Her back arches, giving me a deeper angle than I’ve ever felt before. The wand falls from her hands as she orgasms, her body shaking and giving me all the satisfaction I need.

And only when her body starts to settle do I pump into her one more time before pulling out and emptying myself onto her ass.

“One day,” I tell her, dragging some of the cum between her ass cheeks and to the puckered hole, “you’re going to feel this inside of you.”

I let my finger graze her before sliding in only a fraction.

Olive breathes deeply for a minute as I withdraw my finger, grab her shirt from the floor, and use it to wipe her up.

When she turns to me, I can see something in her eyes. Not guilt, but…something.

“Olive?” I ask.

She looks at the clothes scattered on the floor.

“You should go,” she murmurs.

Regret.

“Olive, come on—”

“No,” she cuts me off. “No. You should go. We shouldn’t have done that. I don’t want to get my hopes up that someday will exist. It would hurt too much to be disappointed again.”

Fuck.

Fuck.

Grabbing my clothes, I grip them tight in my hands. “I won’t hurt you again.”

“I don’t want you to promise me something you may not be able to keep.”

I swallow.

“I don’t regret this,” I tell her.

I wait for her to say it back.

When I think she won’t, she looks at me through those thick lashes and whispers, “I don’t either.”

But I don’t know if she’s lying or not.

Our silence is broken by the contractor calling me who’s working on the roof across town. Internally, I curse him out forthe bad timing. “If I didn’t need to take this, we’d talk about whatever is going on in that stubborn head of yours. Because I’m not going to give this up. Not again.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Alex

The modern condowith marble tile floors, white walls, and a wall of glass windows overlooking the city wreaks of wealth and prestige, which I guess Jesse Clarkson is. He’s been making seven figures since his time with Chicago, which was how many years ago now?

I heard him telling one of the other guys that he paid eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars for this place, almost one hundred thousand dollars less than the initial asking price. Almost a million dollars for a home that was made of more windows than regular walls.

I’m staring out at the impressive view when I hear someone come up behind me and tap me with something cold. When I turn, I see Belle standing there with a tumbler of what looks like scotch in her hands.

“Did your stepbrother ask you to cater his party?” I ask, accepting the drink.

The brunette smiles warmly. “Actually, I’m somewhat of a cohost.” My eyebrows go up when her thumb jabs behind her at the long hall that has at least four different doors off shooting it. “I live in one of the guest bedrooms. It’s just a bonus for him to have someone here who knows what his friends like to drink.”

They live together?Interesting. “Bet it gets tiring dealing with his moody ass twenty-four-seven. Didn’t get enough of that growing up together or…?”