When Angela is gone for more than a minute, I gesture to Anthony to dig in. She’s probably invited someone over and is deciding if she should let them in or not.

“Uhhh...Lil?” She says, eventually coming back into the kitchen. “It’s for you…” Her voice trails off and I stare at the visitor.

It can’t be.


“Hey,” He says so casually that I almost forget it’s been months. My mouth opens to respond but words don’t come out. My body is frozen to it’s spot and Angela is giving me a dirty look that I surely haven’t earned.

“You just gonna sit there and stare at me?” Dirk says with a grin that is achingly familiar. I manage to gain control over my brain and body and I scramble out of my seat and cross the kitchen in a less than graceful leap.


“Uggghhh.” Angela groans. Anthony raises an eyebrow.

“Boyfriend?” He mouths to Angela curiously. She shakes her head.

“EX-boyfriend.” Angela replies, not nearly as quietly. “They broke up. But it seems they forgot.”

I’m not listening. My body is wrapped around Dirk and I’m pretty sure I will never ever let go.


“Should we leave?” Anthony asks after a moment and I feel Dirk pull away. I tug him closer and he chuckles.


The boys introduce themselves and Anthony invites Dirk to join us for dinner. A glance at me and I nod. Of course he can stay.

“I don’t want to interrupt. I should have called before…” He says.

“You’re not interrupting! We were just settling in.” Anthony smiles. Dirk gives me another look that I can’t quite read and then we all sit down.


Angela is quiet and the looks she sends my way seem suspiciously daggered but I can’t fathom what I’ve done to offend her.


“She IS an excellent cook, just don’t ask her to make you soup.” Dirk laughs as he and Anthony chat and share stories like old friends. My brain is spinning and struggling to process what is happening. It’s a bit surreal having the two of them sitting here together.

“I make excellent soup.” I interrupt. “It’s not my fault you don’t like spicy foods.”


“Spicy? I ended up needing medication for internal bleeding!” Dirk laughs. I smile and laugh. That wasn’t quite true, but it certainly wasn’t too far from the truth.


“I will definitely keep that in mind the next time she takes over the kitchen.” Anthony laughs.

“YOU started a FIRE!” I demand, refusing to let these two gang up on me. Anthony’s cheeks redden and I stick out my tongue.

“Ok, well while we all love a good Lilith story-fest, maybe we can wrap this up?” Angela interrupts. Dirk muffles a snort with a cough and Anthony just looks between Angela and I, unsure of where the mood shift came from. I roll my eyes. I’m not too sure either.


“Well, it IS getting late. Maybe I should head out. Let you two catch up.” Anthony says, getting up and helping me clear the table.

“Please don’t leave on my account, I feel like I’m cutting into your evening.” Dirk says uncomfortably.

“No worries. Time I got home anyway.” Anthony smiles back at him. I reach over and give Anthony a hug. It HAD been a wonderful day and I didn’t want him to leave thinking I’d forgotten.


“I’ll give you a call tomorrow.” I promise. He nods and smiles.

“Have a good night, Lil.” He gives my hand a squeeze and leaves.


When she hears the soft click of the door closing, she sighs. She should have known better than to wander off alone and expect to be left...alone. She doesn’t turn right away and listens to his footsteps crossing the carpet. She knows instinctively that it’s not Chase. He’d asked if she’d wanted company and he’d respect that she’d said no.


When she finally turns, he’s standing right behind her. A wicked grin on his face as if he’d stolen something and was about to get caught.

“You. Are. Stunning.” He says quietly, fingers reaching and lightly tracing the inside of her arm. She offers him a half smile.

“Lux, you’ve crossed a boundary tonight.” She says quietly, looking him in the eye but not moving away from his touch. “This is my home. Chase is here. My children are home. This isn’t ok.”

She sees a flash of the look she’d noticed earlier. Jealousy. More obvious now than it had been before.


“Why are you with me?” He asks bluntly. His frustration is visible on his face but his hands are still light on her hips.

“Pardon?”

“Why are you with me? You love him. You love your family. You have this perfect life that you don’t want me to mess up. Why bother with me at all?” Lux holds her tight and waits for an answer. He’d wondered this for a while now but had been too afraid to ask. He wasn’t known for falling in love but here he was, staring at this woman. This powerful, incredible, smart, stunning woman. And he had no idea why she’d even give him the time of day.

When she doesn’t respond, he catches himself off guard and whispers “I love you, Rina Harrington.”




“Gawd dammit.” Rina mutters under her breath as Lux walks out of her office. The kiss left her breathless but this wasn’t what she’d expected. When she’d first met Lux, she’d been just another one of his conquests. A notch on his belt, and that’s exactly what made him safe.

Her heart races as she pictures him going back to the party. The same room as her husband, moments after confessing his love.

“F*ck.” She snarls, slamming her hand against the chair, knocking it to the ground.