Page 91 of Burn the Wild

Ford squeezes my hand. “She’s here for the summer.”

The gesture of solidarity is so sweet my eyes flood. He’s on my side one hundred percent. It feels incredible.

“Excellent. That gives us some time. I’ll dig around.” Bosko’s blue-eyed gaze lands on me. “Meanwhile, Reese, you start hiring your own team. Lawyers, publicists. I have a list of people you can trust. I’ll send them over.”

Ford stands from the chair and hustles over to the front desk to help a late arrival.

Bosko opens his briefcase. “You get to decide how you live your life, Reese. What you did in the past doesn’t make the future.”

“Can you really do all this by the end of the summer?” I ask, feeling overwhelmed. This was supposed to be a break, but now it feels like an escape.

“I move fast,” he says, his voice low and dangerous.

“Muirwood.” My eyes flick to Ford, handing over a key to a family of three. “You know.”

“I do. But it’s your secret, and I’m in the business of keeping those close.”

I smile. Bosko is creepy, but he’s also charming. He gives me hope, while also making me feel like he’ll break someone’s legs.

“You don’t deserve what happened to you, and you don’t deserve someone taking advantage of it.” Bosko stacks his papers and laptop in his glossy black briefcase. “If you signed under duress, it should be easy to get you out of your contract. Just hang tight. Try not to give Gavin any indication of what you’ve been up to. It’s safer that way.”

“She ain’t safe?”

Ford stands there, his eyes on us. His voice has dropped into sub-zero temperatures.

Locks click on Bosko’s briefcase, and he stands. “Just keep her here,” he tells Ford. To me, he says, “Whatever you do, don’tgo back with Gavin. Delay. Lie if you need to buy yourself time. And remember that you make the calls now, Reese. You have the power. Stay here. Stay out of trouble.”

Goose bumps prickle on my arm.

I hope it’s that easy.

“This is it. The honey hole.”

Reese arches a brow. “I knew it. That’s what you call all the girls.”

I laugh. Give her ass a squeeze. “Nah, baby, just you.”

Self-control deserting me, I lean in and kiss her pouty lips. Reese clings to me as her tongue tangles with mine.

I waited too damn long to kiss this girl, and now I’m taking every chance I get to have her mouth on mine. But kissing isn’t all we’ve been doing. Sex. In the barn. The lodge. My apartment. Her chalet. We’ve fucked all over this goddamn ranch.

I can’t keep my hands off her.

I need a neon sign above my head that flashes the reminder We’re Just Friends. Because at night when I’m buried in her sweet pussy, I forget about all the reasons it won’t work. I forget to be careful. My brain only has space for Reese. I’m obsessed.

But I’m not an idiot.

This is for the summer. I’m helping her out—for Grady.

And then she’ll go.

“What exactly is a honey hole?” Reese asks when we break apart and continue our trek to the river.

“It’s a fish mecca.” The fishing poles bounce over my shoulder. “A secret spot no one knows about.”

She laces her fingers with mine. Wrinkles her nose. “Should we be sneaking off in the middle of a workday?”

Hell yes. She needs a distraction. After the visit from the private investigator last week, the pretty wrinkle in her brow hasn’t budged. Not that I blame her.

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