Page 5 of Forking the Billionaire

I grabbed her pencil skirt and panties from the floor and tossed them onto the counter where she could reach them. “It’s been fun. But like I told you yesterday, I don’t do more than two nights.”

“With the same woman, yeah, I remember. But it’s not night yet. The sun’s still up. You owe me at least one more orgasm before our time expires.”

Even though her face was turned, I could hear the smile in her words. I smiled, too. Jules was fun.

Technically she was right. We’d had sex yesterday morning and again this afternoon. Only one night had passed. But sex two days in a row was a hard limit for me. Seeing her again tonight could end with two days turning into three.

“Can’t risk it,” I said.

She peeled herself from the surface and slipped on her skirt. Her cheeks were flushed, and the twist she’d worn her hair in was all but undone.

She fixed her hair, smoothing the blond strands back into a single sleek shape. “Afraid you’ll catch feelings? You shouldn’t be. I’d have to have them for it to be contagious, Jack.”

“It’s Jasper,” I told her, as if it mattered.

She shrugged. “Close enough.”

Sure, she said she was only interested in casual sex now. But desires could change. Allow a few days to turn into a few weeks and all of a sudden she’d start leaving a toothbrush on my sink and inviting me to dinner with her family. I shivered at the thought.

No more than two nights. No shared meals. No feelings. Better to be up front with my boundaries from the start.

Offer me a chance to hang out with my brothers or my friends, that was a different story. Whenever my younger half-brother Sebastian was home between his vacations, we went climbing in the mountains. There was a group of guys I met up with whenever I went to the beach to surf. But it was near impossible to peel my older half-brother Oscar or my best friend Gabriel away from their work to hang out.

Jules smoothed her hands down the front of her skirt, then pulled a large binder out of her bag.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“The catalog you called me to bring over. It’s the reason I’m here, remember?”

“Right.”

“Based on our initial meeting, I flagged my carpet recommendations for the upstairs bedrooms and a few rug options that would work well in the living room. You’ll love the hand-knotted silk one on page one twenty-four.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you mind if I use the powder room before I go?”

The soft chimes of the doorbell echoed through the first floor. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but it was possible the delivery for the bathroom tile was early.

“Of course not.” I pointed toward the hall. “Second door on the right.”

“A pleasure doing business with you.” She flashed me a coy grin.

I chuckled. “You, too.”

I headed the other direction through the living room, to greet the delivery guy. But when I opened the door, I found a familiar and unexpected face.

For half a second, I just stared at Gabriel, trapped in that stunned feeling I’d get as a kid running into a teacher at the arcade, like my mind couldn’t make sense of this person being outside of their usual context. I tried to recall a time Gabriel had come to one of my project houses, but I couldn’t think of a single one.

“Hey, man. I’m surprised to see you,” I said, opening the door wide for him. “Come in.”

“Is this a good time?” he asked, his feet anchored in place on the steps.

I offered him a heartfelt grin. “Always.”

He clapped my shoulder as he entered the house.

“It’s not like you to be out of the office on a weekday,” I said. “Everything all right?”

---