Page 68 of A Convenient Secret

I huff. “I would like to talk about it.”

“There is nothing to talk about, Lily. I apologize for my lack of control. But if Zoya’s interruption taught us something… I’m not available.”

So he got scared again. I step closer, frustration zipping through me. This man is infuriating. “And yet you can’t control yourself around me.”

He closes his eyes briefly on a deep sigh. “Let’s keep this professional.”

“Just like last night?” I challenge. I want to rile him up, so he finally gets his head out ofthe gutter.

“Lily,” he warns. “We both know this is for the best.”

“I don’t know that.”

He turns, his steps long and fast approaching the staircase. “Don’t be a brat; you’re just proving my point.”

His words are like a slap. This is how he sees me? A brat? I rush behind him, but I’m forced to push my anger aside. He effectively dismisses me, moving the conversation to the topic of the children.

“You don’t need to take over all housekeeping responsibility, of course, but if you can manage the meals… You know how to cook?”

It’s beyond frustrating to talk to his back. But fuck, I’m not letting him win this round.

“Of course,” I lie as we enter the kitchen.

Zach cocks his head, but doesn’t say anything.

“When I said squares, I didn’t mean they need to be geometrically correct.” Cora rises to her tiptoes as if she can get a better view of the cutting board over the screen.

“You could have said small pieces then.” The knife slides, grazing my finger. “Shit.” I put it betweenmy lips.

“Did you nick yourself? I should have just cooked meals for you. You’re a danger to yourself in the kitchen.” Cora walks around her kitchen in the bistro with ease, probably finishing her fourth order while she tries to coach me on FaceTime.

Moving in with Declan has been quite torturous. The man exhibits such a level of control that I almost admire him.

Or he turned off any attraction he might have harbored. After another two weeks of an awkward—at least for me—cohabitation, I’m wondering if it was all just in my head.

It doesn’t matter, because Declan is not going to pursue anything with me. And even if there was a chance of anything—and my pussy weeps at the idea—he would probably switch it off again easily.

That only exposes me to getting hurt. He’s really doing us a favor. After a week of sulking, and another week of getting my lust under control, I realized we need to find a new flow to our relationship.

I’ll serve a delicious homemade meal, and we will talk. Bury the imaginary hatchet. He may not want to fuck me, but I can’t work for him if he treats me like I’m invisible.

At least the kids have been amazing. Tiring and challenging, but definitely rewarding. We’ve had so much funtogether.

Another positive thing was to discover the freezer was fully stocked with homemade meals. God bless the housekeeper, because I’ve been slaying my new responsibility. Okay, except for a few burned meals and broken dishes, but I’m getting better.

That last streak of luck unfortunately ran out, and after two nights of takeout, I need to provide the family with a homemade meal.

“Remind me again why you are trying to cook for a man who’s been ignoring you?” Cora looks at the camera, deadpan. All the while, she is chopping carrots at the speed of a ninja. How?

“To prove a point.” I manage to slice off another small piece of chicken breast without skinning myself.

“Are we adding arsenic to the sauce?” It’s concerning how excited she sounds about the prospect.

I snort. “No. We’re not. I tried to stab him, remember? He’s immortal.”

She laughs. “He’s an asshole.”

“That too.” A part of me wants to defend him, but I need to focus on yielding this knife without losing a finger.