Page 64 of The Player + The Pact = I Do

He chuckles. “You do?”

“I mean, it’s not like I didn’t come first. It’s not like I’m not going to come a second time with you.”

I kneel up and press him to my entrance.

I moan as he fills me up, like it’s the first time I’ve ever had him inside me. I start to rock my hips and his expression urges me on. My fingers dip to my clit and he glances down, groaning.

A buzz starts in my fingers and soon covers my body. I’m vibrating for him, with him, on him. I grab at his shoulders, wanting to pull him closer as he pushes up harder, deeper. We both explode at the same time, clasped together, our orgasms thundering through us as if we’re sharing one huge climax.

TWENTY-ONE

Leo

Monday nights are sacrosanct, spent chewing the fat with my best friends. It’s a night dedicated to the five people I trust with my life and who trust me with theirs. As my success has grown, I’ve realized how important my inner circle truly is. I’m friendly with a lot of people, but friends with just a few.

This Monday, everyone’s meeting at my place. Often we’re out at a bar or a restaurant, but when someone’s got something private they want to discuss, we congregate at one of our apartments. This week, Worth suggested we gather at my place so they can all meet Jules in a low-key way before the awards. He rightly pointed out that introducing my fiancée to my best friends that night would be suspicious.

Jules gave me a hard time when I told her the guys know she’s not my real fiancée. I get that it feels inequitable because I’ve asked her not to tell her friends or family. The difference is, this fake engagement wastheiridea.And I have more than enough secrets of theirs to ensure they definitely won’t tell a soul—in particular, Fisher, who has to do everything I tell him, now that I have that shot on my phone of him with the two cucumbers.

I haven’t hosted a Monday night since Nadia, and I feel a little weird about it. Luckily, Jules doesn’t feel weird at all. She even helped me pick out the snacks we ordered.

“This is basically our engagement party,” she says, uncovering a plate of roasted vegetables. “And I get to wear sweats because I’m not trying to impress anyone, because they all know it’s fake.”

She doesn’t need to try to impress anyone. She always looks gorgeous, no matter what she’s wearing.

“I don’t mean to be a pedant, but you’re not wearing sweats,” I say.

“Good observation,” she says. “The point is, I could if I wanted to.”

I chuckle because I can’t follow her logic. “You look great,” I say. Her hair is down and it hits her waist. I’ve learned Jules’ hair is a barometer for how comfortable she feels. When it’s down, she’s her most authentic self.

“You okay?” she asks, catching me staring at her.

“I pay you a compliment and you ask me if I’m okay?”

She laughs. “I mean, you seem a little tense.”

“I am a little tense.”

She takes the cover off another platter. “Why? Aren’t these people your best friends?” She pauses, turning to face me. “Are you worried about me being here? I can head down to the gym if that would be easier.”

I shake my head. “No, that’s not it. It’s just…”

“What?” she asks. “You can tell me anything. It’s not like I’m your actual fiancée who will hold it against you for therest of our marriage.”

Now isn’t the time to unpack that grim view of marriage, but I’ve heard the stories about her dad, so I get it. “It’s a boring story, and it will pass. I’m just a little freaked out.”

“I live for a boring story,” she says. “I want every detail. Tell me everything.” She continues to organize the food and arrange plates and cutlery. I should help, but watching her has induced me into some kind of trance. I can’t take my eyes off her.

“Over the summer, I spent a little time with someone. She was kinda pushy about being in my space, but I was more relaxed about it than I’d normally be. She told me she was leaving New York at the end of the summer, so I figured we had a natural end date and she wasn’t expecting anything from me, so I just went with it.”

“Riiight,” Jules says. “You went along with her being pushy. What does that mean exactly?”

“She wanted to spend a lot of time here. At my place. And then she wanted to meet my friends. Hang out. Looking back, she was very blatant about it.”

“Blatant about what? Wanting to spend time with you?” Her tone has an irritated edge to it.

I sigh. She clearly thinks I was being a dick. I still feel like such a fool for taking Nadia at face value. “Turns out, it wasn’t me she wanted to get to know. She was trying to hack into Bennett’s IT system.”

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