Page 25 of Claimed By my Fake Husband

It seems to last forever, this loop of pleasure and closeness I never want to end. Then we go still, side by side.

He pulls me against his chest, holding me from behind, and my mind spins slowly to a stop.

Everything between us has changed. I hate change—in my life, in my routine, in anything.

But this? This, I can live with.

9

Logan

I slept. I slept hard—for the first time in a while. Someone is lying next to me, too.

Tess.

Turning over, I see her there in the bed, naked and breathing slowly as the morning light filters into the room. I could watch her for hours.

Jesus, Logan. You…slept with her. You broke your one rule, and she doesn't even know it exists.

I suck in a deep breath. The air smells like both of us. Rolling onto my back, I stare up at the ceiling.

There's a crack up there, just a thin line from where the foundation settled. I had it patched once, but a year or so later, it came back.

It's not a big deal. I don't know why I'm staring at it like it holds answers.

Except I do know. I'm trying to distract myself from what I just did. I don't regret it. That's not it. I'm just... shocked. My chest feels too tight for the room.

If someone had asked me what would happen on this job, sleeping with the client wouldn't have made the list.

"I really had sex with her. Fuck."

This changes everything. It complicates things. It's exactly what I swore would never happen. Sex and emotions cloud judgment. They just do.

Did I ever really stand a chance, though?

The moment I saw Tess, I knew she was different. That cut-the-bullshit personality. That drive.

Reckless, sure, but also fiercely convicted, her moral compass so strong it puts most people's to shame.

She doesn't see the value in keeping herself safe, and we need to talk about that. A conversation I'm not exactly looking forward to.

Then there's the matter of these feelings.

I'm way "up in my feels," as she'd probably say. Tess has gotten through walls I built years ago, chipping through layers of concrete with nothing but her tenacity and that smile.

But the threat of her getting killed hangs over my head like a blade. She's too reckless for my liking, and I know men like Cilento.

He'll stop at nothing to silence her.

"Hi."

Tess's voice pulls me out of my head, and I roll onto my side to find her eyes.

"Good morning." She's sleepy, hair a mess, and it gets to me anyway. I smile. "Sleep alright?"

"I did." She grins back. "That... was incredible."

A laugh breaks out of me before I can stop it. "Thanks. It was pretty damn incredible. Though—ugh, never mind."