me. The door closes behind us, and my eyes zero in on my overnight bag on her desk. I’d put it in the guest room earlier, but someone clearly moved it, and judging by her surprise, I don’t think it was Celeste.

I lean back against her door and cross my arms, inadvertently pulling my wrist out of her reach. “You have some explaining to do, my darling wife.”

She turns to face me, and I’m instantly fucking captivated by the blush that’s coloring her face rosy. “I… um… about what?”

I narrow my eyes and suppress a smile when she throws me a cutesy innocent look that’s so familiar it hurts. “Cow shit, huh?”

“About that,” she says, her voice high-pitched. “I… um… I can definitely explain.”

“Yeah?” I’m curious what kind of tale she’ll spin. She picked this habit up from Sierra back in the day — making up wild but oddly believable stories when she’s trying to get out of something. It’s kind of endearing that she still does that.

Celeste laughs nervously and pushes a curl behind her ear. “I mean, I don’t know, it just kind of made sense?”

I grab her hand and pull her against me before turning us over, so I’ve got her pushed up against the door. “Yeah?” I murmur, my face hovering over hers. She feels so soft against me, so perfect. “How exactly did it make sense that I’d buy cows just to harvest fresh manure from them?” I try my hardest not to let my amusement show, but fuck, it’s hard. This is how I fell for her the first time, and I can feel it happening all over again. “What other lies did you tell your mom about me, huh?”

She tries her hardest to bite back a smile, and then she bursts out laughing, unable to contain it. The sound of her joy makes my heart race, and my hands wrap around her wrists, pinning them above her head, unable to keep from smiling in return. “That funny, huh?”

She nods, her chest pressing against mine. She’s breathing as hard as I am, and for a couple of seconds, it’s easy to just exist in this moment. “I told her you select all the manure personally and have a whole process to choose the ones you wanted for your greenhouse.”

She giggles, and I drop my forehead to hers, my own smile breaking free. “Crazy girl.”. My nose brushes against hers, and her laughter trails off, her breath hitching. She tenses and tilts her face, making her lips brush against mine before pulling back, like she moved instinctively and caught herself in time. I swallow hard, my lips hovering over hers. It’d be so easy to kiss her, but fuck, we can’t keep doing this. I’ll never be able to walk away from her if I keep giving in.

I let go of her wrists and step back, but before I can put more space between us, her hand wraps around mine, keeping me in place. I glance at our entwined fingers before raising my eyes to look at her. Her gaze is filled with a deep need, one I’m desperate to fulfill, and despite my best attempts, I can’t look away.

Celeste takes a step closer, bridging the distance I’d created. Her free hand slides up my chest and around the back of my neck, her gaze pleading as she rises to her tiptoes. I exhale shakily when her lips brush against mine hesitantly, once, twice, before her hand slides up my nape and into my hair. I groan when she kisses me softly, her touch filled with tenderness and regret. I can’t fucking resist her — I never could. She moans when I bury a hand in her curls and kiss her back, my touch rough, tinged with anger. Even after all these years, I can’t deny her, and it drives me mad.

Celeste’s hand slips out of mine, and she leans back to look at me, her breathing erratic as she places both palms on my chest, her touch warm through the fabric of my shirt. I suck in a breath when her fingers move to the button at the top. She undoes it, her gaze heated. I’m spellbound as she makes her way down, my heart beating wildly.

I don’t snap out of it until she’s halfway through, and my hands wrap around hers, keeping them in place. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

She looks up at me from lowered lashes, her gaze heated. “I do,” she promises, but she can’t possibly. I let go of her hands, and she finishes unbuttoning my shirt. It falls open, and she places her trembling palm in the middle of my chest, her touch caressing as she moves it down.

Celeste inhales shakily as she grabs the collars and pushes the fabric off my shoulders, only to freeze at the sight of the tattoo over my heart, the one I’ve kept hidden from her. Her eyes widen as she takes in the goddess that bears a striking resemblance to her, her wings pitch dark and corrupted. “What is this?” she whispers, tracing my tattoo with the tip of her fingers.

“My biggest regret.”

Her gaze snaps to mine, agony flickering through her eyes as she slides her hand around the back of my neck. She hesitates for a beat, and then she pulls me closer, her lips finding mine. I groan as I take what she’s offering, ignoring every red flag.

I grab her waist to lift her up, needing her closer, and she wraps her legs around my hips instantly. Celeste’s fingers thread through my hair as she kisses me, her touch impatient, desperate.

Her body moves against mine as she opens up for me, her touch telling me everything she won’t. My wife tears off my shirt entirely as I carry her to her bed, and my hands slip underneath her dress. She tightens her legs around me and holds up her arms, helping me get it off. “Fuck,” I groan when I see the beautiful white lace she’s wearing underneath. Her lips find mine again, her touch urgent, like nothing else matters.

I sit down on her bed with her still on my lap, and she pushes me backward, her gaze trailing back to my tattoo. “So that’s why you always stay half-dressed,” she whispers as she leans over me and kisses my chest. I inhale sharply and grab her ass, kneading and teasing, my touch rough. Celeste continues to kiss me, slowly moving up my chest, the way she used to. It’s fucking intoxicating. She nips at a sensitive part of my neck, and I moan, unable to help myself.

She does it again, and I bury a hand in her hair, fisting it roughly. “Fucking tease,” I groan. She laughs and sits up, her legs spread across my abs. I can feel how wet she is right through her panties, and it’s driving me wild. Celeste looks into my eyes, her gaze filled with tenderness and something that looks a whole lot like a deep kind of longing, something that extends beyond the physical.

She looks into my eyes as she reaches behind her and undoes her bra, letting it fall away. “Fuck.” I stare at her, enchanted, and the look in her eyes tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.

I grab her and turn us over impatiently, enjoying the way she gasps as her back hits the bed. She bites down on her lip when I hook my fingers around the waistband of her panties, her breathing erratic as I slowly drag them off. Five years, and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted her more.

I suck in a breath when I finally have her fully naked, for the first time in years. She’s fucking ethereal, my beautiful Celestial. “You too,” she pleads, and I smirk as I rush out of my suit pants, throwing them on top of her clothes before kneeling between her legs.

My wife whimpers when her eyes land on my cock, and satisfaction rushes through me when she wraps her legs around my waist and tries to pull me closer. “So impatient,” I murmur, even as I give in and settle on top of her, pressing against her teasingly.

She squirms underneath me, her hands roaming over my back. “Please,” she begs, and I drop my forehead to hers. She threads her hands through my hair and pulls my lips back to hers, her touch near reverent. I kiss her slowly, sliding up against her continuously, coating my cock in her wetness. Her legs tangle with mine, and she moans my name as I slip into her, taking her hard.

“Such a perfect pussy,” I whisper against her mouth, and she rolls her hips, drawing an involuntary moan from my throat. “Fuck yeah,” I groan, grabbing her thighs tightly.

Celeste raises her hips and flips us over, catching me by surprise. She chuckles as she climbs back on top of me, her eyes on mine as she grabs my cock and slowly sinks down on it. That look of pure delight on her face nearly fucking undoes me.

“Ride me,” I tell her. “Ride your husband, Celeste. Fuck me.”

Her pussy squeezes me tightly in response, and I groan, fucking desperate for her. Pure possessiveness crosses her face as she begins to move on top of me, and right there and then, I know. I’m fucking doomed, because even after all these years, all the heartache and pain, I still want her as much as I always have, and this feeling will never go away. It’ll always be her.