Page 31 of Ella Gets the D
“Sixteen years. We met when I was twenty-three, got engaged four months later, and said ‘I do’ when I was twenty-five.” I frown for the old me who mistook red flags for charm. “I was young, in love, and completely ignorant of life. And also the man I was marrying.”
“Jesus,” he says through a heavy sigh. “What kind of man treats the woman he loves like that?”
A vindictive one.
“I have ninety days to find a job and a place to live that isn’t Morgan’s house.” I swallow the lump lodging itself in my throat. “I haven’t worked in over a decade, and if I don’t fulfill my end of the separation agreement, Charles will take me to court to force me back home.”
The last time he and I spoke, I came close to begging him to let me go.Mebegginghimto unclench his grip on our marriage after he broke our vows. Stress keeps me up night after night, and I’m tired from chasing the shadow of hope and wired from the never-ending to-do list.
Julian’s eyes remain steady. A pained look passes through his features, as if he understands the stakes and what his returnmeans. His mouth turns down in apology. We can’t stay in the townhouse. “Ella.”
“No need to make it plain. I’ll figure it out.” I pull out my hand to reach for my wallet. “This has been…” I laugh. “I should go.”
He slides the check toward him and stands. “I’ll take care of this. We can figure everything else out after we get some sleep.”
It takes a few seconds to register that he’s not kicking me out. At least, not yet. “Are you out your damn mind?” I ignore his chuckle and how it moves his Adam’s apple. Add that to the list after forearm veins.
He shrugs. “Morgan promised you the house, and I won’t be here long. I’m fine with it if you are.”
I stare at him, puzzled by my own sense of calm. “It would be a temporary arrangement,” I say to reiterate the obvious. “Now that I know you’re not a serial killer, we can figure something out.”
Julian laughs with enough force to rattle the table. He shakes his head with a grin and settles back into the booth. “It’s really good to finally meet you. You are”—he searches my face—“unexpected.”
The pull for our gazes to tangle is magnetic. We consider each other with a familiarity that makes no sense whatsoever. I lower my head to settle my breathing. Why am I so unhinged around him?
His eyes are still on me when I look up.That’s why. I clear my throat to quiet the butterflies I shouldn’t have for my best friend’s brother. Heryoungerbrother. “You live over in England? With the fancy tea and royal family?”
Two dimples wink next to his bemused smile. “Something like that. I come back for visits but enjoy the anonymity London brings. Less people in your personal life.”
“Was that a problem here?” Had to be if he hopped continents.
“You don’t follow the blogs, do you?”
“Should I?”
“Hell no.” He laughs with less enthusiasm than before and scratches his goatee. “Being away from my family gets lonely, but it’s nice to keep people out of my personal life.”
“I deal with enough gossip to care about someone else’s. No worries over here.”
Silence threads with understanding and an intensity that shouldn’t be here.
Change the subject.
“So, this townhouse. You’re willing to live with me?”
“It’s the other way around, but yes,” he says with a panty-dropping smile. “Only if you’re comfortable.”
Am I really doing this? “I have two kids.” Morgan’s brother or not, leaving my husband to live with another man isn’t an ideal setup while navigating a divorce. Unfortunately, my finances can’t afford ideal. Without Morgan’s house in play, my options are slim to none.
“The house is big enough for me to stay out of your hair. You won’t see me, and I’m not here for long. I promise.”
I cross my arms. “What’s the catch?”
Sexual favors, maybe?
My cheeks burn at the memory of our bedroom acrobatics, and, being the perceptive person he is, Julian’s smile morphs into a grin. His eyes drop to my chest and glide around the silhouette of my breasts in my BBD shirt, then back up to my throat.
BBD for Bell Biv DeVoe, by the way. Not BDE, which oozes from him.
