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I let Claire and Ben know that I’m not going back to Claire and Cam’s apartment and watch as Boss says goodbye to his friends. One of the guys, I think his name is Deacon, keeps glancing toward the bar where Cam is. There seems to be something going on there that I’m not aware of. However, I don’t have time to figure out what it is because Tony is sliding his fingers through mine to leave.

Excitement builds in my belly as he leads me from the bar. “Where are you parked?

“At my house,” he answers.

I side-eye him and look around for an Uber driver that should be waiting nearby.

“Come on.” He tugs on my hand as we start walking down the sidewalk.

Looking down at my clothes and the tall four-inch heels I’m wearing, I peer up to him, confused. I am in no way, shape, or form down for a two-a.m. stroll through Chicago.

“You’ll be fine.” He laughs. “I live close.”

“How close?” I argue.

“My condo is only a few,very short, blocks away. I promise you’ll make it.”

“A few as in three, or are you one of those people who say a few but mean like fourteen? Because I’m more than happy to pay for an Uber.”

“A few as in three,” he replies with a grin. “My condo is a block down from the firehouse. As a city worker, we must live within the city limits. It’s just easier living close by, especially on those twenty-four-hour shifts that are busy the entire time. The last thing I want to do is drive home when I’m so tired. So I only have a block walk until I can fall into bed. It works.”

“Yeah, I guess that would be a bonus.”

As each block passes, I become more nervous, and I’m not sure why. I know exactly where this night is leading. I’ve had more one-night stands than I can count, so it’s nothing new to me. But it feels different. My former sexual encounters were there to pass time. Boss feels like a beginning.

Shoot, maybe I’m still drunk?

It’s a one-night stand, a booty call. Don’t read into it, Lex.

We reach Boss’s condo. It appears much newer with its dark gray vinyl siding, and stark white trim than the old brick buildings and houses that fill up the rest of the block.

His condo is on the ground floor. It’s contemporary and clean, white walls and black leather furniture. A few framed black and white photographs of Chicago hang on the walls.

“Is it what you expected?” Boss smiles as he tosses his keys and wallet on the entry table.

“I don’t know what I was expecting. Though most of the guy apartments I’ve been to have been gross. You’re so…clean.”

“Thanks.” He chuckles. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Can I get you anything? Something to drink or eat?” He moves toward me until we’re mere inches apart.

My heart thrums wildly. “No, I’m fine. Thanks.”

Who am I? Why am I so nervous? How did I go from grabbing his package at the bar to giddy with nerves because he’s going to kiss me?

“You are going to kiss me, right?” My thoughts materialize into words, leaving my mouth before I can stop them.

He blows an amused breath through his lips and takes hold of my chin before pulling my mouth to his.

An audible sigh escapes as he deepens the kiss. His mouth is perfection, and he kisses like a god, which I somehow knew he would. Raising my arms, I wrap them around his neck and pull him closer. Our tongues dance, and my body hums with need. My entire being melts into him as he works magic with his mouth, branding me with his touch.

I pull my mouth from his with a gasp and drop to my knees—frantically unbuckling his pants.

“Nah,” he says. Hooking his hands under my arms, he pulls me up. “That’s not how this is going to go.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on.” He pulls me toward his bedroom.

We pass the threshold from the living room to his bedroom, and he starts removing his clothes. I follow suit, though I didn’t have much to remove in the first place.

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