“We’d be okay, you know, as far as money goes. I’d still hold my investments here, and my estate is worth more than we’ll ever need, but I think Layne deserves the bigger piece of this pie.” I tapped the slice in front of me with my fork, and lifted it to her mouth.
“I don’t worry about money. I’ve got quite a little nest egg of my own, in case you ever wondered. Besides, I’m quite aware of your wealth.” She chuckled and gave me a nudge.
“Yeah? What tipped you off?” She leaned down to kiss me, throwing both arms around my neck.
“I never worry about anything with you. If you want to stop working altogether, I’d understand. I want you to do what makes you happy.” She had found her joy in organizing the foundation, and she’d even grown closer to Layne, which is why I figured she had brought him lunch, too.
“Speaking of happiness, how’s the foundation event coming along?” I took a moment to taste the tangy chicken she’d bought for lunch as her face lit up.
“All is on track, and I’m meeting with the auction house later this afternoon. I should have everything in place by then, and a few of the doctors at the hospital have even offered to donate.” I met her eyes, and she was already shaking her head. “I’m not turning down his contribution.”
“I’m not asking you to.” I caressed her cheek with my thumb and fed her another piece of pie.
“You’re not angry?” Her brow cocked high, and she seemed to study me as if gauging my reaction. She knew I didn’t like the fact that she’d went on a date with the guy, but in her defense, I’d told her to never come back. I had promised myself not to hold it against her, but I would forever keep my eye on the good doctor.
“No, I’m sure it’s a generous offer and every bit helps.”
“He’s giving twenty-thousand dollars.” My jaw dropped, and she smiled. I hadn’t expected that generous of a donation, and I turned away and glared down at the food, which I suddenly didn’t feel like eating.
“He’s still in love with you.” I stuck out my tongue and made a face, but Lexa laughed.
“Now you’re being ridiculous. He was never in love with me. Sure, he had a crush, probably a few fantasies. Naked ones, even.” She whispered close to my ear.
“Who wouldn’t? But see, that proves my point, and you admitted it.” I feigned disgust turned my head away, but she took my face in her hands, a gesture that we now used tenderly, never again in the hard way I’d used it against her, and she stared deep into my eyes.
“You know better.”
“I do, and I’m proud of you. You’ve done an amazing thing with the event planning, and it’s going to be special. Allison would have loved you and me together.” I had started speaking more of my family with her, and she’d opened up more about Shawn too.
“Would she? I think Shawn would have been a little uneasy about his sister dating a rich playboy type?” She took my fork and fed me a piece of the still warm pie.
“Playboy?” I scoffed at the word and shook my head. “Hardly. You’re the one with a bunch of horny doctors paying you thousands of dollars.” She nudged me, and I rocked us back only to turn the chair over with us both in it.
We crashed to the floor, and I broke her fall. The commotion, the chair crashing down as well as Lexa’s scream, which thankfully drowned out my own, caused Layne to react.
I heard his footsteps as he ran across his room. “Are you okay?” he called through the door.
“Are we?” I asked Lexa who broke into a fit of giggles. “Yeah, we’re good.” I started to move to get up, but she pinned me down and raked her hand through my hair. Her soft lips pressed gently against mine, and her other hand snaked down and rubbed me through my pants.
“You’re a bad girl,” I muttered against her mouth. But she held a finger to my lips and slid her hand down my pants as she ground her hips against my leg.
“I’m thinking we better make the most of this office while we can.” She flashed me a wink, but I reached up and raked my finger through the pie, collecting the filling on the end of my finger, which I brought to her mouth, smearing it across her bottom lip. She gripped my wrist and sucked my finger clean and then licked her lips before sliding down on me.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Her soft giggle sounded against me and quickly turned into a moan. The last day in my office turned out to be a memorable one.
Epilogue
Lexa
Aiden had a habit of watching me sleep, and I sometimes wondered if that was how he spent his nights. I opened my eyes to find him at it again, and I buried my face against his chest and fought the urge to wake.
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead.” He kissed my hand and then rolled me off of him, only to rest on his elbows above me.
As I looked up into his eyes, I couldn’t believe it had been almost a year since we’d met. Things were going better than ever between us, but I was still holding my breath for a proposal and turning blue. Bre assured me it would happen, and I had to wonder if he’d talked to her about it. I’d tried to pry it out of her more than once, but she denied any involvement in such conversations.
He stared down at me with his own sleepy eyes, and I couldn’t imagine waking up to anyone else. He was my perfect match, and he’d made my life so much better that I sometimes needed to pinch myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.
His phone made a buzzing, and he reached across to the nightstand and let out a curse. “Fucking Layne. He wants me to come up and get the rest of my father’s things. Seems he had a storage closet there. Who knew?”