I’m surprisingly nervous as I make my way to Lex’s kitchen dressed in the shirt he wore last night, my hair still wet from the shower. I wasn’t sure he meant it when he said he’d try with me, but last night filled me with hope.
I bite down on my lip when I find him leaning back against his kitchen counter, his torso exposed and gray sweats hanging low on his hips. He’s got a cup of coffee on the counter and his tablet in his hand, his full attention on what he’s reading. My eyes widen when he reaches behind him and grabs a pair of black-rimmed reading glasses. I didn’t think he could get more handsome, but the glasses do it for me.
It’s hard to believe that I’m married to this man — the same man I’ve admired for so long, that I still look up to. Lex must feel me staring at him, because he looks up and smiles, his gaze roaming over my body. His eyes instantly darken, and he puts his tablet down slowly.
“Good morning, Mrs. Windsor. How do you feel?”
Heat rushes to my face, and I walk further into the kitchen area. “Morning. I didn’t even hear you get up.”
He pulls me closer the second he has me within reach, his hand wrapping around my waist. “I always get up at five,” he tells me as he twists my hair around his finger. “I like structure, so I get up at the same time and work out at the same time every day.” Something akin to frustration flashes in his eyes, and he pulls me closer, tucking my head underneath his chin. I wrap my arms around him and hug him.
Lex sighs and tightens his grip on me, his face buried in my hair. “Let me make you some coffee,” he murmurs. “I need to show you how all our robots work, too. Are you hungry?”
I shake my head and tilt my face to kiss his neck. He shivers and buries a hand in my hair, instantly growing hard against my stomach. The way he wants me is so empowering. He groans and grabs my waist, lifting me into his arms. My legs hook around his hips, and he turns me around, placing me on the edge of the counter. Lex looks at me like I torment him, and I can’t figure out what I’ve done to make him look that way.
He grabs my hand and raises it to his lips, only to pause, his expression hardening. “Where is your wedding ring?” he asks, his tone harsh as his gaze cuts to mine.
I blink in surprise and pull my hand back. “In the bathroom. I took it off to shower.”
Lex frowns and cups the back of my neck, his thumb resting on my throat. “I’m never taking mine off again, and I don’t want to see you without yours. I understand you can’t wear it on your hand at school, but I still want it on your body at all times. I’ll buy you a necklace to hang it on, little fairy.”
I nod, my heart racing. For a man who seemed so opposed to a relationship, he’s awfully adamant that I keep a token of our marriage on me at all times. “Fine,” I murmur, pulling him closer. “If you wear yours, I’ll wear mine too.”
Lex’s shoulders relax, and his gaze roams over me. “There’s something just entirely irresistible about the way my shirt looks on you,” he whispers, before tilting his face and taking my bottom lip between his teeth, nipping, teasing. I smile against his mouth and lock my ankles behind his back, bringing him closer, my hand sliding up his neck and into his hair.
Lex moans when I kiss him, his hands roaming over my body with a hint of desperation. “God, I can’t get enough of you,” he says, his hands settling on my waist.
The way he’s moving against me is driving me wild, and I pull away to look at him. “Lex,” I plead, unsure what I’m asking for.
He grins and pulls me closer, placing his hands underneath my thighs as he lifts me up and carries me through the kitchen, toward the bedroom. We’re halfway there when a slightly robotic voice rings through the air.
“Lex, you have visitors,” she says. “Bob and Meera Lewis are at the door. Since you have them in my system as your wife’s parents, I’ll be letting them in now.”
“Fuck,” he mutters, and we both stare at each other wide-eyed for a moment. Seconds later, I hear my parents’ voices, and Lex puts me down. I take one look at the scratches I left all over his body and grab his hand, making a run for it.
“What are we doing?” he whisper-shouts, following my lead.
I throw him an incredulous look and push him into the bedroom, slamming the door shut in a rush. “What do you think I’m doing?” I ask, my voice borderline hysterical. “We’re both half-naked! Get. Dressed.”
He chuckles and shakes his head as he follows me into the dressing room, moving much slower than I’d like him to. “Pippy,” he calls, “lock my bedroom door and brew some fresh coffee.”
“Certainly, Lex,” the same voice I heard earlier says, and I turn, my eyes wide.
“You named your AI Smart Home System Pippy?”
He shrugs. “She kind of acts like a puppy most of the time, but that seemed too… I don’t know.”
I try my hardest to hold back my laughter, but a soft giggle makes its way past my lips, nonetheless. That’s so ridiculously silly, and it’s a lot more like the Lex I’ve gotten to know than the man he pretends to be.
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you that all those clothes on that side are for you. You were too preoccupied to even notice last night. Raven designed them for you after she got your measurements at your dress fitting.”
My mouth pops open in surprise, and he grins as he takes a yellow dress off the hanger and hands it to me. “I’ve been dying to see you in this.”
Lex grabs a white t-shirt and pulls it over his head with ease while I shrug off the shirt I’m wearing in a rush. He smiles at me when I step into the dress and moves closer. “Relax, baby,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my shoulder before helping me zip up the dress. “You look beautiful.”
“How are you not nervous?” I ask, surprised by his relaxed demeanor.
“Oh, I am,” he says, a shadow crossing his face. “I hate surprises, and I don’t usually let anyone but my siblings and my grandmother into this house. However, I told you that I’d try to be the man you need, so that’s what I’ll do. I’ll try, Raya. I’ll try to fight my instincts, my usual responses. They are your parents, and they’re clearly worried about you. I can understand that.”
I turn and rise to my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He sighs and grabs my hand. “I wish we could finish what we started in the kitchen,” he complains. “But instead, we’d better go greet your parents before they hunt us down.”
I smile and let him lead me out of the room, my heart soaring when I find Mom sitting on the sofa while Dad paces in front of her. They both look up when we walk in, and the worry on their faces diminished just a touch.
“Raya,” Mom says, jumping to her feet. She rushes up to me and rubs my arms, her gaze roaming over my body. Some of the panic in her eyes eases when I smile, and she moves to hug me tightly, before offering Lex a hug too.
“Hi Dad,” I say as I walk up to him. He looks emotional and opens his arms for me, wrapping me in a tight hug.
“Is everything okay?” he asks quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
I nod and rest my head on his chest, mom’s story echoing through my mind. My stomach turns when I suddenly realize why they’re both so anxious this morning. They must’ve been worried Lex hurt me last night, and I can guess the reason why they’d think something like that. I force a smile as I step back, my heart breaking for Mom all over again.
Lex walks up to us and shakes Dad’s hand, his smile sincere. “It’s good to see you both,” he says, his expression friendly. “Would you care to join Raya and me for breakfast?”
My parents exchange glances and nod before following Lex to the dining area, where several robots are already setting the table, their wheels carrying them back and forth. “That’s an impressive feat of technology,” Dad grumbles, like he doesn’t want to admit it but can’t help himself. “But these are all jobs humans could’ve had. Doesn’t your family employ plenty of household staff?”
Lex pauses and smiles tightly as he pulls a chair out for me. I look up at him as I sit down, noting the tension in his expression. He doesn’t say anything as he pulls out Mom’s chair for her, seating her next to me. “My siblings do, but I don’t like having people in my home,” he eventually says quietly. “My robots will never betray me — they’ll never sell a story to the press, nor will they ever harm me or my family. They’ll only ever do what I’ve programmed to do.”
I reach for his hand over the table, and he looks up at me in surprise as he entwines our fingers. Something about his forlorn expression compels me to offer him quiet support, consolation. It doesn’t go unnoticed by my parents, who both glance at our joined hands, and then at each other.
Mom smiles, genuinely, for the first time today. “I think it’s very impressive, Lexington,” she says, throwing him one of those sweet indulgent looks I know all too well. “They look very cute too, with… what’s that called now? The emoji faces?”
Lex’s cheeks redden just a little, and he smiles. “Thank you, ma’am.”
She grins at him and places her elbow on the table, her fist underneath her chin. “Oh, honey, if you’d like, you can call me Mom. You’re my son-in-law now, after all.”
Lex’s eyes grow impossibly wide, and dad huffs, not at all impressed by Mom’s acceptance of Lex. I, on the other hand, throw her a grateful smile, hope sparking in my chest. When I found out he approached me under false pretenses, I wasn’t sure what our marriage would look like. I didn’t dare believe him when he said he’d try, but so far, his actions are speaking louder than words could.
He’s trying, and I will too.
