Gossip about us is inevitable, but talk about our unfortunate attraction is different from talk of us hooking up in a motel room for anonymous sex.
Despite myself, I don’t want to take that risk with her. I sigh. “All right, I won’t tell him.”
“Thank you.” She clears her throat. “I’m sorry I’ve put you in this situation. It’s not what I wanted.”
“Apology accepted.”
“It’s your fault.”
This woman. “Oh yeah? How’s that?”
“All I could think about was how I’d have to see you again. It didn’t leave a lot of room for anything else.”
Oh no, she’s being vulnerable. She knows this is my soft spot, because, like an idiot, I’d told her when she’d been curled on top of me like a contented kitten. “You’re an evil woman.”
“Well, yeah, but it’s still true.” She blows out a hard breath. “What are you going to say to Ryder?”
“I’ll continue to play dumb, but if he presses and it comes down to a lie or the truth, I’ll tell him the truth.”
“But you promised.” Her voice rises again, and it sets off an alarm bell. That’s not defiance; it’s panic. Worry.
There’s something there, but now’s not the time to probe. It’s not my business. Her internal life is hers, and I’m not about to get any more involved than I already am because I can’t stop thinking about her.
But in this, I want her to trust me.
“That’s not the truth I’m talking about,” I growl out.
“What truth, then? Tell me in case he questions me.”
“He won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because if he presses, I’ll tell him I took one look at you and wanted to fuck you, and I doubt he’s going to want any additional information.”
“Is that the truth?”
“Stop fishing for compliments, you little brat.”
She laughs, and to my horror, it sets off a fluttering in my chest. “Will you tell me how it goes?”
“Yes. I’ll text you my number when we hang up.” Since I’m a public official, my personal information is blocked, but here I am, handing it over to her.
There’s a beat of silence. “Charlie?”
The way she says my name makes my cock hard. “Yes, Jessica?”
“Don’t make him any promises.”
I want to resist her pull because she’s everything I try to avoid in my relationships with women.
But deep down, I know it’s a losing battle.
There is no way we’re not going to fuck again. The only question is how long we’ll last. “I won’t.”
Her soft little gasp makes me want to reach through the phone line. I want her so badly. I’ve never wanted a woman like I want her. It’s like an itch I cannot scratch. Before I fall down the rabbit hole, I say, “Be a good girl and stay out of trouble.”
“Not help—” I hang up before she can finish the sentence.