Page 86 of Keep Him Like Secrets

Setting the book on the nightstand, I turned out the light, then pulled Saff into my arms.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Saff

There were rules.

I mean, there were supposed to be rules right from the beginning. Namely, not screwing my business partner—and screwing up my whole life.

But I quickly realized how impossible that was.

So I set up a few new rules.

No overnights.

But when that got squashed by the promise of challah bread French toast—which may or may not have been worth my entire life potentially falling apart—I had to go back to the drawing board.

That’s when I came up with the new rules.

Number one: no back-to-backs.

I could sleep over if I wanted to. But only for one night. Then the next night, I had to be in my own bed.

Number two: no keeping things at his house.

Once I retrieved the two bras and one pair of panties he’d had cleaned and stashed away for me, I made sure I never left any clothes behind. Though, I did make an exception when it came to the book we were both reading together.

Number three: no texting or calling unless it had to do with the nightclub.

Number four: no talking about the future. Therewasno future. This thing had an expiration date. It had to.

And, finally, number five: if he ever says the word ‘love,’ I had to run. Hide. Scorched earth.

This was not about love.

It was just physical.

Even if each time I saw him, the more I wanted to see him. Even if I started to tell him things about my childhood, about my life on the streets, that not even my closest friends knew.

I told him so much that it started to get harder and harder to remember how much Icouldn’ttell him.

Hell, I even felt bad about the lies that were stacking. So much so that I was worried I might accidentally make it all topple over.

Worse yet, he watched me as I quickly lied about building my business, about how I acquired the abandoned club on a song, and I swear I saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

But disappointed about what?

Could he know it was a lie?

Was he upset that I continued to perpetuate it?

No.

No, I couldn’t let myself go there.

I was being careful.

Or, at least, convincing.

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