Page 41 of The Hideout

“The blonde or the redhead?”

“The blonde,” Juliet said, smiling when Paige and that sexy moan floated into her thoughts. “Can you keep an eye on her, please? More so at my apartment block. She’s living in the same building as me. Anyone new coming and going or hanging around, I need to know. And if anything changes, I’ll let you know.”

“Will do. Got it.”

The call cut out—a standard response when Juliet spoke to the guy who was already protecting her. She’d wanted to tell Paige that she also didn’t lead an ordinary life, but it would have been too much in that moment. Paige was already wary of her husband finding her; to add Juliet’s own worries to that situation would have surely seen Paige fleeing. Without a doubt.

With a coffee now in her hand, and her gorgeous bartender on her mind, Juliet enjoyed her first hit of caffeine since seven this morning. Juliet felt so alive today that she wasn’t sure she actually needed caffeine. She was high on Paige Harrison.

“Hello?”

And there was that voice. The woman who had given herself over to Juliet last night without a second thought. There was something incredibly sexy about Paige when she let go, and Juliet couldn’t wait to see that far more often.

“Juliet?”

“In here.” She called out, spinning in her seat as the office door opened. “Good afternoon.”

“H-hey.” Paige’s face flushed instantly, her eyes darting around the room. “The door wasn’t locked. Someone could have broken in while you were in here.”

“Oops. Must have forgotten to lock it behind me.” Juliet lowered her cup, standing and stalking towards Paige. “Did you lock it on your way down?”

“Yeah.”

“Convenient.” Juliet curled her fingers through Paige’s belt loop, pulling their bodies together. “How was your morning?”

“It was…a lot.”

Juliet’s brows drew together. “Why?”

“I woke up thinking about last night. About you. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself, so I just sat there, looking out the window.”

“You should have called me.”

“I couldn’t. I needed a minute to think. Last night did happen, didn’t it?”

Juliet beamed a smile. It wasn’t often women were speechless and shocked about her. She’d never had the chance to find that before now. “It did happen, yes.”

“Right. Okay.” Paige straightened the lapels on Juliet’s blazer, focusing anywhere but on Juliet’s face. “So, um…”

“Talk to me, Paige. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“That maybe I should ask you out on a date or something? We sort of jumped right in at the deep end, didn’t we?”

“I’m not worried. The deep end is the best part. That’s where all the fun happens.”

“Fun.” Paige nodded slowly, finally lifting her eyes to Juliet’s. While they sparkled, she did note the slight hint of uncertainty. “Is that what this is?”

“I’m hoping not, but why don’t we just take it one day at a time? I think you need to let it sink in first.” Juliet didn’t want this to be fun. The connection she felt with Paige was far more than fun. But Paige did need to know if this was really what she wanted before anything else. She was the one who wasn’t out. She was the one who had a bastard husband.

“Yeah. I just didn’t expect it. Even as we were talking, I didn’t expect it. Not for one moment. But thank you,” Paige said, curling her hand around the back of Juliet’s neck and pulling her into a lingering kiss. “For not judging me. For listening…a-and for what followed.”

“I’ll never judge you, Paige. You’re going through a lot, and I’m here for you. Remember that.”

“I would like to see you again. You know, outside of work.”

“I’d like to see you again, too. In here, out there, wherever you want to be.” Juliet feathered a fingertip across Paige’s cheek, watching as her features softened and her shoulders relaxed. “Hey, you don’t need to be tense around me.”

“I’m just permanently tense lately. It’s not you. You make me feel calm.”

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