“Marlene, it’s good to see you.”

“Come here, you! Give me a hug!”

Gavin let go of my hand and stood up. The warmth was gone.

So was that elusive feeling of safety.

I watched closely as he hugged the smaller woman. She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his cheek, leaving the faint smudge of her ruby lipstick behind.

My insides twisted with jealousy. I wanted to claw her beautiful face to shreds.

Wait. What?

My body grew rigid with shock. I tucked my hands in my lap, feeling the coldness like an omen. I wasn’t someone who could ever afford jealousy. Not with what I saw growing up. That was why the strength of my instant hatred scared me.

Where was this coming from?

I had to keep it together. I had no right to be angry or upset. Gavin wasn’t even my boyfriend. Besides, I knew he’d had other relationships before. I even knew who this woman was.

Marlene Weatherby.

A beautiful, cultured socialite with a magnificent brain. Someone who’d been a perfect match with Gavin for two years.

“It’s good to see you, Marlene,” he said with a warm smile. The sincerity in his entire being pricked me. He’d obviously liked her enough to still stay friendly.

“I’m sorry if I’m interrupting. I just had to say hi when I saw you.” Marlene looked at me, curiosity bright in her eyes.

I didn’t have to wonder for long if Gavin was going to introduce me.

“Marlene, this is Paige. Paige, Marlene.”

Marlene held the dominate position. He introduced me to her first instead of the other way around. It was a piece of information I wished I didn’t have.

“Hello.” Somehow I managed to infuse warmth and personality into that one word. I hoped I wouldn’t be found out for a rotten liar.

She extended her slim hand out to me. I took it automatically.

“Hello, Paige. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Polite. Friendly. Normal.

It was just what the unflappable Gavin Hawthorne would deserve to have. I didn’t have to think too deeply about what he would get with me.

Poor Gavin. I really should’ve told him no.

It’s not too late.

I shook Marlene’s hand firmly. “Hi. It’s great to meet you too. Have a seat!”

Surprise danced across her gorgeous face. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I’m Gavin’s PA. Temporary PA. We were just having dinner and talking about work.”

I didn’t look over at Gavin, but I could sense his serious stare nonetheless.

Marlene sank into the wooden chair without hesitation. “What happened to Caroline?”

Gavin answered immediately, taking his gaze from me and placing it on the lovely Marlene.

“She broke her leg.”

“Oh no! Is she all right?”

“She will be. She’s resting up. Or at least she should be. I doubt she is though. She can’t stand to stay still for long.”

Marlene laughed. It was low, pleasing, and a bit sweet. “You really do know Caroline. I bet she’s dying to get back to work.”

I sat back and nibbled on my cheesecake. Gavin and Marlene chatted about Caroline a bit more before drifting off into other conversation. I kept one ear out just in case I was needed, but it became obvious fairly quickly I wasn’t needed at all.

Gavin and Marlene talked with the ease and comfort that longtime friends and lovers did. It intrigued me. How could two people who weren’t even in a relationship be so friendly towards one another?

Patrick and Melissa loved each other madly and even they couldn’t talk this kindly to one another before something wrong was said, igniting an explosion of words and emotions.

I didn’t have to fear that here.

Watching them and hearing their easy conversation with one another was a lesson of sorts. It taught me there could be another way than the example I’d grown up with and often saw repeated in high school and college.

Wary I was more like my father than I’d ever want to admit, I’d kept myself from feeling anything too deeply for the few people I spent more than passing time with.

Which was why my initial reaction to Marlene caught me off guard. If anything, it proved I indeed was capable of a dark ugliness when it came to dating someone else.

Loving someone else.

And it would be so easy to love Gavin.

I’d already admired him from afar for so many years. Now, my admiration had turned into attraction and longing in such a short period of time.

What else was I capable of?

I really didn’t like how I’d reacted to seeing him with an ex. It was unexpected and dangerous. I needed time to think.

Standing up, I felt Gavin and Marlene’s curious gazes come to rest on me. I flashed my perfect smile.

“Excuse me. I have to take this call.”

I didn’t give Gavin time to say anything. Turning around, I walked away quickly with the phone pressed against my ear. I didn’t imagine his calling out my name, but I pretended I did just so I could get away.

The bathroom was a safe place. I locked myself inside one of the stalls and sat there with my head cradled in my hands. What was going on with me?

Easy to answer.

I was a jealous mess on top of being a liar.

Being who I was and what I was hiding from him, I couldn’t seriously contemplate getting into a relationship with Gavin. Sure sex and fun was all good, but what if it got serious? And regardless of how much I might want it to be otherwise, I already knew it wouldn’t take much to push me over the edge into serious.

I liked Gavin too much already to try to pretend otherwise.

The kindest thing to do would be to ease out of Gavin’s life as quickly as I’d gotten into it.

Even though I said yes to seeing him after my assignment ended?

Thankful the restroom was empty, I let out a small groan. Honor had a tricky way of being pushed aside when you wanted something really, really bad.

Like how I wanted Gavin.

I knew I could be so good for him because I’d be whatever he wanted me to be. I wouldn’t care about the mental acrobatics because just being with Gavin now already made me so happy.

What didn’t make me happy was the lying.

It never bothered me that much before because I always reasoned no one really cared about me either way. Besides, they were doing as much lying as I was.

How many girls pretended to like each other before they were running their mouths and talking trash behind each other’s backs? How many times did people puff themselves out to be something they weren’t only to let their true selves out when things got sticky?

People were the worst and I rarely felt bad for not letting anyone close.

This was different though.

Gavin was honest to a fault. He meant what he said and expected the same in return. He was curt to the point of rudeness and was in his head a lot, true, but I’d seen enough to know he did care about how his innate personality affected others.

If Gavin was like me he’d put up a false front. The fact he didn’t proved just how unique and wonderful he really was. If nothing else, Gavin was comfortable in his skin and wasn’t going to make apologies for being himself.

Which was probably why Marlene Weatherby couldn’t resist stopping to chat with her ex-boyfriend. If I had any shred of decency left in me I’d leave Gavin to all the Marlenes in the world instead of trying my damnedest to be his next flame.

Shit! Why was I having a moral dilemma in the middle of a restaurant bathroom? How ridiculous was this?

I checked my phone. Less than ten minutes had passed. If I stayed here long enough would Gavin and Marlene leave together? Clenching my eyes shut, I suffered at the thought even as I hoped for it.

Otherwise, the temptation to be bad was too strong.

The contract was only a couple of weeks away from ending. I could last. And then I could exit Gavin’s life and not be a total piece of garbage for keeping my identity secret from him.

Do it for him.

Tears prickled my eyes. I blinked them away. There was no need to cry. Nothing between us had ever really started. It was best I’d seen the kind of person Gavin welcomed into his life. I wasn’t her, no matter how hard I pretended.

And nothing I could do would ever change that.

I left the stall and washed my hands, examining myself in the mirror critically. My eyes were clear without even the slightest hint of pink to betray my unwelcomed tears. I smoothed my hair and retouched my lipstick when the door opened.