Page 226 of Rush

“It’s the best kind,” I tsk.

“Maybe if you beg.” He winks.

I roll my eyes, but my cheeks flush anyway.

“You’re serious?” I ask.

He nods. “Yeah. I want to take you out like a grown-up. Hold your hand. Show you off. Let the world know you’re with me.”

I swallow.

“Broderick, that’s against the rules. That’s going to be a lot of paperwork—weeks tied up with HR.”

“Elena.”

“Yes, Broderick?” I say, pouting.

“Fuck. The. Rules.” He kisses my lips, three times.

“Sir, the rules are sacred. I sealed them with a blowjob and everything.”

He chuckles, but it fades quickly. “Is it just the sex? Is that all you want from me? Because we hang out, our friends know about us, you call me when you need me. It stopped being just about sex a long time ago—and you know this.”

Something about hearing him say that out loud makes my chest tighten in a way I don’t expect. I don’t have a witty reply for that. The truth of it settles deep.

He’s right.

“I’m open to renegotiating terms of our agreement,” I say, tilting my head, trying to play it light.

“Okay—that’s not a no,” he murmurs.

Then he leans in and kisses me.

“No, it’s not a no, but maybe you can fuck me in this hot tub to sweeten the deal?” I ask, breaking the kiss, eyes searching his.

His lips brush mine again, softer now. “How about I make love to you instead?”

Love.

I say nothing as he eases me onto him—slowly, softly.

And he does.

He makes love to me tenderly.

In the hot tub.

In the shower.

And because rules be damned…in his bed.

Chapter 26

Leave a Trace

Jack got sick of emailing real quick, something about the typing taking too long—so I bought him a tablet while he was here—showed him how to use it for video calls and Rob helped hook up his wi-fi.

We haven’t spoken since Philippa’s wedding—life got away from me. I sit on the lounge, hot coffee in hand, while Riley gets ready for work. It’s 6 a.m. NYC time, which means it’s 9 p.m. Jack’s time.