Page 55 of Boss with Benefits

Undaunted, Brady placed a hand on the small of her back and led her to the bed they’d used for their coffee ad. It was covered with red rose petals now. She stretched out on the mattress, and Brady went to work.

The whole thing was surreal. Within seconds, she was flying back in time. Sixteen again with her favorite photographer snapping pictures of her. He called out directions, and she automatically followed them. It was second-nature to them both, a return to their connected past.

He suddenly stopped shooting. “Something isn’t right,” he said.

Her world crumbled. Was she doing something wrong? Maybe he thought she’d lost the ‘it’ factor he used to insist she had. He obviously thought Greta still had it. The thought threatened to burn a hole through her stomach.

Brady carried the camera over to her in one hand and lifted her chin with the other. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed her full on the mouth. It was a seductive kiss full of promise and gave her naughty thoughts. She was lying on a bed, after all.

Just as she reached up to grasp the back of his neck, he pulled away.

A smile stretched his mouth. “There you go. That’s the look I want.”

He returned to work, snapping picture after picture for the next two hours.

Every time he thought she was losing the look he wanted to capture, he kissed her again. Inevitably, he allowed her to pull him down on top of her. They made love in the borrowed bed, and it was an incredibly moving experience. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she had told him she loved him last night. Even though he didn’t want to hear it, the words still had an effect on them. Or maybe it was because he was in his element. Brady with a camera in his hands was vastly different from the everyday Brady people normally saw, because he was living his passion.

Afterward she wanted to cuddle, but he wanted to take more pictures. He arranged her hair to fan out on the pillow andwent back to work. Before they were done, he managed to talk her into posing nude, something she’d refused to consider until then. He made her feel safe and beautiful.

And he swore no one but him would ever see the photographs.

She donned her street clothes once they were done, and he put his equipment away.

“Remember to take the dress home,” he said. “Maybe you can wear it again for me some day. Some night.”

Her cheeks fused with heat, and she was amazed at how Brady got under her skin like no one else. She thought of herself as a confident woman, but he made her feel like a vulnerable schoolgirl with a mad crush on someone she couldn’t have.

She wanted to demand answers. Their marriage was supposed to be a charade, but it didn’t feel like one anymore. Did Brady still plan on leaving her? She was afraid to ask.

In that moment, standing behind him and watching him put his camera away with such loving care, she knew without a doubt she wanted to keep her family intact. She was willing to fight for their marriage.

The big question was, would she be fighting against him? Was he determined to cut her loose? Or was he falling for her as well?

Then he said something that wiped those thoughts from her mind.

“I heard from the detective I hired earlier today, and I know why Randy wants to get his hands on your son.”

She felt the blood drain from her face and pool in her stomach. “Why?” she asked, desperate to know. “Why does he want Axl all of a sudden?”

Brady stood in front of her, hands on hips. “His wife can’t have kids of her own. They found out a few months before he demanded to have Axl visit.”

Jessica’s hands curled into fists. “She can’t have a baby, so she wants to steal mine?”

“Looks that way.”

“Well, she can’t have him. Why don’t they adopt?”

Brady shrugged. “I guess his wife wants to have his baby one way or another.”

“That bitch! They aren’t going to get away with this.” Jessica charged at the door, turned, and came back to stand next to Brady. “We’ll tell the judge why they want to take my son, and he’ll put a stop to it.”

“Not necessarily.” Brady sighed and rubbed the place between his eyes. “I already spoke to Jill, and she told me it doesn’t matter why Randy wants Axl. The court only wants to know where Axl will have the best life, with you or with your ex.”

“That’s stupid! He’s better off with his mother, of course. Hisrealmother.”

“I agree.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “She can’t have him. She can’t take my baby from me.”

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