Page 124 of Rush of Jealousy

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“I wasn’t trying to interrupt your meeting, but Kylie didn’t give me much of a choice.”

“Are you in the car? I can hear road noise. You shouldn’t be talking and driving.”

“Claire is driving.”

“That isn’t any safer.”

“Hey! I heard that, Teddy Graham!” Claire yells over the center console.

“What could I do to get you to agree to having a driver?”

“Hmm…nothing.” Well, maybe that thing he does with his tongue…

“Can I pick you up for dinner, and we can go back to our place?”

Just hearing him refer to the penthouse as beingourssounds weird. I don’t think of it as being a joint property. I surely didn’t put a dime into it. Considering Ethan and Claire’s plans tonight, I would rather not be home to accidentally witness or hear any of their shenanigans.

“Can we just do simple takeout and chill on the couch?”

“Sure, that sounds perfect. I can be there in forty-five minutes. Just finishing up a few last-minute things here and can drive over.”

“I can just meet you at your place—”

“Our place.”

“Our place,” I correct. “Since it is out of the way to come get me.”

“I don’t mind the drive.”

“Okay.”

Claire parks the car. I hop out and make my way up the steps. I open the door and toss my belongings into a pile on the chair.

“We going to do Girls’ Night at The Shack on Friday?” she asks from behind me. “Half-priced drinks for anyone with a vagina. No need to flash it for proof.”

With my new pattern starting tonight of staying at the penthouse, I will need to schedule time to hang out with Claire more. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll need something fun this week after all the craziness. Did I tell you I got the Campus Smoothie Cafe job?”

“Seems like such a downgrade from Entice,” she mutters, kicking off her shoes and placing her gym bag on a hook near the door.

“Well, now that Graham and I are officially dating, I doubt I will ever be able to reclaim that old job. He would have a complete fit if I bypassed any of the protocols too. Plus, I may murder Mark if I ever see him again.”

“I would like to help. Evil bastard.”

I slump into the chair in the living room. “Sometimes when I’m bored, I sit still and wonder how my life got so fucked up.”

“Danger just follows some people. Like a plague.”

“Is Ethan coming over?”

“Yeah.” She throws herself onto the couch and covers her hands over her face. “And I am so nervous.”

“You know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Your body, your rules. Is he still reserving you for dates via the website?”

“Yeah, only because every argument ends up with me threatening to go on a date with someone else—but it’s just shits and giggles. I enjoy forcing him to pursue me even harder. It’s all about the manipulation.”

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