Page 8 of Perfidious Passion

God, I'm being stupid.Nothinghappened. I hate that I'm here to prove it to myself instead of this solely being about spending time with my partner. But, damn it, I want to make it right. Ihaveto be okay with his boss; this is his dream which means it's also mine.

The emotions of one affect the rest. That's family. Aaron's happy, and so am I.

The pep in my step as I enter his office might be somewhat forced, but fake it until you make it, right? My anxiety comes and goes. This is just a tiny blip; then I'll feel better.

I expect to see Aaron behind his desk leafing through a manuscript, but seeing the room empty surprises me a little. After I set lunch on the little coffee table by the window, I look around. A small notebook and a pen catch my eye.I can write him a cute note to find later.

I'm grinning as I squiggle a small heart beside my name,YourLil Lilly, and tuck it beneath the corner of his keyboard. As I stand upright, a low hum startles me into bumping my hip against the desk.

"We just keep running into each other."Brett. His throaty chuckle sends shivers down my spine, and I can't help but whip around like I'm expecting an attack.

When I do, though, I can't convince myself that he wasn't just staring at my ass.His eyes were absolutely...

Brett's eyes snap to mine with concern flashing in them.Or maybe it was something el—"Your hip okay, Lilly?"

I frown.Oh."Um, I'm fine."He wasn't checking me out then. What is wrong with me?"How are you, Brett?"

I swear his shiny brown dress shoes are winking at me in the bright sunlight as he slowly closes the space between us. "Hmm.” He grins and drops a hand down on Aaron's desk a foot from me. "I would besomuch better if I had a woman likeyou in my life. Beautiful, thoughtful." He eyes the bag of lunch I brought.

A nervous laugh slips out as I inch away, and try not to rush toward the door. "I was just dropping lunch off for?—"

Before I can finish my excuse and bolt the fuck out, Aaron's blocking the doorway. The smile that lights up his face makes my heart clench. With happiness or dread, I don't quite know. "Lilly, I didn't know you were coming, my love! I would have been here waiting for you."

He swoops down and kisses me gently with his hand on the hip I hurt because of his boss. "Just wanted to surprise you," I whisper, my cheeks heating but not from embarrassment, but because I can feelhiseyes on us.

Brett's boisterous laugh makes me jump. "I was telling her how lucky you are to have someone feeding you all the time." Aaron just laughs right back, seemingly pleased with the impression I'm making.

"Lilly's mom has the best recipes she gifted us a few years ago. I've never eaten so well in my life," Aaron brags. Meanwhile, my skin itches with sweat beneath my long sleeve and puffy black jacket.

Aaron moves me toward the little sitting area by the window that looks out over the city. When his back is to his boss, Brett's eyes run over me. "Lucky indeed." His voice is casual; his leer is anything but.

What the fuck is going on?

"Speaking of food," Brett continues with more excitement as he makes his way toward the door. "I'd like to take you and your family out for a congratulatory dinner tomorrow night. You can't say no. I'm the boss, remember?" He tosses a wink over his shoulder.

"Sounds great! Thank you, sir," Aaron practically gushes as Brett leaves.

Fucking great.

Dean

FEB. 12TH - WEDNESDAY

Something's wrong with Lilly. And it's definitely not the dress she's wearing or the hairdo she's rocking. My wife looks fucking fire in her deep green long-sleeve dress. It reaches mid-calf with a loose skirt, and the top clings to her petite frame all the way up to her neck.

Lilly looks stunning and regal, but… it's not her.

"Where'd you get this dress, baby? You look beautiful," I add, hoping to keep her from noticing my confusion.

"Oh," she murmurs and fingers the smooth fabric. Shrugging a little, her cheeks tinge pink. "I wore it to that Christmas party with my mom a few years ago, remember?"

I think back and realize that it does look familiar and I'm pretty sure I was surprised she wore it then too. "Your mom bought it for you, right?"

Lilly nods, her wispy red curls tickling her neck. Her half-up, half-down hairstyle looks killer with the dress style. Even her makeup is extra charcoaly.

I want to ask her why she's wearing it again, but I bite my tongue. There's clearly something up with her if she's foregoing her usual style. Lilly likes showing more skin and keeping herface more natural. She's covering herself. When she juts her shoulders back, I realize Lilly's wearing armor.

Squeezing my hip as she exits the bedroom, I watch her go and admire the slope of her back. Caleb exits the bathroom, dressed in a similar clean black suit. We both have two buttons of our dress shirts unbuttoned beneath our coats. I went with a light blue shirt, and he's in a dark blue.

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