CHAPTER TWELVE
JULIA
THE DOOR SHUT BEHIND me with a soft click that might as well have been a gunshot.
Every part of Ethan's office had my touch. I'd selected the exact shade of the wall behind him, approved the size of his desk, and personally chosen the chair this bitch's ass was currently warming like it belonged to her.
And had she undone a button on her blouse?
My fingers twitched with the urge to grab a fistful of that perfect fucking hair, spin her around this room like a helicopter, and launch her straight out the door. Instead, I swallowed the impulse and arranged my face into a mask of deadly calm.
"Wow. Twice in a matter of five minutes. This must be my lucky day," I trilled, my eyes slicing toward Lila before settling on Ethan.
His brows pulled together. "You saw her before coming in here?"
"Yes." I stretched the word. "We exchanged pleasantries not ten minutes ago." My attention returned to Lila. "Tell me, what's so fascinating that you sprinted to my husband's office and somehow forgot to mention we'd just said hello?"
To her credit, Lila didn't so much as blink. She straightened in the chair, fingers hovering over the same files she'd been carrying when I passed her.
"I was just dropping these off."
"Just dropping them off," I repeated, my lips curving into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Funny how just dropping something off involves sitting down these days."
Ethan remained silent, his eyes shifting between us like a spectator at a knife fight. He knew better than to open his mouth and accidentally plant himself on the wrong side of this. Smart man.
Most of the time.
I cocked my head and studied her. "Before I walked in, I heard laughter. Care to share what was so amusing? I do love a good laugh."
"I'd like to be in on the joke too," Ethan added smoothly, his voice carrying a quiet warning. "Nothing was said that warranted that reaction."
Interesting.
Lila smiled at him before turning back to me. "I find humor in the simplest things. Sometimes, it's really nothing."
"Laughing at nothing? That's the first sign of psychosis. Should I call someone for you? A psychiatrist, perhaps?"
Ethan's hand drifted toward his jaw, poorly concealing what I knew was amusement.
"Mrs. Marcelli," Lila stated, addressing me directly.
Her voice was wrapped in a layer of politeness so thin I could see straight through it.
"I sense you may be upset about my being in here.
There's no disrespect intended. I'm merely fulfilling my responsibilities to Ethan, my boss as you reminded me.
It was confidential and not something you should worry yourself over. "
I caught the glint in her eyes. A pathetic dig from a woman who had no idea who she was fucking with.
Did she imagine I was decorative? Some shiny trophy wife who smiled at galas, raised Ethan's children, and knew nothing about the world my husband thrived in? That almost made me feel sorry for her.
All that intelligence. All that ambition. This was what she wanted to do with it, piss me off. I laughed softly, refusing to rise to such weak bait.
"Oh, so you do know exactly who I am. When you suggested I needed an escort earlier, I thought maybe your eyes were failing you." I gestured toward the wall. "Then I wondered if you'd somehow missed that portrait-sized wedding photo hanging right over there."
Her gaze flicked toward the enormous framed portrait from our wedding.
"Take a good look," I added pleasantly. "That way, you never mistake who I am again."
"I never said I was unaware of who you are," she replied, her voice colder now but steady. "It was an unfortunate misunderstanding. Access is restricted in this wing. My earlier comment about escorts was standard procedure. Security protocols exist for everyone's protection, spouses or otherwise."
I looked at my husband. "Ethan."
His attention shifted immediately. "Lila."
Her head snapped toward him as though an invisible string had yanked it.
"My wife is beyond your scrutiny. Always." His voice was calm, which somehow made it sharper. "Julia moves through this building however she pleases. She enters my office whenever she wants. If she decides to march through these halls with an entire orchestra behind her, she can."
His gaze hardened.
"Your job is not to observe, comment on, or question any of it. Understood?"
Red crept across Lila's cheeks. Still, her voice remained steady. "Yes, sir."
"You can go now."
I circled Ethan's desk and stopped beside him.
Lila's eyes lingered on me as she rose, taking in the easy way Ethan's arm found my waist and how completely his attention abandoned her the moment I was within reach.
There was no need to say another word. I was here for him, not a petty drama, but I would make my stance clear.
"Mrs. Marcelli," she murmured on her way out. The door clicked shut behind her.
Only then did Ethan lean back in his chair. "Feel better?"
I crossed my arms. "Not even close. You better tell me what the fuck that was about, Ethan, otherwise you'll be sleeping right here all fucking night with the door padlocked from the outside, so she can't come scratching when she thinks it's her time to shine."
His smirk disappeared. He knew exactly what it meant when my English started unraveling around my accent. He was also smart enough not to pussyfoot around the issue.
"She hovers," he said. "I've noticed."
My expression sharpened.
"I see it, Julia, but she might as well be invisible to me.
She's not worth a second glance or a passing thought, and she has never tried to cross any lines.
" His hand settled around my hip, drawing me closer.
"Trust me. If she ever attempted, I'm addressing it formally.
Laurel would be there, and I'd have Knox present too. "
"So, you’ve put some thought into this? Is there a reason for that?”
"He shook his head. “No, it would be standard for any women. I chose them because if something were to ever happen, it’s better for Rafa to never get involved." His mouth twitched. "And if Rafa manages to exercise restraint, Serena finds out."
I snorted.
"My sister won't send a bullet wrapped in tissue paper," he continued. "She'll deliver it personally, right between the eyes."
"Good," I retorted. "That saves me a spot in the firing line."
Something dark and appreciative moved through his eyes. "You're breathtaking when you're ready for blood."
"Don't flirt with me right now, Ethan." My voice sharpened. "Explain why I'm only finding out about this now."
"Because there was nothing to tell."
My stare didn't waver.
He sighed. "I know she looks sometimes, I'm not fucking blind." His fingers tightened slightly around my hip. "She isn’t the only woman does that. Men do the same to you. We know not to react "
I searched his face like a crime scene, looking for the smallest piece of evidence that didn't belong.
A hesitation.
A twitch.
A lie.
Nothing. His eyes held mine without wavering.
"Today, she overstepped," he continued. "So now I will discuss with her the problem that is.”
"At least you got that right. Congratulations on doing the bare minimum." I paused. "And points for honesty."
"Honesty?" Something almost offended flashed behind his eyes.
"When have I ever lied to you, Julia? Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?"
"No." The word came out softer than I'd intended, because he hadn't. Not once. I straightened, unwilling to let him completely off the hook just because he had over a decade of good behavior behind him.
"Is she assigned to the Ruiz case?"
"No. She's working a case with Serena."
I let that settle. Then, "If this happens again, the meeting she will be having is with me in the room too."
"Of course."
My eyes narrowed. "Just like that?"
"Our name's on the building, bella, and I make most of the rules." His tone was matter-of-fact but gentle. "That request isn't even a ripple in what I'd do for you."
"Keep talking," I sassed.
His grin returned, and he leaned forward, his voice dropping as Italian rolled effortlessly from his tongue. I didn't need him to translate. That woman is nothing. No threat. No comparison to you.
His inked hands slid lower, fingers spreading possessively over the curve of my ass before he pulled me onto his lap in one swift motion. The leather chair groaned beneath our combined weight.
"Now," he murmured, "what else do you want from me?"
I toyed with his silk tie, midnight blue with a pattern so subtle it disappeared unless the light caught it just right. I wound it slowly around my fingers until the expensive fabric pulled taut against his throat. Then I leaned close, brushing my lips against the shell of his ear.
"Maybe you should fuck me on her desk."
His laugh carried equal parts heat and warning.
"Her office isn't as private as mine. Glass walls.
Flimsy blinds." His palms traveled along my thighs.
"Hearing is one thing. If someone walked by and saw my gorgeous wife spread out for me, we'd have to burn the building down with everyone inside afterward, bella. "
"I already changed my mind." I rolled my hips against him just enough to make his breath hitch. "She'd probably save the visual for herself to get off to later. You know how good you look when you're into it."
The midnight-blue silk tightened around my fingers as I shifted on his lap, the material cool against my skin while his hands burned where they gripped me.
"I think I need to test something." His thumbs pressed into my curves, tracing slow circles. "Do I really look as good as you say when I'm into it?"
I tried to laugh, but the sound caught in my throat when his gaze darkened. "You do.”