Page 74 of Broken Boss

It’s late by the time we reach the city limits, a full moon lighting up the roadways before us. Frank is passed out in the back again as Chris carefully turns onto back streets he has memorized until I start to recognize our surroundings. His dark house looms out of the night, glass windows reflecting the moonlight beautifully.

Uncharacteristically, he gets out and doesn’t come to my side to open the door—something I’ve come to expect. With a frown, I watch him hurry up the stairs to the front door and slip into the house.

“Weird,” I mutter, vaguely amused. What more could he have in store for me today? When he kissed me this morning, that was spontaneous enough. In fact, left in the daze of that kiss, I had my own plans for the day…mostly involving us cooped up in his bedroom for the duration.

But when he asked me to go to his brother’s birthday dinner, I thought he was completely insane. I didn’t know his family and didn’t want to encroach. And as much as he insisted it wouldn’t be strange, I could tell by everyone’s surprised demeanor that they hadn’t been expecting a complete stranger to show up.

Or maybe just that they hadn’t been expecting me…

As I get Frank out of the back, I think back to Nathan and Jenson’s expressions.

Recognition. It was unmistakable, though I’m sure I’ve never met either one of them.

Frank lopes into the house and I follow, closing and locking the door behind me. Then a clatter catches my attention, and I frown.

“Chris?”

“Give me a minute!”

His voice is muffled, coming from down the hallway in the back of the house. I put down my purse and feel the tension from meeting strangers ease out of my muscles. Frank drinks a bunch of water, then goes and curls up on his bed in the living room, passing out almost immediately.

Another commotion sounds from down the hall.

“Um…are you okay in there?”

As I walk toward the bedrooms, the sound of rushing water draws me toward his room. The light is on and I peer in.

Chris pops out of the bathroom, looking somehow both exhausted and excited.

“Hey! Come in.”

I huff out a laugh, shoulders sagging. “Chris, I really can’t take any more surprises today.”

But I let him herd me into the room, his hands ghosting over my hips in a way that makes me shiver. He leads me to the bathroom—which is lit with a few candles and a wonderful lavender smell. My eyelids droop immediately at the calming scent.

“What is all this?”

He’s a flurry of nervous movement, shifting some of the candles around and placing a fluffy towel on the counter.

“I thought you might want to relax after today. I did drag you right into the thick of things, after all.”

I can’t help smiling and letting him gently tug my shirt out of the top of my jeans. His hand slips beneath, along my skin, settles at my back as he pulls me toward him.

I pop up on the tips of my toes, wanting to continue the kiss from this morning. He’s right, it was a stressful day—unexpected, spontaneous, and also wonderful. I haven’t felt so surrounded by family and a sense of acceptance in a long time.

It makes me want to lose myself in him.

He chuckles, lips ghosting over mine.

“Not yet. Bath first. Take your time. I’m going to bring you a glass of wine.”

Chris slips out of the room and leaves me there to finish undressing by myself, wishing his hands were the ones tugging off my jeans and unclasping my bra. But as soon as I set foot in the warm water, I moan, muscles relaxing, nipples peaked at the sudden change in temperature.

He comes back minutes later with the promised glass of wine and one for himself. Settling up against the counter, we chat about the day, Chris’s gaze dipping down to the froth of bubbles every now and then as I rub a cloth gently over my skin and sigh in the hazy room.

Once the laughter and reminiscing dies away, I start to feel myself drift off when he asks softly, “Did it bother you? Being around them?”

My head comes up, hair swinging against my jaw, damp at the ends.

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