The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

After dinner, Anastasia tugged Herman back to their room, leaving the kids in the

capable hands of the nanny.

She pulled a tiny chip from her pocket and handed it to him. "Can you check this

out for me? I honestly have no clue what's on it."

Herman turned the fingernail-sized chip over in his hands. "Where'd you get this?"

"Rowan gave it to me," Anastasia said. "He handed it over and then just...

disappeared. I haven't heard from him since."

Something flickered in Herman's eyes at the mention of Rowan. He felt a twist of

jealousy-sharp, a little sour-but he kept it cool, refusing to let it show.

He settled onto the sofa, acting unbothered. "So, is this what Rowan gave you at

the hotel last time?"

Anastasia shot him a surprised look. "How'd you know I met Rowan at a hotel?

Was it your mom?"

Nobody else could've told him-Dailey hadn't even seen Rowan that day.

Herman shrugged, playing it off. "Yeah, she mentioned it."noveldrama

Anastasia grinned, catching on. "Just mentioned it, huh? Or did she say

something like, 'Your wife was alone in a hotel room with another man'? Did that

make you jealous?"

Suddenly, it all made sense. No wonder Herman had been acting so weird-

clingier, a little more possessive than usual.

Honestly, she found it cute. If he didn't care, he wouldn't get jealous. She'd been

the same way-remembering how she'd once sent him out late at night just to buy

cherries for her, for no real reason.

Herman held his ground. "No, I trust you."

Anastasia burst out laughing, scooting closer and propping her chin on her hand.

"There's no way you didn't get jealous. For the record, I was meeting Dailey to

look into my mom's friend Adam. Rowan just happened to show up, handed me

this chip, and then your mom saw us. That's it."

Herman kept his poker face, but her explanation made him feel better. He just

hummed, "Mm."

"Mm'? That's all?" Anastasia teased, looping her arms around his neck. "You're

really that chill? Not even a little jealous?"

He stayed silent, refusing to give in.

Anastasia pouted dramatically. "Fine, don't care. I'll just leave, then."

She made a move to get up, but Herman grabbed her and pulled her back,

pinning her to the couch. He kissed her hard, his voice low and rough. "I care."

Anastasia smirked, triumphant. "That's more like it."

She was wearing a loose nightdress, and when Herman yanked her back, the

strap slid off her shoulder. His hand landed on her thigh, making the whole thing

extra steamy.

"You little troublemaker," Herman muttered, feeling a wave of heat.

Anastasia realized where this was

heading and quickly sat up, tugging

her dress back into place. "Whoa,

easy, tiger. Remember, you just had

surgery. Doctor said no funny

business."

If they kept this up, things would get out of hand fast.

She cleared her throat and tried to focus. "Okay, back to the chip. Once you're

better, we can revisit... other activities."

Herman chuckled, only she could

get away with saying things like that.

He pulled her onto his lap, his breath

warm on her neck. "Alright, let's see

what's on this chip."

Anastasia gave him a sideways look, but he was already studying the chip with

genuine focus. She couldn't help but smile.

She glanced down-he wasn't quite as unaffected as he pretended. Probably

better to put some space between them before things got risky.

"I'll go make you some tea," she said, trying to slide off his lap.

But Herman tightened his grip around her waist. "Wait. Whatever's on this chip

must be important. Are you sure you want me to open it? Did Rowan say anything

else?"

"He just told me to keep it safe,"

Anastasia replied. "Didn't say I

couldn't look inside. But now there

are people after me because of this

chip. I need to know what's on it,

otherwise who knows what could

happen."

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized she might've said too much.

Herman stiffened. "Who's after you? What happened?"