Page 72 of Wild Love
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Fuck good ideas. This is happening.” I step into her one last time and run a single finger from her neck to the middle of her suit top and slip my finger under the string. “Get in the goddamn truck, Kota.”
She ducks under my arm and goes out the door. I blow out a breath and count to thirty before I follow. Jack is in the kitchen mixing a drink.
He looks toward the now open sliding glass doors and then back to me. “Seems one of us is having a good time.”
“I’m going to take off, man,” I say. “Thanks for having us.”
“Already? Things are just about to get wild.”
Yeah, they are, but not here.
“We’ll do it up another night when I’m not nursing an injury.”
“I’m holding you to that.” He tosses back the drink and then holds out a hand.
I take it, and he pulls me closer. “Do I even want to know what’s going on with you and the intern?”
“Probably not,” I say honestly.
“Not my pussy. Not my problem. Thanks for coming, rook. See you Monday.”
Dakota is nowhere in sight, so I take that to assume she took my instruction. I wave to the guys. Most of them are too busy drinking or hooking up to care anyway.
Kota sits in the passenger seat with her phone. I can feel the distance she’s put between us as I slide into the driver’s seat.
I play music, knee bouncing. It’s a short drive, but every second I worry she’s changed her mind. Not about us. I know she feels it, but about acting on it. She has a lot better impulse control than I do. And also more to lose. I get the need for discretion.
At the apartment, I whip into a spot and cut the engine. She still doesn’t speak as we take the elevator to the eleventh floor. I unlock the door and scoop up an excited Charli.
She steps inside and looks to her feet. “Maybe we should get some distance and talk about this in the morning.”
“Running away?”
“Being responsible.”
“Being responsible or hiding behind it?”
She glares. Setting Charli on the floor, I step to Dakota.
“Tell me what you’re afraid of?” I cup her neck. When I touch her, the blue in her eyes darkens like two giant mood rings.
“This job is important to me.”
“I know. I won’t say a word. It stays between us.”
“What if they figure it out?”
“How? We’re friends. They know we’re friends. No one is trying to catch us, baby.” I rub my thumb along her cheek. “That rule was meant to keep crazy interns from lashing out at players who fucked them over. You’re not crazy, and I’m not going to fuck you over.” I smile at her. “Well, you’re notthatcrazy.”
“I want more than one night.”
“Good. I’m going to need more than one.”
Her expression still doesn’t give. “We’ll still be friends?”
“Always. I just plan to know you a little more intimately.” My hand slips under the hem of her dress, and I slide a palm up her thigh to her hip and then untie the side of her bikini, so it falls open. Then do the same to the other. It drops to the ground at our feet.
