The Rutherford Series

I hate Mondays. Why can't we just go straight from Sunday to Tuesday and forget this whole Monday concept? The alarm screamed at Faith Greer as she yanked the covers up over her head and attempted to stuff the excess into her ears. It didn't help."Rise and shine, gorgeous." Selby sat on the edge of the bed and strove to pull the covers from his wife's head. "It's a beautiful day, and you're wasting the best part.""I thought being in bed was the best part." She sighed as the covers disappeared. She hated morning people.Selby only laughed as he set a hot cup of coffee on her nightstand. "Only if we're having sex, and since we're not, it's time to get up.""I'll let you fuck me if I can sleep through it." She spread her legs and laid her arms out flat."You could sleep through me fucking you? I'm wounded." Selby left the side of the bed and grabbed his shoes."I'm tired. Get over it. Pretend my snores are moans." She kicked the covers back within arms' reach and snuggled down. "I'll ev

Faith had been right. Not that there had been any doubt in her mind she wouldn't be, of course. Cherish called out for the day, claiming she hurt her back over the weekend moving furniture. Faith knew it was a lie, or at least a cover-up. Knowing Cherish, she wore herself out over the weekend or merely hated Mondays. It became a pretty common occurrence. Her sister may not call off every Monday, but it was frequent enough to be noticeable; at least to Faith it was. Edwin either didn't notice it or didn't care. To be honest, Faith didn't care either. Cherish was moody, her emotions sometimes coming out like a roller coaster ride that's gone out of control. The office was a much more pleasant environment to work in when Cherish stayed away. The day seemed set on fast forward, which was great for a Monday, and the fact there were only two hours left to her daily prison sentence pleased Faith. She glanced at her list of To Dos and gave herself a satisfied pat on the back when she saw all

Selby entered the house through the garage, and Disturbed blaring through the house speakers assaulted his ears. Well, something has set her off. He weaved through the house to his office where the music originated and turned down the volume on electric guitars and drums. He inhaled the silence.Dropping his briefcase by his desk, he went in search of Faith. It didn't take long. She was in the kitchen butchering carrots and hurling them into a pot of boiling water. "I want to hug you, but I think I want you to put the knife down first." He stopped at the edge of the counter and bent his head, attempting to peer into her eyes. "Bad day at work?"Faith kept chopping at the carrots, and Selby assumed he would need a new cutting board before long. "Work was fine. At least, it was until my mother showed up."He should have known. No one could work Faith up more than Valerie Driscoll. Selby always believed that to be the older woman's superpower. He chose not to say anything, though. Instead

"And she just snapped? Over a fifteen-minute break?" Selby stood in front of their bathroom mirror, wearing just his jeans as he ran a brush through his hair. Just as he would get his hair the way he wanted, Faith would come up and tousle it, saying she preferred his blond locks with a rough look to them. He finally just surrendered."Isn't that the stupidest thing you ever heard?" Faith wore a purple thong with a matching push-up bra as she stared into the walk-in closet for some outfit to volunteer itself to her for the evening. "It's like if she gets passed over for anything, she has to throw a temper tantrum. I swear, she never grew up.""Well, don't let her ruin your night," Selby said as he walked up behind her and slid his arms around her bare belly. "I hear a glass of sangria calling your name."Faith leaned her head back, resting it on his shoulder as she nuzzled into his neck. He could feel her take a deep breath. "This, right here, is better than any drink," she whispered.H

Faith Greer hooked her pinkie into the bar handle of the sliding door, pulling it open just enough to wedge a foot between frame and door to scoot it open the rest of the way. Her right hand held two glasses of cranberry juice with a carafe of coffee dangling from her index finger while the other balanced two plates of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and blackberry jam on toast. She could have been a waitress with that balancing act. Selby finished setting the table on their wooden deck as Journey serenaded them from the speakers. The salt spray brushed against her face as the breeze pulled playfully at her wheaten hair, whipping it around her face and shoulders."Will you take these please," she laughed. "I can't see where I'm going."Selby laughed with her, but instead of helping her, he pulled the strands of hair from her face and licked her nose. "But you look so cute helpless.""You won't think it's cute when your breakfast hits the deck."He continued to laugh but unwrapped the carafe