Page 17 of Masked

“Good. Now, let’s talk about your living arrangements. Were you paying rent at Parker’s?”

Reva nodded even though her head was spinning. “I paid half. It was a stretch for my budget, but I wasn’t comfortable moving in without contributing.”

“Whatever you were giving Parker, you can pay me half of that for rent. We can sign a lease, or you can stay month-to-month until you find something else. It’s up to you.”

God. Having her rent cut in half would be such a relief. She ignored the little voice in her head that reminded her there was an easy way to fix all her financial troubles. Going there wasn’t an option.

She blinked and shook her head to get her thoughts back on track. “Why are you doing this?”

“You were kind to me once. I want to return the favor.”

“I made you coffee and gave you a hug when you were grieving.”

“And it meant a lot, Reva. More than you know.”

Her heart constricted. “How are you?”

He smiled and reached across the small table between them and gripped her hand. “I’m surviving. Work keeps me busy. But we’re not talking about me today. How much do you have at Parker’s?”

“Just my clothes. I sold all my furniture when I moved in with him. It didn’t match the decor.”

Noah snorted. “Believe me. I know how Parker is about his apartment. The place I have is fully furnished. It’s been empty for a few years, so I need to get a cleaner in there, but it’s yours for as long as you want it.”

An awkward silence fell over the cabin, so she buckled her seatbelt and stared out the window until the plane took off.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do,” Noah said, standing a few minutes into the flight.

She pulled out her Kindle and found the book she’d been reading on the flight to New York. The romance didn’t appeal to her though, so she switched to a thriller and tried to focus on the mystery unfolding on the page. When that didn’t work, she gave up and closed her eyes. It had been a restless night, so a nap was probably best anyway.

As she drifted in and out of consciousness, she pondered what her life was about to be like. Saving money meant she could finally finish her doctorate. Parker had offered to pay for tuition, but Reva wanted to pay for it herself. Accepting Parker’s help made her uncomfortable. Now that things had gone the way they did, she was glad she’d held that boundary.

What boundaries did she need to set with Parker’s dad?

Chapter 5

Noah

Noahstoodintheapartment’s entry and looked around. He’d owned the space for over a decade, but it had been empty for nearly seven years.

Upon landing in D.C., he’d dropped Reva off at a nearby hotel and told her he would call her as soon as things were ready.

It had been at least six years since he stepped foot in the apartment. The furniture stayed covered, and a cleaner came once a month to keep the toilets clean and wipe up the dust. He could have it ready for Reva in an hour if he wanted to.

But Elise lived there before she moved into his house. When he first started seeing her, there had been no plans for her to live with him. In fact, he told her it wasn’t possible. Not with his job.

He shook off the memories. Bringing Reva here seemed like a bad idea now that he stood in the lobby. Her beauty had only increased in the five years since he’d first met her. His feelings for her were wrong. He wasn’t supposed to want to take his son’s ex to bed. Especially when she’d been his ex for less than twenty-four hours.

He pulled out his phone to call a cleaning service. A text from Gage Allard greeted him.

Gage:Would love it if you came out tonight. I understand you’ve been out of the country, but sources tell me you’re home for a while.

Noah smirked. Gage’s sources were probably his bosses. Everyone at Club Exposure thought of Gage as a playful retired soldier from Texas. Only a handful of people were aware he still worked for the federal government. Mostly because he called the shots and only worked when he wanted to. And Gage was good enough at his job that they let him do things his way.

Noah fired back.

Noah:Sources tell me you’ve been spending a lot of time in New York.

Gage sent a middle finger emoji and Noah tucked the phone in his pocket without calling the cleaning service. It wouldn’t hurt to let Reva spend a couple of nights in a hotel until he was ready to let someone else into this apartment.

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