Page 16 of The Forever Experiment

A smile plays at my lips; my wife looks damn good putting a boy in his place.

“Babe, I was being nice. Take the compliment.” He snorts a laugh, turning to the table as he grabs himself a coffee cup.

The dismissive action sends me spiraling, and I’m suddenly reaching out to grab his shoulder, spinning him so he faces Maya again. She gasps, just realizing how close I’d been standing, her pretty eyes widening when they meet mine.

“I think what my wife was asking you to explain is why her gender would play any type of role in the level of success she’s achieved.” I wrap my arm around Maya’s waist. “Look Mrs. Atler in the eye and explain that to her, will you?”

His nostrils flare, jaw set tight as he gives me a once-over. Sighing dramatically, he turns his attention to Maya. “Sorry. It was a slip of the tongue. I didn’t mean anything by it, really.”

She levels him with a cool stare. “You should take a while to think about why you feel the need to compare accomplishments of individuals in this industry by gender, or whatever other labels you place upon us, and why the accomplishments of men might be more valuable to you than those of women.” She smiles softly. “Take care.”

She steps out from my hold, running her soft hand down my arm as she does so, tangling her fingers with mine. My heart rate picks up as she squeezes and begins walking out of the conference room.

I let her lead me, and once we’re out of earshot, she laughs. “You know, I was going to play stupid a little longer, really torture him.”

“Watching you get disrespected isn’t something I’m willing to tolerate.”

She pauses, glancing up at me with eyes the color of cinnamon in the light. An affectionate smile graces her lips, and she responds by squeezing my palm again. She doesn’t let me go as we step onto the escalator and head downstairs.

“Were you able to take care of our issue?” she asks, and I kind of hate the way she refers to it like that.

“Why don’t we grab lunch and talk about it?”

Her eyes narrow. “You didn’t intercept the paperwork, did you?”

“You say intercept like I’m Jason Bourne or something.” I snort. She does not match my humor. “No, I’m sorry. I missed him. It’s already been filed.”

“Fuck,” she groans, pulling her hand from mine and tossing her head back. “I’m going to have to handle this myself.”

“There was nothing I could do, Maya.”

“You’re a lawyer, Easton. You argue. Plead your case until you obtain the desired outcome.”

I think this is my desired outcome.

I only shrug. “You’re a better attorney than I am.”

She rolls her eyes, and we’re quiet until we reach a restaurant in the lobby and grab a table. She slips into the booth across from me, and I can tell she’s annoyed. I fucking hate it, so I immediately grab her hands, bringing them to the center of the table and placing mine over them.

“I know you’re stressed, and that’s valid, but I promise you, I’ll do whatever I can to get this figured out for us. I’m here with you,” I say. She swallows, eyes dropping as she nods. “And don’t let the outcome ruin the experience, please. Tell me you had fun last night, Maya baby. I’m begging.”

I think last night might have been the best of my life, second only to the night I fucked her.

It kills me she may not feel the same about it.

Her lashes flutter, and a small laugh escapes her as she shakes her head. “Yeah, I had fun, pretty boy. You’re a good time.”

I bring her hand to my mouth, brushing a kiss over her left ring finger, noticing she must’ve left her ring upstairs in the room. “I’ll take care of it.” I lift my eyes to hers. “Of you.”

“Hand kisses are legally binding,” she repeats what I said last night, that breathy tone from the last time I pressed my lips to her skin back in her voice.

“I know,” I say before kissing her again.

8

Maya

“You’ll need to makean appointment to meet the County Recorder, and she’s not available today, but I can put in an order to have your marriage certificate sent by mail if you’d like.”

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