Page 28 of Boss with Benefits

“He’s a lucky boy,” Brady said.

“I’m the lucky one.”

Her radiant smile caught him off guard, and he plunged ahead without thinking. All he wanted to do was rescue the beauty standing before him from disaster. She was a good mother and deserved to keep custody of her only child. If he couldn’t make it happen with his connections and money, what use were they?

“Grab your purse,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “Where are we going?”

“I think I have the perfect house for you. If you like it, you can move in right away.”

“Really?” He nodded, and she threw her arms around his neck. She squealed, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

One hug from her meant more to him than all the accolades and awards he’d gotten from his photographs. He had a crazy idea dancing around in his head. If he went through with it, his whole world could come crumbling down. His plan was quite possibly the most reckless thing he’d ever done.

But she was worth it.

With his hand on the small of Jessica’s back, he led her out of the office.

Hopefully, he wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of his life.

∞∞∞

Jessica gasped when Brady opened the front door, and she got her first glimpse of the house’s interior. With an open floor plan and a multitude of amazingly tall windows, the placedazzled like bottled sunshine. In fact, she suspected it was brighter inside than outside. She walked straight into the great room. Turning slowly in a complete circle, she took in the spacious kitchen, living room, and dining area.

“I feel like I’ve stepped into a magazine layout,” she said in a breathless voice. “Was this place decorated by a professional? Do you know?”

He grinned, folded his arms, and leaned against one of the pillars supporting the high ceiling. “A top-notch interior design team did all of this. I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it? I love it!”

“Good.”

She lifted a book off the coffee table and pointed to a pair of black sneakers in the corner. “Someone lives here. I thought you told me I could move in right away.”

“You can.”

“But if someone lives here—”

“I live here.”

Her jaw dropped. “No, you don’t. You have a studio apartment. I’ve been there. Remember?”

With a sheepish expression, he shrugged. “You know how much I value my privacy.”

“You havetwohomes?”

“The other one is closer to work.”

She blinked at him, totally flabbergasted by his deceit. “I can’t believe you had me stay on a folding bed when we could have spent the night here.”

“I didn’t want anyone to know where I live. Not even you. This is my sanctuary. I come here to get away from everyone. If people learned my address, there would be paparazzi and curious art lovers and maybe stalkers here every other day.”

“Well, I’m flattered you finally trust me.” She gestured to the house. “Are you suggesting I move in here while you stay inyour studio? How is that supposed to help me? Any detective or lawyer worth their salt will find out this place belongs to you and not to me. Then it will look like I’m sleeping with my boss.”

Brady motioned her to join him on the beige sectional sofa. They both took a seat, side by side. She scooted a few inches away from him to give them each enough room to breathe. He kept his eyes forward for a second, and she imagined he was trying to pull his thoughts together. Brady liked to run what he wanted to say through his mind before it came out his mouth. She’d learned that long ago. It was a good idea. When he didn’t do it, he usually said stuff he shouldn’t.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t always time to think before speaking.

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