Page 5

"Hey," Jason murmured, closing the door with a gentle click.

Lily jolted, as if her mind had been oceans away. She turned her head, and the moment her eyes landed on him, the rigid tension in her shoulders seemed to collapse. "You're here."

"I brought Pad Thai," Jason smiled, walking into the living room and setting the bags on the coffee table. He kicked off his boots and sat down next to her, closing the distance without hesitation.

He didn't ask for permission. He reached out, pulling her legs across his lap, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in the crook of her neck. He breathed in her vanilla perfume, mixed with the faint, lingering trace of her office.

"I'm sorry about this morning," Jason murmured against her skin, his voice a deep, rough rumble. "I meant what I said about us, but I shouldn't have pushed you. You were scared, and I should have just held you. I am going to be better, Lily. I'm right here."

Lily let out a shuddering breath, her arms wrapping tightly around his broad shoulders. She buried her face in his flannel shirt, clinging to him like a lifeline. "You have nothing to apologize for, Jason. You are exactly what I need."

They ate in a comfortable, intimate peace, huddled together on the couch. Jason fed her a forkful of noodles, smiling as she chewed, entirely captivated by the simple domesticity of the moment. This was what he wanted. Just the two of them, safe and protected.

But as he rested his hand on her bare calf, his thumb tracing soothing circles against her skin, he felt it. A constant, undeniable vibration of tension rippling beneath the surface. She was physically in his arms, but her mind raced a hundred miles an hour. Her smile, though sweet, didn't quite reach the depth of her eyes.

Jason frowned, setting his takeout container down on the table. He shifted his weight, turning to look fully at her.

"Hey," he whispered, gently cupping her cheek. His calloused thumb brushed against her cheekbone. "You're a million miles away right now. Did he try to contact you again? Did he show up at the apartment?"

Lily blinked, a flash of pure panic crossing her eyes before she quickly masked it. She shook her head, leaning her cheek into the reassuring heat of his palm.

"No," she said, her voice faint but resolute. "No, he didn't come here. It was just... it was a really difficult, stressful day at work. The Vanguard pitch took a lot out of me. It's a monumental contract, and the executives were demanding."

Jason studied her face. He wanted to pry, to ask her if she was entirely sure Ethan was gone, but he remembered his promise to himself. He wouldn't push her. He would be her safe place.

"I'm sorry, baby," Jason murmured, leaning in to press a tender, lingering kiss to her lips. "I know how much that account means to you and Sarah. But you're brilliant. You're going to handle it, and things will get better."

"Yeah," Lily whispered against his mouth, her hands gripping the front of his shirt just a fraction too tight. "Things will get better soon."

Jason held her closer, wrapping her entirely in his embrace. He dipped his head, capturing her lips in a deep, consuming kiss, desperate to chase the lingering shadows from her mind.

Chapter Five

Lily

Lily sat at her sleek glass desk the next morning, staring blindly at the glowing screen of her laptop. She had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the comforting, heavy weight of Jason’s arm across her waist, closely followed by the suffocating panic of what she was hiding from him. She had told herself she was protecting him. She had justified the lie by reasoning that Jason shouldn't have to carry the burden of her past, especially not when he had offered her such a beautiful, uncomplicated present.

But as she traced the rim of her cold coffee cup, the truth mocked her. She wasn't protecting Jason; she was protecting herself. She was terrified that if she told him Ethan was the lead consultant on the Vanguard acquisition, Jason would walk away.

A sharp knock on the frosted glass of her office door shattered her spiraling thoughts.

Before she could even call out, the door swung open.

Ethan stepped into her office, closing the door behind him with a deliberate, quiet click. He moved with the innate, predatory grace she remembered entirely too well. Today, he wore a tailored navy suit without a tie, the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt undone. The faint, unmistakable scent of cedar and bergamot—his signature cologne—drifted into the room, a ghost from London wrapping its hands around her throat.

"You don't knock and enter, Ethan," Lily said, her voice dropping to a frigid, professional register as she forced her trembling hands into her lap. "This is my firm."

"And you are my co-director on this project," Ethan replied smoothly, walking across the room without an ounce of hesitation. He didn't sit in the client chairs across from her desk. Instead, he walked around to her side, leaning his hip against the edge of her desk, looking down at her. "I thought we should align our strategy before the creative team arrives."

"Our strategy is that you review my team's deliverables and send your feedback via email," Lily snapped, rolling her chair back a few inches to put space between them. "We do not need to align in private."

Ethan’s dark eyes swept over her face, stripping away the professional armor she had meticulously assembled that morning. "You look tired, Lily. The shadows under your eyes... you aren't sleeping."

"My sleep schedule is none of your business."

"It is when I know exactly what kept you up," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave, vibrating with a dark, twisted intimacy.

Lily’s breath hitched. She glared at him, a spark of defiance igniting in her chest. "If you are referring to Jason, then you are right. He kept me up. And he is ten times the man you will ever be."