Page 52 of My Only

I followed her with my eyes as she walked off, scoffing to myself.

To say this was unusual would be a lie. From the time Hassani and I were only friends as teenagers, I’d watched women literally throw themselves at him. It was ridiculous. Pathetic, even. Always funny to watch, though—even as his wife.

It’s crazy how even with a giant diamond ring circling his left finger, women still flirted with him. Often right in front of me.

I glanced over at Hassani, now standing beside me.

“You know, between you being distracted by your phone and Mia gearing herself up to get her ass beat down at her job,” I started, “I’m not sure who’s pissing me off more.”

Hassani lifted his eyes off his phone to focus on me.

“Actually.” I turned to face him. “I feel like you’re pissing me off more.”

“Aww, baby, baby,” he said, sliding his phone into his back pocket.

“Then again...” I turned to look where Mia had walked off before shifting my attention back to Hassani. “I feel like you should take off your shirt, flex a pec, and see if you can get us a discount off ol’ girl. Turn on the charm a little. Show her some skin and attention so we can get this stiff-ass, expensive furniture for cheap.”

Hassani hollered a laugh, making me laugh too.

He walked up to me and circled his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. “I told you I was working today. I’m sending emails back and forth?—”

“Coffee bar, coffee bar,” I cut in. “All I can see as you tell me this is that ugly sculpture on our coffee bar.”

He snatched me closer and brought his fingers to my stomach, tickling me until I hunched forward, laughing louder, trying to escape.

Hassani wrapped his arms around me again and lowered his mouth to mine, pressing a long, deep kiss against my lips, parting them to slide his tongue in.

I moaned, pressing my hands to either side of his face as he held me even tighter.

After a short while, he gently broke our kiss and pressed his forehead to mine. “My first, my last, and my only,” he said. “That’s you. Always remember that. I don’t see no one else. You hear me?”

I closed my eyes and smiled as he pressed another kiss to my lips.

Someone clearing their throat behind us had both Hassani and me looking that way.

It was Mia, her smile less bright as she closed the distance between Hassani and I.

“Okay,” Mia started. “So, I was able to check availability on this set?—”

“Mia, right?” Hassani quizzed, pulling me in front of him to hold me from behind.

She offered a small smile. “That’s right.”

“Let’s not focus on this one right here,” he said, gesturing to the furniture set he was originally interested in. “Whatever my wife wants, that’s what we’re getting.”

Mia’s brows shot up. “Oh… umm… yeah, of course.” She moved her eyes to me, then swallowed hard. “What was the… uhh, style you said you were interested in?”

I forced a smile. “Modern, comfortable… not white.”

“Right.” She nodded. “Okay. Follow me, and I’ll show you something you’ll love.”

I smirked. “Perfect. Please, lead the way.”

For the next hour, Mia proved why she worked at a high-end furniture store. She walked us through pieces that matched the budget I had in mind while also satisfying the aesthetic I wanted. I had to admit, she was good at her job—and she wasn’t so bad once she stopped flirting with my husband.

“You have great taste, Ayla,” Mia said with a genuine smile after I settled on a furniture set that Hassani also loved. “I’ll go ahead and place the order, set up the delivery time, and be back with all the details.”

I nodded. “Thank you so much, Mia.”

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