We haven’t talked about it. Haven’t acknowledged it beyond careful distance yesterday when Stella was home. And I don’t know what the hell happens next.
Late lunch with Jake and Daisy helps. Jake talks about sofas—apparently there’s a war over what’s best—and it’s normal enough that I almost convince myself I can handle this.
Back at the house, I review camera angles and add one more unit under the ivy for a clean line on the brick fence that rings the property.
My phone buzzes.
The Queen in transit to the castle.
* * *
Gabe’s code for Alicia heading home.
I check the time—early. She had meetings until five, Stella’s rehearsal until eight.
My pulse spikes before my brain registers why. Stella’s still gone. We’re alone. And Alicia’s coming home early.
Could mean nothing. Could mean she wants to work from home. Or—I tell myself not to read into it, but my body’s already responding to the possibility. From the basement feed, I watch the gate swing open, the Rivian glide in. The front door closes. Heels click across hardwood—each step sharp, deliberate. Instead of heading up to her office like she usually does, the sound grows louder. Heading down. Toward me. Every nerve ending goes on alert—and not the professional kind.
I step into the hall as she appears at the bottom of the stairs.
“Light day at the office?”
“Client canceled.” Her eyes find mine—that stunning blue, completely unreadable. “I’ve been thinking about something.”
I wait, pulse edging up despite myself. We’re alone. She’s here. It’s highly unlikely she’s about to say what I’m hoping.
“About what happened between us.”
There it is.
I brace for the regret speech—the one where she explains this was a mistake, we crossed a line, it can’t happen again. I’ve heard versions of it before, though never from someone I wanted this much.
Except—
“I can’t stop thinking about it,” she says quietly.
The words hit like a gut punch in the best possible way.
She places her handbag down, and there’s something deliberate in the movement. Something that makes my mouth go dry.
“I went to the store. Stella’s practice runs late tonight.”
It takes me a beat too long to process. She bought condoms. She came home early. She’s telling me?—
“If you don’t want?—”
“I want.” I close the distance between us in two strides, my hand finding her waist. “I’ve been thinking about you since Sunday. Been trying like hell to focus on anything else.”
“And?”
“Failing.” I pull her closer, feeling her heartbeat against my chest. “Completely failing.”
Chapter
Sixteen
Alicia