Page 29 of Rinkmates

“No nudity,” she repeats. “We need to wear at least a shirt and shorts. This is a professional environment, nothing sketchy.”

“Afraid of my muscles?” I lean in, teasing.

“No,” she retorts, meeting my gaze head-on. “But I want this to be a professional setting.”

“Fine. What’s next?”

“No bringing people over. It could harm our image.”

“Agreed,” I say, though the thought of a sex drought is painful. Guess it’ll just be me and my right hand for a while.

“I clarified the PDA in private part as well. There’s no physical contact in private,” she continues.

“At all?”

“At all. Including private kisses.”

I recline, resting my hands behind my head as I gaze at her. I notice my shirt rising up, and she glances at the skin revealed above my sweatpants before quickly glancing away again.

“But we need to practice,” I say. “Does that count as breaking the rule?”

Her cheeks go pink. She’s so cute.

“No. But anything that could mess with one party’s emotional attachment does.”

“Got it. No messing with emotions.” What if she’s already messing around with mine?

“Right.”

“What else?”

“This contract lasts six months. Once the show is done, I can move out without any further costs.”

“Agreed.”

“And…”

“And?”

The top of her cheeks are still flushed and she won’t meet my eyes.

“No sex,” she says.

I huff out a laugh. “You already mentioned that. Worried I’m going to host sex parties or something?”

“No.” The way her nostrils flare. “I mean between you and me.”

Oh. “Sex, between you and me?” I sit up straight again and adjust myself as secretly as I can. Shit. Just the thought of it.

“Yeah, no sex.”

Fuck. Did I give myself away? Did I ogle her too obviously? “What makes you think I’d want that?”

Her eyes flicker, as if I said something unexpected. “I just want to be clear. No sex between us.”

“And what if you want to? Can’t have you going to jail for lusting after me.”

She grunts, and I hear Ethan muttering something about why he had to end up with me as a client.

---