Page 24 of Breaking the Lawyer

"Nice place," I manage.

"It’s alright." He stops at a door near the end of the hall, keys in hand. "You sure about this?"

I meet his eyes. "Are you?"

Instead of answering, he opens the door.

His apartment is exactly what I expected and nothing like I imagined all at once. Floor-to-ceiling windows, furniture that probably costs more than my car, and a view that makes me stop dead in my tracks.

"Jesus," I breathe, walking toward the windows. I can see my future, and it looks bright. "This is..."

"A good investment." He's behind me now, close enough that I can feel his body heat.

I turn around, and he's right there. Right fucking there, close enough to touch, close enough to count his eyelashes if I wanted to.

"So," I manage, words suddenly hard to string together. "Ground rules."

"Ground rules," he agrees, but he's looking at my mouth when he says it.

And that's all the invitation I need.

I surge forward, grab his face with both hands and kiss him like my life depends on it. He makes a sound of surprise that turns into a groan as I back him against the wall, my body pressing against his from chest to hip.

His hands find my shirt, yanking it out of my pants, and I'm already working on the buttons of his. The fabric parts under my fingers, revealing the chest I've been fantasizing about, and I have to break the kiss just to look.

"Fuck," I whisper, running my hands over warm skin and solid muscle. "Look at you."

He's breathing hard, pupils dilated, and when I lean down to kiss his collarbone, he tilts his head back and lets out a sound that goes straight to my cock.

"Brooks." His voice is strained. "We should—we should slow down."

"Don't want to." I'm already pushing his shirt off his shoulders, my mouth working its way down his throat. "Need you."

"Christ." His hands are in my hair now, pulling slightly. "I need a moment, otherwise this is going to be over way too fast."

The admission stops me cold. I pull back to look at him, and he's flushed, breathing hard, looking like he's barely holding on.

It's the hottest fucking thing I've ever seen.

And the most frustrating.

"You're killing me here," I say, resting my forehead against his.

He laughs, breathless and low. "Come on. Let's get some air."

Before I can protest, he's leading me toward a door I hadn't noticed before. It opens onto a balcony that's twice as impressive as the view from inside—all sleek lines and sharp-edged outdoor furniture, the city spreading out below us like a glittering carpet.

"I'll be right back," he says, squeezing my shoulder. "Just need to grab something."

And then he's gone, leaving me alone with the night air and my racing heart.

I lean against the railing, trying to catch my breath and failing spectacularly. The breeze feels good on my overheated skin, but it does nothing to calm the fire burning in my chest.

This is insane. All of it.

The fact that I'm here, on this balcony, waiting for a man to come back so we can... what? Fuck? Make love? I don't even know what to call it.

The crazy part is how natural it feels. How right. Like this is where I'm supposed to be, who I'm supposed to be with.The fact that he's a man seems like such an insignificant detail compared to the way he makes me feel.

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