I woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee and eggs in the air. Jessie was cooking breakfast.

I put on my jeans and went to the kitchen to find her there. She was wearing a slinky silk blouse with spaghetti-thin sleeves. I could sense she had no bra on, her nipples pebbled softly under the material, making my cock move. I should have put a shirt on, I thought.

Her shorts were tiny, riding up to the top of her thighs. Her butt moved cutely as she stirred the scrambled eggs.

“Morning.” I said, and she looked over her shoulders. Even this early in the morning; Jessie looked fresh as a daisy, beautiful without any makeup on, the tops of her cheeks red.

“Hey, you. Coffee?” she asked, and I sat down at the breakfast bar. She brought over the pot of coffee and poured it into a mug. She knew I liked my eggs scrambled as much as she did.

“Sorry if I woke you. I’m in a rush, don’t want to be late for work.” she spoke.

I felt dizzy, sitting there, watching her cook breakfast for me. I could get used to this. Her face being the first thing I saw every morning. My house filled with the sound of her voice…with the smell of her.

She filled two plates with the eggs and buttered some toasts and brought them over to me.

“How are you feeling today, Jess?” I asked as she sat down across from me.

“Me? I’m fine.” she replied, and her eyes drifted over me.

This wasn’t the first time she was seeing me shirtless, but this time her gaze seemed to linger on my abs for longer. What was she thinking? I was too nervous to ask her. For ten years, I hadn’t made a move on her in fear of being shot down. I couldn’t lose her. I couldn’t risk it.

“About the interview this evening.” I reminded her, and she nodded while she drank her coffee.

“I think I’ll manage just fine. You can take the lead.” she replied.

“And I just wanted to warn you that…” I didn’t know how to tell her.

“That we need to act like a couple in love?” she asked, a soft smile grazing her face. I ran a hand through my hair, grinning.

“Don’t worry, I’m good at acting. I’ll manage. I think we should hold hands throughout the interview.” she added.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” I said.

“And we should stick to the story that we met in college, that we’ve been in love with each other ever since.” she continued.

I could feel my muscles starting to freeze up. She was hitting too close to home. I didn’t know how to look at her without giving my feelings away.

“Yup.” was all I could manage.

“And that a year ago, we finally found the courage to confess our feelings to each other and we had a quick wedding.” she said.

“Yeah, we wanted to keep it simple and personal. I’ve already spoken to Liam and Nate, and they said they’ll confirm to be witnesses if they’re ever asked.” I told her.

Jessie was drinking her coffee, not meeting my eyes. This was proving to be uncomfortable and strange for us both. These past ten years, I had tried so hard not to mess up our friendship…and there was a high possibility that this was precisely what I was doing now.

Would I end up losing Jessie after this?

How could we be friends once this was over? Once she’d seen exactly what I was capable of doing to get what I wanted.

She stood up, walking over to the kitchen sink to deposit her empty plate and mug. I followed her with mine. Our arms grazed when we placed the dishes in the sink, and I felt a shot of electricity run up my spine. Like someone had pulled the reigns on me. My face whipped around to look at her, and she was looking at me too.

This wasn’t the first time I was touching her either, but somehow this time it felt different. She was my wife. Jessica Andrews was the woman I had married. At least according to my marriage certificate.

She stepped away from me like she’d been burned.

“Jessie…” I said, stepping towards her. I didn’t want to frighten her.

She looked at me nervously, tucking in her hair behind her ears. I knew she’d felt that spark too. There was electricity running through both our veins.

“I should be going. I need to get to work.” she mumbled. The closer I got to her, the more she leaned, arching her back over the kitchen counter in response.

“Maybe we should set some ground rules. I don’t want to end up hurting you, Jess.” I said.

She shook her head, licking her lips with worry.

“You’re not going to hurt me, Leo. I’ll be fine. This will all be over in a few months. Then we can get back to our normal lives. What matters now is your legacy.” she said, but her voice was small and weak.

I could feel an irresistible urge to touch her, to run my hand along her legs. But I knew I couldn’t do it…not without completely ruining our friendship.

“Yeah, you’re right, which is why we need rules.” I stated, in a deep guttural growl. Could she see the desire in my eyes?

“I don’t believe in rules, Leo. We don’t need them. We’re not children.” she said and swerved around me, getting away from me before I could do anything. I should have known. She was going to avoid any hint of taking this further.

“I’ll meet you at the studios after work. Hope you have a nice day, Leo.” she called out as she rushed to the bedroom. I just stood there, feeling like I should have found a way to make her stay.