Page 82 of Seductive Scoundrel

“Yeah. We met at the dog rescue.”

“You always put people at ease. Don’t worry. Everything will go smoothly, and the mystery husband will introduce himself. I promise to behave and not rip your clothes off until we’ve at least had some of these cakes.”

Mia giggles, and it’s the sweetest sound I’ve heard all day. The rest of my stress drains away, and all the bullshit we went through to get to this moment was completely worth it.

“Thanks for coming with me. Did you have to cancel any meetings?”

“Only four.”

Mia winces. “I’m sorry. You could have said no.”

“I’m where I want to be. If I need to say no in life, it won’t be to you.” The longing look she gives me should be heavy enough to suffocate me, but instead, I lean into it and take her hand. “Things are going to be different now. Better.”

“New rules?”

“Oh, yeah. We’ll go over them after we get back to my place.”

When we get to 111 West 57thStreet and head to the penthouse, I start to wonder who Mia’s friend is and what she does for a living. Maybe we travel in the same circles, and all I hope is that we’ve never fucked.

That would be – awful.

I couldn’t be more surprised when Dex answers the door, and by the look on his face, he’s equally shell-shocked. Mia gasps and says “shit” so quietly that only I hear her.

What the actual fuck?

“Dean…This is…unexpected.”

He’s looking back and forth between me and Mia like he’s watching a tennis match, and that’s the moment his wife chooses to appear. “Come on in! Dex, what are you doing, let Mia in. We have a babysitter tonight, and I don’t want to waste any time.”

“Mia and I have already met,” Dex says slowly.

“Oh, that’s so great. Where?” his wife asks. Apparently, she isn’t feeling the same crushing tension that I am.

“At work.” He directs his attention to me. “But that’s not the important part. Dean, why the hell are you at my front door with the auditor?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Mia

Panic wellsup in the pit of my stomach and it’s making me want to throw up or run away. With my luck, I’ll throw up on Dex and then run away.

“Excellent question, Dex,” Dean replies. “And maybe one that Mia can answer for all of us.”

Three sets of eyes are on me as they wait for an explanation, but I can’t seem to form words. My mouth is just hanging open as I watch Dean’s face turn from hurt to impenetrable stone. And I hate that I’m the cause of it.

I don’t want him to have to wear that mask with me anymore. He shouldn’t have to protect himself from the woman he loves. I want to be his safe place.

And now I’m going to lose him for good unless I can explain myself – quickly. But I still can’t manage to form words.

Finally, Dean nods as I stand silent, frozen in place. “That’s what I thought.”

He looks at Dex. “For the record, I had no idea Mia was working on our audit. I’ve only dealt with a pencil pusher named Martin and his boss, Jane Weatherall.”

He turns back to me. “You knew I was brokering a deal with Dex’s company. Why didn’t you say anything? You must have recognized the name of my company in your briefing documents. Do you have any idea how bad this looks for both of us?”

My head moves up and down like a bobblehead stuck on the dash of a beat-up truck. “I’m, I’m so sorry. I talked to my boss about it and she said as long as I wasn’t,” I pause, trying to swallow the lump growing in my throat. “Sleeping with Dex,” I continue, shooting Dex and Bianca an apologetic look, “it doesn’t matter.”

Dean’s jaw clenches and I realize how stupid that sounds. Jane doesn’t care about ethics; she just wants her next promotion and is willing to step on people to get there. I should have stood up to her, but my focus was on securing a transfer. Then, after Dean and I got close, I didn’t want this to risk saying anything. Risk rocking the boat when the audits almost finished anyway.

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