A glimpse of us.

ASHTON

Kailee pulled away and turned fully to face Dexter. My throat tightened as I followed her gaze.

“Dex,” she called softly. “You’re here.”

Dexter stepped closer, wearing a smile. He glanced at me before fixing his gaze on Kailee.

“You said you were working overnight, so I decided to stop by. Are you good?”

Somehow, his question irritated me more than his hands moving to pull her close.

He called her Kay. He stood always stood close enough to touch her without hesitation, and she seemed perfectly comfortable with it.

I couldn’t remember the last time she’d looked at me that way.

I straightened, grabbed my briefcase, then took a step forward.

“And why wouldn’t she be?”

Dexter turned to me. “What?”

“Why wouldn’t she be good? Did you think I had her hostage?”

He let out a nervous chuckle, gently brushing his thumb against his nose.

“Nobody thought that.”

“Then explain why you’re here. You took the day off because you claimed to be busy. But you clearly have a lot of time on your hands for you to be here at this time.”

He went quiet. I waited for his answer, but it never came. Instead, Kailee grabbed her bag and looked at me.

“I’m leaving, Mr. Lancaster. Don’t worry, I’ll submit the files early tomorrow morning.”

She grabbed Dexter’s hand. “Let’s go,” she whispered.

I watched her leave with him, her fingers still intertwined with his. She hadn’t even looked back at me or waited for a response.

After all, I’d protested against her intention of working overnight a few minutes ago.

Her faint scent of vanilla lingered in the air after she’d left. I stood there, fists clenched, unsure why my anger was rising.

After minutes of standing there, wondering if Kailee and Dexter were going against the company’s rules and rubbing their relationship in my face, I decided to leave.

Lavinia was in the living room when I walked in. She stood up when she saw me, helped with my briefcase, and gave me a side hug.

“Lorelei has been waiting for you. She’s in the guest room.”

My jaw tightened as I walked past her. “What does she want?”

“Ashton, that’s not a nice way to treat a woman who’s been waiting to see you.”

“I’m too exhausted for this, Lavinia.”

She reached for my wrist and held it, preventing me from taking the stairs.

“You spent five years away from all of us,” she whispered, her eyes teary. “Don’t push us away again.”

I knew she wasn’t talking about tonight alone. To Lavinia, my decision to leave New Orleans had been another way of abandoning everyone who mattered to me.

Perhaps she wasn’t entirely wrong.

Leaving was supposed to be my escape from everything, but it didn’t bring me the peace I thought it would.

I exhaled sharply, gently wriggling my wrist free.

“Fine. I’ll go check up on Lorelei after showering.”

Her lips curled into a smile as she squealed excitedly. She pulled me into another hug, forcing a laugh out of me.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re the best brother?”

I chuckled. “You say that everytime you get your way.”

“What can I say? The universe made me your favorite and only sister for a reason.”

Dealing with Lavinia was hard because she never stopped persisting until she got her way.

And I always had a hard time turning her down.

I walked down the hallway but took a turn in a direction I wasn’t supposed to go.

I slowed as I approached the third door, stopping in front of it.

My heart raced as everything I tried to bury came rushing back. I swallowed hard and reached for the doorknob, but couldn’t bring myself to turn it.

The midnight room.

It was once my favorite place, where I spent nights like this after a long day at work.

Now it was simply a room I’d kept my distance from. A place I’d stayed five years away with no hopes of ever going back.

Another memory stole my breath. I could almost see Kailee again…

Her fingers tightened around that pole as her body swayed to the slow music playing in the background.

I sat on my golden armchair, nursing a glass of whiskey as usual. Her heels clicked against the tiles as she walked forward, raking her fingers through her hair.

“I’m done for the night, Mr. Lancaster. Do you need anything else?”

That soft, sweet voice had always soothed me. It was the same voice that once whispered in my ear until I let my guard down and shared things I’d never told anyone.

Those hazel eyes that stared intensely whenever her lips parted to disagree with what I’d said.

I smiled at the memories, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. I hated how a scent could bring back memories.

How staring at a door made you remember things you didn’t want.

How a stranger could become your favorite person only to be a stranger again before you could snap your fingers.

And how you could hate a person so much, but still not have the intention of letting them go.

I hadn’t realized how long I’d been standing there until I heard footsteps approaching behind me.

“Ashton?”

I heard the voice and released my fingers from the knob.

She was right there when I turned around, her eyes darting between me and the door.

Her hair cascaded down her shoulders. She looked beautiful, as she always did. But my mind was somewhere else, still trapped behind that door.

“Why are you standing here?” She whispered. “I’ve been waiting for you and…”

I didn’t let her finish. I moved forward, desperate to silence the thoughts crowding my head.

The rest of her words were swallowed in a kiss. I moved forward before I could stop myself, cupped her cheeks, and claimed her lips roughly.

Her hands flew to my neck, first to hold me, then they slid down my shirt and grabbed my sleeves.

“Ashton,” she moaned into my mouth. “Wait.”

“Lovie.”

“Lovie?”

Her hands clenched into fists and pushed me away. I broke off the kiss, panting as she glared at me.

“Did you just… call me Lovie?”

I blinked, and the woman in my arms came into focus. Lorelei was staring at me, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

Her lips were red and slightly swollen from the kiss. And suddenly, I understood what I’d done.

I’d been kissing Lorelei while imagining Kailee.

Slowly, the realization sank into me as I stared at her.

“Lorelei?”

Fuck.

I’d moaned another woman’s name while kissing a woman my family had been trying to pair me with.