Fiance Next Door

In fact, I don’t think she has, which is one of the reasons I’m reconsidering Noah’s proposition.

I glance at the box Noah gave me, now on my old desk, and remember the request that came with it. People have come to me for various favors, but this one is by far the most unusual and the most complicated. Just thinking about it makes me feel like grimacing and scratching my head.

So I don’t. I grab my laptop, go back to bed and decide to get some work done. My company isn’t going to run itself, after all.

That’s right. Work. Forget about Noah’s request. Forget about Aster.

~

By ten, I’ve managed to get a ton of work done. I’ve sat in a video conference with the board. I’ve read the reports on the latest clinical trials and made my recommendations. I’ve finished debugging a program. I’ve spoken to my head of software development about our new joint project with the military. I’ve even had time to read the news, particularly the reports about one of my rivals coming up with some new app for hospitals. Trying to get a portion of my market, I see, but that’s not going to work. I’m far ahead of everyone else in terms of using technology to revolutionize medicine.

Yup. I’d say I’ve had a productive morning. My stomach is rumbling now, though, and I’m starting to feel cooped up, so I leave the attic. On the second floor, I stop because there seems to be some commotion going on. I can hear Giselle’s voice and I can tell she’s upset. A moment later, the door to her room opens and a woman comes running out. I think of asking her what’s going on, but she seems upset as well. She looks on the verge of tears, in fact, and she doesn’t seem to care when her arm hits mine as she passes by me. She just rushes downstairs.

What the hell is going on?

I go down the hall to find out. As I stand outside the open door to Giselle’s room, I catch a glimpse of her facing the window, phone pressed to her ear and her other hand tapping her hip. She’s tapping her foot as well. The only time I’ve seen her do that was when she was thirteen and she’d just dropped her phone in the toilet.

Shit. She’s going to explode any second now.

I turn, about to leave so I can steer clear of the blast radius, but my body freezes in place as I see the other person in the room.

Aster.

She’s standing in front of the mirror in a white and blue dress, her bridesmaid dress if my guess is correct. The strapless white lace corset which hugs the curves of her breasts is held together with a royal blue ribbon, the same shade as the silk skirt that extends just a little past her knees. The same ribbon weaves through the braids that keep her locks off of her cheeks. Instead, they cascade past her shoulders, drawing my gaze to the zipper that’s aligned with her spine, running straight down the middle of the sheer back. The dress fits Aster’s slender figure to a tee and looks just right – revealing but not trashy, eye-catching but not over-the-top. Breathtaking. Enchanting. Perfect.

Then again, it’s not really the dress I’m staring at.

Aster frowns at her reflection as she tries to pull the corset of her dress higher over the top of her breasts, as if desperate to hide them completely. My lips curve in an amused grin. Still not used to wearing a grown woman’s clothes, is she?

The dress, however, doesn’t budge, and Aster doesn’t look the least bit amused. Unable to make the dress comply, she reaches for the zipper at the back. She tries to push it down, but it doesn’t budge either.

“Come on,” she grumbles.

For a moment, I debate on whether or not to offer my help. I’m still trying to keep my distance from her, after all. In the end, though, I decide to speak up for the sake of the dress, which seems on the brink of getting ripped off.

“Let me help.” I step forward.

Aster turns abruptly, eyes wide. She grips her shoulders, leaving her arms crossed over her breasts to hide them from my view, which only makes me want to look at them even more.

“What are you doing here?”

I pull my gaze up to her face and rub the back of my head. “Um, it’s my house, too.”

She frowns.

“But I can leave you girls alone right now.” I begin my retreat.

“Wait,” Aster stops me. She lets out a deep breath. “I… didn’t mean to snap at you. I was just surprised. I… didn’t see you there.”

She can say that again. “I know.”

What I don’t know is why she suddenly seems scared to hurt my feelings. She wasn’t before. What did Noah tell her?