Page 19 of Boss with Benefits

His head lowered, and his mouth got ready to capture hers. She turned her face away at the last second. Hurt flashed in his eyes, but he quickly recovered. She didn’t want to cause him pain. Maybe if she explained, it would make things better between them.

“You know we can’t,” she said. “I have to be a perfect angel. Remember? Your lawyer told me I should get married and buy a house before going to court. It’s the only way I can be sure of a win.”

Brady blinked. “Married? You told me you just needed a house.”

He looked at her in a slightly accusing way as if he thought she was trying to trick him into marrying her. Insulting was the first word to come to mind. She would blast him, but he wouldn’t remember it in the morning. Unless he passed out in her condo, he wouldn’t even know he’d shown up to speak to her.

“You’re drunk,” she said. “And I’m not in the mood to deal with your issues right now. Let me call you a cab.”

“Wanna hear a secret?” he asked.

“No.” She went to the nightstand and grabbed her land-line phone. “Keep it to yourself, whatever it is.”

“If I could fall in love, I’d fall in love with you.”

The admission knocked her for a mental loop, and she dropped the phone. It bounced. While she put it back where it belonged, back in its cradle, she considered taking advantage of Brady’s honesty. They’d been partners for years, but she barely knew him. The man definitely liked his privacy. Maybe she could get a few answers while he was vulnerable.

She sat on the edge of the bed. “Why do you think you’re incapable of falling in love?”

“I didn’t say I was in-cape-bull. Any fool can fall in love. But I won’t. I refuse to.” He folded his arms, reminding her of Axl when he was being defiant. “I’ll never love anyone.”

His somber as-a-matter-of-fact tone nearly brought tears to her eyes. She’d always sensed a deep sadness beneath the surface of his easygoing grin and thought he was hiding behind a mask. At work, he usually bounced between quirky genius and irritated boss. Brady only seemed truly happy when he was gazing through a camera lens.

He scanned the room. She watched, curious, as he crossed the floor and collapsed into the corner chair. Not a graceful descent by any stretch of the imagination—more like surrendering to total exhaustion. Or to the booze. His eyelids lowered.

She leaped to her feet. “No, no, no. You cannot fall asleep here.”

If she was being watched by an overzealous investigator, Randy would have the proof he needed to at least show her morals were in question.

And her son was down the hall asleep.

That wouldn’t look good to the judge.

She pulled on Brady, trying in vain to get him on his feet. There was no way she could lift him without his cooperation. His head dropped forward, and he began to snore. Panic set in. She couldn’t think of a way out of the mess she’d created by letting him in the door. How could she possibly fix this?

An idea came to her, and she prayed it would work. She fished his cell phone out of his pocket. Hopefully, his buddy wasn’t drunk tonight. She pressed Deacon’s name and waited for him to answer.

“Hello?” a groggy voice muttered.

“Is this Deacon? Brady’s friend?”

The man on the other end was immediately alert. “Is he okay? Did he have an accident? I put him in a taxi myself, so I know he wasn’t driving.”

“Brady is fine,” she said. “He showed up at my condo drunk out of his skull and passed out. I need him gone. Now.”

There was a lengthy pause.

“Is this Jessica by any chance?”

Her eyes narrowed on her unwanted visitor in the chair while speaking to his friend. “Yes. Did he tell you my ex is suing for custody of my son?”

“He did indeed.”

“Then you know I can’t have him staying the night here. Either you come get him or I’ll be forced to call someone else, like the police.”

“Oh, you don’t have to go that far.” She heard rustling and imagined he was trying to get dressed in a hurry. “I’ll pick him up.

“I’ll text you my address. Hurry. Please. I might have a private investigator watching my condo.”

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