Although I meant it in a general way, it only confirms Mace’s suspicions, so he smiles broadly and says, “Okay, I see you, Dee. I see you…”
“Oh my God, will you shut up?” I try again, plastering my hand over his mouth. Brian also loves this and eats up everything that’s happening. “I’m serious, guys. Please, don’t ruin this for me.”
“I ain’t gonna ruin anything for you, boo. Imma live vicariously through you.”
“Yeah, same,” Brian agrees. “I mean, I won’t ruin it for you, not the other thing.”
“Does it mean you won’t tell everyone?” I insist, hopeful.
Mace agrees with a grave nod. “As hard as it’ll be, yes. Because I’m a good friend.”
Phew, okay. Lex and I have a few days of respite before the word gets out. But we still need to anticipate that rumors might spread at some point, so we need to handle everything with HR as soon as we can.
I love Mason, but I don’t trust him with such a secret.
Mychest is tight, my heart slamming into it with force as I pace the length of my office. I can’t believe I did that. I’m a fucking idiot. A moron. Andrea has always had a talent for breaking down my walls and lowering my guard down, but this… This is another level of losing control.
I ruined it again, didn’t I? Last time, she resented me for exposing what we had to Oliver, but this is even worse. It was two people this time. I betrayed her cardinal rule again and allowed two of her colleagues to guess what’s been going on between us. The mere thought of her breaking things off with me has frantic panic wrecking my mind. It was an accident. She has to believe me.
The door opens without a knock, so I stop my nervous walk to see who it is. It’s Andrea. She’s returned. Is it to argue about what I did? I can’t take another talk like the one we had after the Oliver debacle. I messed up then, blinded by jealousy and rancor, and I own that. But this time, it was nothing but love and tenderness, and while I’m sorry for the results, I can’t be sorry for wanting to touch her all the time. She’smywoman, and I can’t turn that fact on and off like a switch.
I step toward her once she’s closed the door, ready to atone and do whatever it takes not to lose her. “Fuck, Andrea. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. It happened before I could think.”
There’s no trace of anger on her face or in her voice when she says, “It’s okay, Lex. I know it’s hard to hold back.”
“Did they say something? Did they guess?”
She bites her lower lip with a grimace. “I had to tell them. It was either that, or you’d be in trouble for sexual harassment.”
She… came clean? She told them? But more importantly, she seems okay with it? “How are you not mad at me?”
The question takes her by surprise, but after a moment of reflection, she gets where I’m coming from, and her face turns soft. “You didn’t do it on purpose, right?”
“I didn’t, Andrea—I promise. I always force myself to think before acting or talking. But the closer I’ve gotten to you, the harder it gets.”
“And that’s exactly the way I want you, Lex. Unfiltered and true to yourself. I can’t blame you for being exactly that.”
“So… I didn’t ruin everything again?” I insist, troubled.
As if she can feel how worried I am about this, she smiles and lays reassuring hands on my jaw. “No, baby, you didn’t. Besides, it was always going to happen. It came a little sooner than we expected, that’s all.”
To mark her words, she pulls me down as she stretches up and presses her soft lips on mine. I’m still somewhat tense, so I hold back at first, but I give in when she demands more by tugging me closer. My hands snake their way around her petite frame, and I kiss her with all the love I hold for her, keeping her close.
When we pull away after a moment, there’s a sparkle in her eyes. “Hi,” she whispers.
“Hi.”
“Did you have a good weekend?”
“I hadthe bestweekend. You?”
“It was tiring.”
I chuckle, softly rubbing the tip of my nose on hers. “Even though I did most of the work?” I remind her.
“Mh-hm… How do you feel about a little more work this morning?”
This time, I laugh. “Do you want even more people to discover our naughty little secret?”
