Chapter 523

Olivia

I hurried down the dimly lit hallway, my heels clicking rapidly against the polished floors as I made my way to the utility closet.

My heart pounded relentlessly in my chest with a mixture of nerves and excitement at the thought of seeing Nathan again—really seeing him in a way I hadn’t been able to for far too long.

It had been a week since we had last been together; the night that we had spent with one another felt like a tease, and it had ended too quickly. Life had gotten in the way, though, and having to keep our relationship secret made it even worse.

Finally, that morning, I had had enough. A single note slipped beneath Nathan’s door was all it had taken.

“Meet me in the utility closet at noon. Three knocks.”

I hadn’t heard back from him, but I hoped he would come.

Glancing furtively around to ensure I was alone one last time, I slipped inside the cramped supply closet and locked the door behind me. It was just large enough to fit a mop bucket, some shelving stocked with cleaning supplies, and not much else.

But what was in the closet didn;t matter. All that mattered was that this was our secret rendezvous point, one of the only places at the Council building where we could steal a few passionate moments together.

For what felt like forever, I waited. I glanced nervously at the clock, chewing my lip.

It was 12:15. Fifteen minutes had passed, and he didn’t show. I was beginning to think that he was too busy to come, or maybe it was too risky, or maybe he didn’t even find the note.

Just as I was about to slip back out and head back to the PR office, however, there it was: three knocks.

My heart instantly leapt up into my throat. I ran over to the door and pulled it open a crack, and Nathan swiftly ducked inside, his tall frame immediately dominating the tiny space.

“Liv,” he whispered.

“Nathan…”

Before I could catch my breath, his arms encircled my waist, pulling me hard up against his body as his lips crashed hungrily onto mine.

I melted into the warm arms like butter, my fingers tangling in the soft strands of tawny blond hair at the nape of his neck. With our lips still pressed against one another, Nathan walked me backwards until my back thudded against the wall, the shelves digging into my side.

But I barely registered the discomfort; I was too completely and utterly consumed by the taste and feel of my husband’s skin against mine after being starved of him for so long.

His hands roamed greedily over my curves as our kisses grew more fervent, our tongues exploring each other’s mouths as if it was all newly discovered territory. A low, guttural groan rumbled from Nathan’s chest when I ground my hips eagerly against him, feeling him rapidly hardening through his pants.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he panted raggedly against the sensitive skin just below my ear, a spot that he always knew to pay special attention to.

“Show me how much you missed me,” I breathed back, daring him and tilting my head to allow his lips better access to the soft skin of my neck.

“Gladly.” With a growl, Nathan hitched up my skirt, bunching the fabric around my waist. His fingers danced tantalizingly along my inner thighs before hooking into the waistband of my underwear and tugging them down my legs.

I shimmied and kicked them off, leaving me bare and exposed in front of him in the most deliciously forbidden way. “We could get caught, you know,” he hissed into my ear.

I smirked. “We could,” I agreed. “But is that going to stop you?”

Another growl rumbled in the back of his throat. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.”

Our eyes locked, heat and desperation blazing between us. Then, Nathan’s mouth became locked possessively over mine once more as he lifted me, pinning me up against the wall with his warm, firm muscles.

Moaning softly, I wrapped my legs around his waist instinctively, already trembling in anticipation of being intimate with him—utility closet be damned.

It may not have been the most romantic of getaways, but after being deprived of each other for so long, we might as well have been on our honeymoon again.

But then, just as Nathan reached between us to unfasten his belt, a sudden clatter in the hallway made us both freeze. Stifling my harsh breaths, I strained to listen as muted voices drifted closer and closer…

Until they stopped right outside of the utility closet door.

With wide, panicked eyes, Nathan quickly set me back on my feet. I scrambled to smooth down my skirt and grab my discarded panties off of the floor as he flattened himself against the shelving, trying to control his ragged breathing.

The doorknob rattled and my heart leapt into my throat. But it held firm, locked tight. I would have let out a sigh of relief, had it not been a surefire way to give up our dirty little secret. Instead, Nathan and I simply looked at each other, our eyes wide and our chests heaving.

“Huh, must be stuck,” a gruff voice muttered.

There was a sigh from another person on the other side of the door. “Again?” the male voice groaned. “I thought we fixed this damn thing.”

“I know. I told those night cleaners to take it easy, but they slam it all the damn time.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, praying they would just move along, all too aware of my undone state just inches away from Nathan. This was exactly what I had feared.

“Dammit, we’re going to need to put in a repair order,” the second voice grumbled again. My whole body sagged with relief when their footsteps and their muted conversation finally receded down the hall.

Nathan and I remained frozen for several tense moments until we were certain the coast was clear. Then, he grabbed my face, crushing his lips against mine in a searing, but apologetic, kiss.

“That was too damn close,” he rasped when we finally broke apart. I could only nod faintly as he tucked himself back into his trousers and straightened his shirt. Our little rendezvous had ended prematurely, leaving us unsatisfied.

We slipped out of the closet separately a few minutes apart, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible in case anyone was watching. By some small miracle, I made it out of the Council building without any more close calls.

But I should have known that our good luck wouldn’t last. It never did, after all.

“Mrs. Ford! Mrs. Ford!”

The barrage of shouted questions from the cluster of reporters huddled by the front steps stopped me in my tracks. Camera flashes blinded me as the hungry reporters surged forward, their microphones thrust aggressively in my face.

“Is it true that you are getting a divorce?”

The reporter’s question left me frozen, my eyes wide and my mouth hanging. I swallowed, unsure of what to say or how to approach this whole situation.

But I didn’t need to; because before I could speak, a firm hand was clapped over my shoulder.