Lila

It had been a rough week and Lila was already tired. It was only Wednesday. Things with Dane were…okay. They were both working too many hours. She hadn't slept in the Penthouse since the weekend because he worked half the night most nights. She'd wanted to spend more time with him one-on-one, but it seemed like even when he wasn't working, she was. He wasn't pulling away, but there'd been so little time for them to really enjoy… she cherished the way he'd held her when she'd gotten upset about Becky. But later that day he'd disappeared for a couple hours and had seemed even more on edge ever since he returned. But they hadn't had a moment to talk about it.

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Late that morning, Lila was in the break room making a coffee and laughing with Josh and Yosif when, while she was pouring the freshly brewed coffee into her cup, the energy in the room suddenly changed. Both men straightened and looked towards the door. Lila turned to find Dane standing there, glaring at them.

"Dane!" she said, surprised. She'd never seen him in the break room before. "What—?"

"I need to speak with you…about the press," he added.

Josh and Yosif both took their boss's cue and made their excuses to leave. Lila frowned. It was the break room. The staff should stay, and they should leave. But before she could say anything, both of them were squeezing past Dane who stood just inside the doorway—arms folded like he was a bouncer—and they were gone.

Turning to put her coffee on the countertop, Lila sighed. "Stop glaring at people. It makes them tense. We should have gone to my office, or yours. This is their place to relax," she said, frustrated.

"Relax, not flirt." Dane muttered, staring after them.

Lila whirled on him. "You can't be serious."

Dane moved closer to her, but his expression hadn't softened. "I heard them before they saw me. Yosif told you that you looked nice."

Lila gaped. "And?"

Dane looked at her, surprised. "Men don't notice how a woman looks unless they're noticing how she looks, if you know what I mean." He shot another venomous look over his shoulder in the direction the men had gone.

"Oh, please, Dane. Grow up. Sometimes people say nice things to each other just to be nice."

"Really?" They were both far enough inside the room that they couldn't be seen through the open door into the wide hallway that linked with the lobby. So Lila walked right up to his chest and poked it as she spoke.

"You're jealous because a kid thought I looked good in my new suit—a new suit, I might add, that you didn't even notice."

"Oh, I noticed," he growled. "That's exactly my point." He skimmed a hand down her waist and his breathing sped up. "Apparently, Yosif noticed, too."

"Yosif is practically twelve," she grumbled, but the press of his hand and that look in her his eyes made her shiver.

"Yosif is exactly eighteen months younger than you," Dane said, his voice going deeper as he straightened and stepped in, peering down her top while he skimmed a hand over her butt.

"Dane?"

"Yes," he rasped.

"My eyes are about twelve inches up."

He snapped his eyes up to meet hers.

"And you can stop pawing me like a twelve year old, please."

His expression didn't change, but he took his hand back and swallowed. "Sorry."

She folded her arms and sighed. He looked very tired—dark shadows under his eyes from sleep deprivation. Lines on his face. He was still gorgeous, of course. She wished she looked like that when she was exhausted.

"What's really on your mind?" she asked quietly, looking over her shoulder, aware that they were alone, but that anyone could come in at any moment.

"You," he said softly. "Always you. But then when I came looking for you…they were here. I didn't like it."

She glared again. Dane widened his eyes. "What? I'm just being honest."

"Tough," she said. "If you're going to insist that no one knows, that we act normal at work, you're going to have to deal with men treating me like I'm single. Because as far as they know, I am. So live with it."

His lips tightened. "I don't have to like it."

"No, but apparently, I do."

Dane met her eyes warily. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I hadn't realized how much of a relationship was about showing other people how you care about someone else. And it's rubbing me the wrong way to not be able to tell people who you are to me."

"It's for your own—"

"Yes, yes, I know, Dane. I'm aware. I'm very aware." She put her fists on her hips. "But if I'm not allowed to touch you in front of people, you aren't allowed to glare at men who talk to me."

His face tightened. "I glare at people all the time."

"Not for my sake," she said. "Now, if there isn't something work related, I have to go do my job." She started for the door, but before she stepped through, he was at her side, catching her arm and tugging her back.

"Lila, please. Stop."

She stopped, but didn't turn. She stood in the door of the break room, staring down the hall towards the massive reception area at the end. Several people were there, but none looking at her. Dane had stopped her just inside the door. So, she folded her arms. If he was going to acknowledge what a hypocrite he was being, she'd let him say what he had to say, then she'd keep going. But if was going to try to school her on—

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "You're right."

She took a breath and relaxed, let her herself lean against the doorframe to listen to him. Took her phone out so she looked casual if anyone was watching. "Go on," she said.

*

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