Page 6 of Boss with Benefits

“I see him!” Bridget shouted. “They just opened the front door and let him out.”

“Get him!” Jessica yelled. “Hurry, Bridge! Grab him and call me back once you have him safely in the car.”

They listened together as the car door shut. Muted voices could be heard in the background, but they were too far away to make any of the words out. Scared witless, Jessica held her hand up, and Brady took it. He squeezed her flesh, reassuring her without saying anything. She didn’t know what she would do without him on her side.

“Got him,” Bridget said. “And we are pulling away from the house now.”

Knowing Bridget would have them on speaker in her car so she could drive, Jessica called out to her son. “Axl baby, can you hear me?”

“Mommy!”

A huge smile came to her face, even though the incident had left her shaken. Hearing her little boy’s voice filled her with joy, but she wouldn’t relax until he was back in her arms. “That’s right, little man. It’s me. Can’t wait to see you.”

“Bridge is bringing me home, Mommy.”

“I know. That’s why I’m so happy.” Tears rolled freely down her face, and she collapsed in the chair across from Brady’s desk. Her legs felt like rubber and refused to hold her up another second. She forced herself to sound carefree. “Did you have a good time at your dad’s house?”

“We went to the zoo, and I saw monkeys and tigers and bears.”

Her fingers curled into fists, and she covered her mouth for a second to keep a rogue sob inside. It would upset him if she fell to pieces while on the phone with him. “Can’t wait to hear all about it, but I’m at work, honey. I’ll see you when you get home.”

Brady pushed the button to disconnect the call as soon as they said goodbye, and that was when she broke. The tears continued to flow. The fear of losing her son hit her hard. Bradyopened his arms to her, and she ran into them. Her entire body quaked, threatening to shake apart. He held her tightly as she cried until she didn’t have any tears left.

“I want you to talk to my law team,” he said near her ear. “I meant it when I threatened to turn them loose on your ex. Go talk to them. I’ll call to let them know you’re on your way, and I’ll meet with the clients alone. It’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “What if they’re busy with another client?”

“I pay them ahugeretainer each month so they won’t be busy when I need them.”

She placed her lips on his for a long, slow kiss. It was against her rules, but he deserved a little extra consideration. In fact, she decided to take back her earlier argument against them hooking up again. “We can’t do anything tonight since Axl will be home,” she said with a slight quiver in her voice. “But I want to be in your bed one more time someday soon. I’ll get a sitter, and we can have a proper goodbye.”

His jaw tightened. “I didn’t offer to help you out to get sex.”

“I know.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know,” she repeated. “I want to be with you... one last time.”

If his law team kept her from losing her son, she would owe him the moon. She kept that to herself. Brady’s pride wouldn’t allow him to accept anything from her in return.

After another quick kiss, she left his office with her purse trapped beneath her arm. This morning her biggest problem had been how she would get over Brady. Now she had to worry about losing the most important person in her life. Her son.

Chapter Two

Sitting in the lawyer’s office with her purse on her lap and her fingers digging into the leather, Jessica waited for his conclusion. They gave her one lawyer to talk to, not the whole team like Brady thought they would. Mr. Haverdash assured her talking to one of them was the same as talking to all of them. She had already laid out the details for him, including how her son was conceived in a one-night stand. If that reflected poorly on her, it should also make Randy look bad. Worse, in fact, since he was a musician with a reputation for sleeping with groupies. Mr. Haverdash had stepped out to call her ex, saying he wanted to get a feeling for his opponent. He wanted the name of her ex’s attorney, but she had no idea since no one had contacted her yet.

When Mr. Haverdash returned, he looked grumpier than before. He sat at his desk and shuffled around papers before speaking. He didn’t appear to be putting them in order, more like it was a nervous habit. Unlike Brady, he had a disorganized workspace and a cluttered office.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” he said. He shifted in his large swivel chair behind the intimidating desk, and smoothed a hand over his bulky mustache. “I got the name of your ex’s attorney from him, and it isn’t good. The guy is a heavy-hitter with a reputation for hiring private detectives. In fact, he’s probably already got one following you and digging into your past.”

“F-following me?” Her cheeks burned hot at the memory of leaving Brady’s place that morning. What if they already knew she was sleeping with her business partner? How would it look to a judge?

“This guy was a one-night stand, right?”

She nodded.

Haverdash asked, “Was there a paternity test?”

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