CHAPTER NINETEEN #2
“I know that too.” She dropped back onto the edge of the bed, sliding her feet to the floor so she could lean forward, elbows on knees.
“My parents gave me a history lesson on her family. This didn’t come up.
It’s not accidental knowledge because they aren’t aware of it—but being Cortez’s daughter wasn’t her choice. ”
“Also agreed.” I ran a hand through my hair, letting it fall back against my neck. “What bothers me is we don’t know whether those two things intersect.”
Julia looked up at me, eyes clear in the lamp’s glow. “Exactly.”
I scooted closer. “We’ve started an internal audit.”
“How deep?” She tilted her head, curiosity mingling with concern.
“Only what we’re legally entitled to review—case access logs, internal files, assignments connected to Cortez. We’re not rooting through her private life because her father’s name is on the docket.”
“Good.” Relief flickered across her face.
“We verify first.” I paused, choosing each word. “And until then... nothing changes.”
She lifted one brow. “Something changes.”
I waited for her to explain.
Her answer came slow, deliberate. “You.”
“Me?” My chest tightened.
“Your boundaries with her. If Cortez is telling the truth—even partly—then Lila isn’t just an associate. Whether she knows it or not, she’s tied to a man considering your firm for a federal defense.”
I let that settle. “Which is why she won’t touch the case.”
“I’m talking about appearances.” She leaned forward, voice soft but unwavering. “No closed office doors. No private elevator rides. No staying late alone. Nothing anyone can photograph, misunderstand, or twist into a scandal later.”
Her rationale cut through me like a scalpel. Not jealousy—risk management. I nodded slowly. “If she needs me professionally...”
“You’re surrounded by partners, Ethan.”
“Fair.”
“Rafa exists.”
I grinned, remembering the chaos Rafa brought to every room. “Debatable.”
“Eric and Katerina exists.”
“She terrifies me,” I half-joked.
“Good. Use her.”
I laughed this time; she remained stone-faced. “I’m serious.”
“I know.” I reached out, brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead.
“And until you know what Cortez actually wants with her, we don’t give anyone a chance to manufacture a story about us.
Because you’re good at watching people spin harmless facts into wildfire.
A closed door. A late meeting. Two people caught on a security cam at the same time.
None of it has to mean anything. It only has to look like it could. ”
“Alright.”
Her tone was firm but softer now. “That easy?”
“You’re right.” I slid my hand into hers.
“Can I record this?”
“Don’t ruin it.” I smiled.
Her lips twitched, a slow grin forming. I pressed my palm against hers, feeling the warmth spread. “I’ll keep everything visible. Business hours whenever possible. If she needs something from me directly, someone else is in the room.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly, without hesitation.
I studied her face under the lamplight. Fuck, she was beautiful.
“If she respects the boundary, I’m not going to spend the next year snarling every time her name comes up.” She narrowed her eyes, playful. “Fine. I’ll snarl internally.”
“More believable.” I squeezed her hand.
She softened completely, curling her fingers around mine. “I trust you, Ethan.”
Four words that landed deeper than any argument. I turned her hand over, pressed my lips to her palm, and let the quiet comfort of her faith settle around us like a shield.
Her fingers curled lightly against my jaw. "I mean it. I'm not asking you to stay away from her because I think you're going to trip over your pants and fall dick-first into the woman."
I barked out a laugh. "Jesus Christ, Julia."
"I'm only saying something bigger just entered the room, and we don't know what it is yet."
My amusement faded, the laugh dying somewhere in my throat. That was precisely it—the cold click of a lock turning somewhere we couldn’t see.
"Then we find out."
"We do."
Her thumb moved slowly along my jaw, a warm, deliberate stroke against the stubble there. "And if Lila has nothing to do with whatever her father is doing?"
"She gets treated like any other employee."
Julia nodded once, a clean dip of her chin. Satisfied. No threats hung between us. No ultimatum whispered under the lamplight. No demand that I destroy a woman's career because she felt territorial or jealous. Just a line drawn where it belonged—clean, clear, professional.
I should've expected nothing less from her.
Sometimes I forgot how differently Julia saw the world from other people.
She could be soft where others expected cruelty—like now, her hand still resting against my face—and merciless where they expected softness, like the time she’d coldly dismantled a rival’s entire argument without raising her voice.
She’d been raised around men who understood that the most dangerous mistake you could make was reacting before you knew what game you were playing. Whatever this was, we didn’t know the game yet, and I had no intention of letting my wife play what it turned out to be.
I brought her closer, my hand sliding to the small of her back where the black silk of her nightgown felt cool and smooth under my palm.
"Come here, bella."
She shifted toward me, the sound of silk whispering over her thighs like a secret. I cupped her face, my thumbs settling against the high curve of her cheekbones, feeling the faint pulse there.
"I promise you," I said quietly, my voice low in the space between our mouths. "Whatever Cortez is doing, whatever Lila knows or doesn't know, none of it comes between us."
Her gaze didn't leave mine. "I know."
I held Julia's gaze without wavering. "I promise you. Never alone with her. Ever."
The vow sat heavy, like iron settling in my gut. Not because I doubted myself, but because I hated that a woman I already considered a possible liability could ever be turned into a weapon against the one I'd bleed for.
I pressed my mouth to hers, not soft—this kiss had weight, ownership.
I tasted the lingering whiskey on her lips, cool and smoky, and underneath it the sharp hint of mint from her toothpaste.
Her mouth opened under mine and for a moment there was only this: the slide of her tongue against mine, the warmth of her breath mingling with my own, the solid reality of her body against me.
I kissed my wife because she was the one person in the world I never had to perform certainty for. And right then, with Cortez's revelation still turning over in my head and a dozen unanswered questions waiting for me tomorrow, certainty was the one thing I didn't have.
Except about her.
I never questioned her.