Chapter 65
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Morning came very fast. Elara woke up to an empty bed, the sheets beside her cold. Marcus was gone. She sat up slowly, her body deliciously sore in places that reminded her exactly why. Stretching her arms above her head, she let out a satisfied sigh before padding over to the full-length mirror near the closet.
She looked different. Her skin had this glow to it, a radiance that hadn’t been there yesterday. Her hair was a mess, wild and tangled from sleep and everything that came before it, but she didn’t care. Last night had been everything. She’d been waiting for something like that forever, though she’d never have admitted it out loud.
Elara grabbed one of Marcus’s shirts from where it hung over a chair, pulling it on. It was massive on her, falling to mid-thigh and swallowing her frame completely. The fabric smelled like him, that familiar scent of expensive cologne and something uniquely Marcus.
She made her way downstairs, expecting to find the house quiet and empty. Instead, she walked into the kitchen to find everyone already there. Dante and Mimi were sitting at the breakfast bar, laughing about something, while Marcus stood at the stove flipping what looked like pancakes. The entire scene was so domestic it made her heart do something weird in her chest.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Mimi called out when she spotted her.
“Morning,” Elara replied, sliding onto one of the empty stools.
Marcus turned from the stove, his eyes traveling over her in his shirt with an expression she couldn’t quite read. Possessive, maybe. Satisfied, definitely.
“Morning,” he said, his voice lower than usual. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
They all sat down together once the food was ready. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit. It was more than Elara usually ate for breakfast, but after last night she felt like she could eat everything on the table and still want more.
The conversation flowed easily. Dante told a story about a client meeting gone wrong that had them all laughing. Mimi chimed in with her own horror stories from when she’d worked retail during college. Marcus was quieter than usual, but Elara could feel his eyes on her every few minutes, like he was making sure she was still there.
After they’d finished eating, Dante checked his watch and stood up. “I hate to eat and run, but I have a meeting in my office soon. I need to go home and prepare.”
“No worries, man,” Marcus said, standing to walk him out.
Mimi looked like she wanted to say something but held back, just giving Dante a small smile as he left.
Once Dante was gone, Marcus came back to where Elara was sitting. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, the gesture so tender it made her stomach flip.
“I have work too,” he said quietly. “But I’ll be back early. We have a date tonight.”
Elara raised her eyebrows. “A date?”
Mon, May
Chapter 65
“Yeah. Don’t go too far. They’ll deliver a dress for you to wear. Just be ready by seven.”
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Before she could ask any questions, he was already heading upstairs, probably to shower and change for work.
Elara and Mimi looked at each other and smiled, that knowing smile that said everything without words.
The moment they heard Marcus’s bedroom door close upstairs, they both spoke at the exact same time.
“You’re glowing.”
They burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the quiet kitchen.
“Okay, you first,” Elara said, leaning forward with her elbows on the counter. “Tell me how it went with Dante.”
Mimi’s entire face lit up, that smitten expression she got whenever she was really into someone. “Girl, he’s such a sweet guy. Damn. When we got to his room, we just talked about everything. Our families, our dreams, stupid stuff we did in college. And we kept drinking ooo.”
“How much did you drink?”
“Too much. I was so drunk. Well, mostly me. Dante seemed fine, but I was gone.” Mimi giggled at the memory. “We kissed.”
“Just kissed?”
“We almost had sex,” Mimi admitted, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Like, we were heading there. But I stopped it. I don’t know, I just felt like it was too soon, you know? But we did other things.”
Elara grinned. “Other things?”
“The guy ate me out, Elara. His head game is crazy. Like, insane. He made sure I came even though we didn’t have actual sex. Then we just cuddled and talked some more until we fell asleep.” Mimi fanned herself dramatically. “I’m telling you, I might be in love.”
“After one night?”
“Don’t judge me. You’re over here glowing like you found God between Marcus’s sheets.”
Elara laughed, feeling her own cheeks heat up. “Okay, fair point.”
“Now you,” Mimi said, practically bouncing in her seat. “I want details. Full details. Don’t leave anything
out.”
So Elara told her everything. How Marcus had apologized, actually gotten on his knees and apologized. How they’d kissed on the couch and he’d carried her upstairs. The music, the way he’d touched her, the things he’d said, how he’d made her beg. Every detail she could remember, she shared with her best friend because that’s what they did. They told each other everything.
Mimi listened with wide eyes, interrupting occasionally with gasps or exclamations of “Girl, no!” and “He did what?”
By the time Elara finished, they were both grinning like idiots.
14:55 Mon, May 11
Chapter 65
“So,” Mimi said slowly, “are you still going to pretend you don’t have feelings for him?”
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Elara opened her mouth to deny it, then closed it again. What was the point? “I don’t know what I feel. It’s complicated.”
“It’s only complicated if you make it complicated.”
“He’s my boss. It’s a contract marriage. I’m pregnant with his twins and he doesn’t even know. How is that not complicated?”
Mimi reached across the counter and squeezed her hand. “You’re going to have to tell him eventually. You know that, right?”
“I know. I will. I plan to tell him today, plus he’s fixed a date so I might just tell him there. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, Mimi stood up and stretched. “I should probably head home. I need to shower and change and pretend I didn’t just spend the night getting my soul snatched by your husband’s best friend.”
Elara laughed and stood up too. “Let me help you with your bags.”
They walked upstairs together to gather Mimi’s things. The charm bag from yesterday, her purse, the clothes she’d arrived in. Elara helped her carry everything down to her car, which was still parked in the driveway where she’d left it last night.
Mimi loaded her stuff into the trunk, then turned to give Elara a tight hug.
“Thank you for last night,” she said. “For dinner, for introducing me to Dante, for everything.”
“Anytime. That’s what best friends are for.”
“And Elara?” Mimi pulled back to look at her seriously. “Whatever happens with Marcus, whatever you decide, I’m here. Always.”
“I know. I love you.”
“I love you too, babe.”
Mimi got in her car, and Elara stood in the driveway waving as she drove off. Once the car disappeared down the street, Elara turned and walked back into the penthouse.
The house felt too quiet now with everyone gone. Just her and her thoughts and the lingering scent of breakfast in the air.
She had a date tonight. With her husband. Her fake husband who she’d just had the best sex of her life
with.
This was getting complicated.
