Page 37 of A Labor of Hate
I crossed my arms with a huff.“It’s only a matter of time before I do, and you know it.But that’s not why I want a truce.”
“Oh?”Apparently resigned to the fact I wasn’t letting him pass so easily, he set his briefcase down and went to work loosening his tie.
My throat felt like cotton with the motion, the reminder of interrupting his workout flashing unbidden to my mind.With a shake of my head, I shook the thought away with it and cleared the cotton out of my throat.And maybe forced myself to look away, too.So sue me.
“I’m not used to being so idle, okay?You have a job, but aside from the few classes I teach a week, I don’t have anything to keep me distracted until lunch on Saturday.”I flung my hands up in frustration.“Like it or not, you’re the only one I can talk to without going over to Colleen and Joseph’s place.And I don’t think I can take one more question about how pregnancy has affected our relationship.”I gave him a pointed look.“Ourphysicalrelationship.”
His lips twitched with an impending smile, which he hid by clearing his throat.“I see your dilemma.”
“Yeah, and you avoiding me last night and all of today isn’t helping.”
“I wasn’t avoiding you.”He ignored my snort of disbelief, sliding his tie free of its knot entirely.“Regardless, I can’t deny, I’m curious to hear what this truce would entail.”
Okay, yeah, I wasn’t proud of myself for caving on this so-called war we were waging, but when the only retaliation he’d done was to exist while I was putting time and effort into rearranging cups, the appeal kinda wore off.Even if itwasfun to mess with him.
“Well, first off, I promise not to switch your shoelaces or pointlessly rearrange the cups or your shirts.In exchange, I want to be” —I wrinkled my nose, almost choking on the word— “friends.”
He barked a laugh.“Friends?You’re funny, Lex.”
“Thank you.”I ignored his sarcasm.“And yes, friends.It’ll make the next two months more bearable, don’t you think?”
“I think it’s been incredibly bearable so far.”
I narrowed my eyes.“Considering one of us is wearing a fake stomach, I’d choose my next words carefully if I were you.Especially if you value your clothes iron.”
He sobered, returning the glare.“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I think we both know I would.”
I wouldn’t ruinit.I wasn’tthatbad of a person.But if it happened to end up somewhere in the house where he couldn’t find it, let’s just say I wouldn’t shed any tears.
Consider it collateral for the coffeemaker.
“Fine.”His scowl deepened.“What exactly does being friends entail?”
I cocked my head to the side.“Have you never had any friends before?”
This earned me an aggravated sigh.“Of course I have friends.I just don’t trustyouand your definition of the word.”
I sidestepped, stopping his latest attempt to escape.“It means we talk to each other—really talk, not just argue—and do stuff together.And” —I smiled slyly— “I get to help you with the ladies.”
His brows skyrocketed.“That is a horrible idea on so many levels.”
“Not while we’re undercover,obviously.But for when the assignment is done.”
He eyed me warily.“And why would you do that, exactly?”
I ticked the reasons off on my fingers.“One, because I think having a special someone in your life could really teach you to lighten up and actually have fun every once in a while.Two, you want a family.It’s bad enough you’re stuck having to pretend to have your dream realized only for it to be with your arch nemesis.”I should know, since I’d had very similar feelings while putting on the ring I still wore.“It’s the least I can do for being the one you’re fake-married to.If I can help you get a real girlfriend after this, your chances of getting that family you want significantly increase.”
He pursed his lips in thought, mulling over my argument.“And is there a third reason?”
“Technically there are two more, but they’re not as pressing.”When his expression didn’t budge, I relented.“Okay, third, because it’ll make you easier to live with.And fourth, because I’m bored out of my mind.Happy?”
“Ah,thosereasons make sense for you.”He slid his tie off, lining it up to fold it neatly in half.“For your information, as much as I appreciate your—quite frankly—concerningoffer, I don’t need any help with the ladies.”
A snort escaped before I could stop it.“You sure about that?Whenever you aren’t at the field office, you’re ironing your shirts and organizing your shoe closet.I’m not sure you even know what flirtingis.”
He paused, his body going eerily still until the hair on my arms stood on end.When he finally relaxed, the corners of his mouth lifted in a new smile.Part scheming, part victorious, part something else—and completely unnerving.
