Page 119 of The Rookie

Her eyes widen, her cheeks flushing a deep pink, and for a second, I think she’s going to deflect. But then, she tilts her head, a nervous, teasing smile tugging at her lips. “Okay. Fine. I’ll bite.”

I arch an eyebrow, intrigued. “Do tell.”

She hesitates, looking straight ahead as we start walking again. “I’ve always thought it’d be nice to wake up to a guy…you know.”

“Kissing you?”

She laughs. “A little more than than that.”

I blink, heat curling low in my stomach as my curiosity spikes. “No, I don’t know. Spell it out for me, Sinclair.”

Her gaze flicks to mine, sharp and flustered. “Going down on me, okay? Happy now?”

Fuck. That’s a mental image I’m going to keep for a long time.

My grin widens. “And here I thought you’d play coy. Please, go on.”

She groans, pressing her fingers to her temples. “That’s it. But it would only really work if I was in love. Otherwise, it’d just be awkward.”

I stop walking, staring at her, and she keeps moving, trying to shake off the weight of her confession like it’s nothing.

But it’s not nothing. Not to me.

“Awkward,” I echo, catching up to her in two long strides. “But if you were in love…?”

She huffs a laugh, her blush deepening. “If I were in love, it’d be… perfect. Like, you wake up, and there’s no pretense. No awkwardness. Just… feeling completely wanted. But I just wouldn’t want to give up that fantasy so easily. That’s all. I’m super weird. I know. Especially given our little agreement.”

My chest tightens as I watch her, the raw honesty of her words hitting me square in the gut. She glances at me then, hereyes narrowing like she knows I’m about to say something she won’t like.

“Why do I feel like I just handed you ammunition?” she mutters.

“Because you did,” I say, my voice dropping as I lean closer, my smirk widening. “And trust me, I’m going to make good use of it.”

She shakes her head, muttering under her breath, but I don’t miss the small, secret smile tugging at her lips as she turns away.

“And for the record,” I add, keeping my tone low and teasing, “I’d make it perfect for you, Sinclair.”

“Yeah, well, we’re not in love. So…we can do a lot of things. But that’s not on the list.”

“You’re still blushing, though.”

She lets out an exasperated laugh, throwing her hands up again. “I regret this already.”

But as we walk, I can’t help but notice the way her shoulders have relaxed, the way her lips curve just slightly, like she’s still thinking about it.

And so am I.

We reach the hotel, and she veers toward the elevator, but I catch her wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

She blinks. “Um. To bed?”

I tilt my head toward the pool deck, where the hot tub sits, empty and steaming under the moonlight.

“It’s closed.”

“Still works.” I smirk. “Come on.”

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