Page 80 of Adoration: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 2)

I rolled my eyes at him and smiled. “You are crazy, Maxim,” and he gave me an even bigger smile.

“Want me to show you my room?” Brandon jumped in.

“Ah, sure,” I answered, hesitant. Alexander and I never really resolved the living arrangements.

Brandon stepped away from me, went to Alexander who stood beside me, and gave him a big hug. I wondered what it was about Alexander that made Brandon so comfortable. Just like on the funeral day, when he dragged him to show him his new bedroom.

“Hi, Alexander,” he greeted him. “Do you want to see my room, too?”

“Yes, I would love to.” Brandon took each one of our hands and with him in the middle, we walked into the house as a picture perfect family.

“I have some stuff to take care of,” Maxim yelled after us. “But I’ll see you all later.”

Brandon was practically pulling us along up the marble staircase.

When we got to his room, I could understand his enthusiasm. It was a dream room for a little boy. The bedroom was huge, decorated in the theme of military airplanes. His bed was a wooden frame of a military jet airplane. His walls were all hand painted with various scenes from superhero movies with airplanes in them.

I didn’t know how I would ever be able to compete with this when we go back to my little place. He was going to be devastated.

“Do you like it?” he asked, all excited.

I stood there silently, aware of both Brandon and Alexander’s eyes on me. One set of eyes was excited while the other set studied me.

“I do,” I answered his question, but I didn’t feel happy. I was upset at myself because I let it all spiral out of control. It was time I got some of it back.

I turned to my “out of necessity” husband who I was quickly falling for. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

I didn’t wait for him but left the room, stopping abruptly in the hallway, not knowing where to go. Alexander came up to me and took my hand, leading me in the opposite direction of Brandon’s room.

We were in the separate wing of the house and he finally spoke up. “Our bedroom is here.”

As he spoke, he opened the doors and motioned for me to go in. I stood there, debating whether to ask him to just take us into a study. We shouldn’t be discussing it in our bedroom.

“Can’t we talk in your study?” I asked.

“As you wish.” His voice was tense, his posture stiff. I wondered if he was getting agitated with me. Not even an hour back, and the reality doomed on us. But that was good. We got sex out of our systems although I knew it wasn’t enough for me. After his hot kiss and his hot abs, I just wanted more of it.

Stop thinking about his abs!

I’d never get him out of my system.

His study was on the first floor and he shut the door behind him.

“Now, what is troubling you, Liberty?” he asked in that fucking agitatingly calm voice.

“You know exactly what,” I spat out. “I don’t want Brandon to get too wrapped up into all this. We know this is not permanent, but he doesn’t. I don’t want him to be disappointed more than he needs to be when we both get what we want.”

I took a deep breath, but he remained silent. There were no emotions written on his face. I had no freaking clue if he was happy, mad, disappointed… nothing.

“And this is the reason we should have set some ground rules. When I leave, I can’t compete with that,” I pointed upstairs assuming he understood it was Brandon’s room we were discussing. “Brandon and I should stay back at my place,” I told him.

“No.” That was his only answer, curt and cold.

“What?” I retorted in shock. “You can’t tell me what to do. And let me remind you, you agreed to no changes in Brandon’s life.”

“For this to work,” he explained calmly. “We have to live as a married couple and do things together as a married couple.”

“But that’s ridiculous,” I mumbled. “When you need me, I could come over quickly.”

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