Page 70 of Worth the Risk

“Yeah, got it.” I shake my head, turning the phone away from him so he can’t see the full-screen fucking picture of Taylor’s tits pressed together, wrapped in the sheerest, barely there red bra that hardly comes above her nipples.

“How are things now? Between you and the ex?” I gauge his reaction, thankfully his face not showing any sign that he saw the picture.

“Okay. I mean, I took my time being pissed, made sure to really be an asshole for a while, but at the end of the day, she wasn’t happy with me. Sure, she didn’t handle it right and I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive her for that, but she’s the mother of my daughter. I know I failed her as a husband in ways I probably still don’t even realize. But I took the high road. I couldn’t let my little girl grow up with a father who would punish her mom forever.”

“You’re a better man than me. I’m not sure that twenty-two-year-old wouldn’t be in the hospital.” I keep my phone down by my leg, typing out a rapid response to Taylor and hitting send.

Austin

JFC you trying to kill me!

“Trust me.” He laughs. “I thought long and hard about it. But believe me, when you’re that in love, the thought of that person being unhappy…” He shakes his head. “It doesn’t make sense, but you want them to be happy, even if it’s not with you. I know, it’s stupid.”

His words hit me like a fucking semi. Even when Taylor was dating Noah, it wasn’t that I wanted her to leave him for me. I just wanted her to be happy. I hated that he couldn’t give that to her. That I could see the happiness slowly draining from her eyes over the years she was with him.

“Yeah, I get that. I can’t imagine being the reason for her looking like that again.”

“Taylor?” I look over at him when I realize I said the last part out loud. “Have you told her you love her yet?”

“No.”

My phone buzzes and I steal a second to read her message.

Taylor

I’ll miss you at the office today.

If you were to read that message and you didn’t know Taylor, you’d think she’s being sweet. But I know her better than that. I can just picture her saying it with that snarky little attitude of hers right after she tells me I can’t touch her at work. She knows it gets me going if she’s just being a brat.

But she also does it when she’s deflecting from expressing her emotions, which I’m pretty sure is the case now.

I laugh after a few seconds of silence.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just that I can’t believe I’m sitting here having this conversation with you.” He gives me a questioning look. “It’s just that the night she first interviewed you, I had come by her place to see her, well, actually to tell her how I felt about her, and I saw you two.”

“You thought…?” I nod. “Oh, shit no, not at all. It was an interview.”

“I realize that now, in my newfound clarity through my own bullshit.”

“I am very serious about keeping things strictly professional and I was extremely motivated to get this job. Trust me, that would never be a boundary I’d cross at work—” He pauses when he realizes what he’s saying. “Shit, not that you two shouldn’t. I just meant that there was nothing between her and me.”

“I know.” I reach over and squeeze his shoulder, when my phone buzzes again. “But I appreciate you clarifying.”

Taylor

It’s Friday you know…

She doesn’t need to elaborate.

I mentioned something similar to her this morning before slipping from the sheets. Our first Friday of having our little four thirty couch date since we’ve—well, whatever it is we’ve been doing. Neither of us even coming close to broaching the subject of putting a title on it.

“Same with Mia,” he adds.

We nod, giving each other that look, just as twin brother billionaires Nick and Niles finally get their shit together enough to move us on to the next hole.

“You gentlemen are going to get us kicked off the course again,” I tease them when they rejoin us.

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