Page 5 of I’m Already Gone

I let out a genuine laugh, tossing the damp rag onto the counter. “Maybe after dinner.”

He wiggled his eyebrows, a spark of the old Ethan returning, and walked toward me until he rested his hands on my hips, pulling me closer. “Maybe?”

I nodded, still smiling, my body instinctively molding into his touch.

“That’s unacceptable,” he said, his voice dropping to a deeper register. He dipped his face into the crook of my neck, his warm breath ghosting against my skin. “I want to start making a plan now.”

“How about we start with food first?” I managed, my voice a little breathless, my hands finding their way to his shoulders. “I saved you a plate.”

He shook his head against me. “I’m not hungry. Emma brought us dinner, so let’s skip right to dessert.”

The air left my lungs in a rush. “Emma?” I asked, pulling back to look into his eyes.

He looked down at me, his brow furrowed. “Yes. Emma. I told you about her.”

No, he hadn’t.

“Hmm” was all I could manage, my mind racing, a thousand tiny suspicions beginning to unfold.

Ethan’s gaze softened, a hint of amusement playing around his lips. “It’s not what you’re thinking, Sunshine.”

“And what am I thinking?” I challenged, crossing my arms over my chest.

He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “She’s my new executive assistant. She ordered dinner for the team, and they insisted she stay and join us.”

A small, fragile relief bloomed in my chest, easing the suffocating tightness. But the knot around my heart was still there, a hard, protective barrier. That’s how it starts, right? No. I couldn’t think like that. Ethan would never cross that line. He would never jeopardize everything we had, everything we’d built.

“Sunshine,” he murmured, his grin widening as he kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous,” I said, pouting.

He pulled me closer, tighter this time, and I melted into his embrace without protesting.

For a fleeting moment, I could let go of my worries and breathe. Being this close to him felt like coming home.

Ethan

“We have a new client request,” Marcus said as he walked into my office.

I looked up from reviewing the updated compliance and risk mitigation policy to see Marcus waving a folder in his hand and with a fiery look in his brown eyes.

“Ebony is going to castrate me, Ethan.” He slapped the folder on my desk, causing air to fan across my face.

He sat in the chair in front of my desk and crossed one leg over the other.

I grabbed the file and opened it. My eyes bugged out at seeing a famous international actor’s name.

“Yeah, exactly,” Marcus said in a sharp tone.

I flipped through the pages as Marcus spoke. “That means international travel, Ethan. We’ll be gone for weeks, not days. Ebony has already been on my ass on how often I have to be away.”

I grunted in agreement—the constant battle of winning professionally but losing at home.

Over the last year, our firm had been overwhelmed with new client inquiries that came with high demands.

“Well, Marcus,” I began, “You’re not going to like what I’m about to tell you.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “What now?”