Page 33 of Executive Benefits

“You might be right there,” he said, leaning in and kissing me. It was a light kiss, no more than a whisper, but the heat of the kiss did the job it was supposed to. My body vibrated with desire for him, and I promised myself and Mia that I wouldn't do this again, but here I was, failing at setting that boundary.

“Yes,” I said. “I’ll take you home.”

15

NICK

“We’ll have to get your car in the morning,” Julia said, pulling into my driveway.

“Does that mean you’ll be here for breakfast?” I said, joking, but not really. I wanted to gauge her reaction.

She rolled her eyes at me and leaned in, teasing but not following through on the kiss. “Is that your way of asking me to come in?”

I ran my fingers through her hair and pulled her in for a kiss, not caring that her red lips would leave mine stained when I pulled away, still hoping to see what the color looked like over my dick.

She tasted like wine, and I couldn’t wait to get her in bed. “Let’s go. I’ll show you around the house.” I opened the door and got out of the car. By the time I got to the other side, she was already getting out.

I held the door open for her anyway and closed it when she walked around me. “This is your place?”

I chuckled. “Do you think I’d bring you to the wrong house?”

She shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.” I took her hand and led her to the side door. “It’s nice that you decorated for Christmas, especially with the hours you work at the restaurant.”

“Yes...” I put the key in the lock and opened the door. “It’s one of the things I force myself to do so I can step out of the headspace of a chef. Keeps me grounded and gives my brain a break.”

We walked into my kitchen and she spun, looking around. “Very nice,” she said, running her fingers over the black granite countertop. “Not quite what I expected, but very nice.” She pointed over to the living room. “Can I go take a seat?”

“Sure, I’ll get some wine and other things, and after we eat, I can show you the house.” The words came out of my mouth dripping with innuendos, even though I didn’t mean for them to. I was so horny thanks to the alcohol, but I didn't want her to think the only reason she was here was for a booty call. I liked her, and what sort of man would I be if I just used her for sex?

“That’s fine,” she said, perking her brows at me. I could tell we were on the same page, though, that she wanted me too. She disappeared into the other room, and I pulled together a quick charcuterie board and heard her call, “Your place is great.” I smiled, glad she liked it.

Picking up the tray, I brought it into the living room and saw that she’d taken her heels off. I was happy she was comfortable enough with me to make herself more comfortable, although I was hoping she’d put the heels back on later for other activities.

“Wow, you just had all that stuff sitting around?” Julia asked, scooting forward on the couch to look at the tray.

“I am a chef, you know.” I thought of her bologna and cheese and snickered.

“Yes, but again, you spend all your time at the restaurant. I’d think most of this stuff would go bad before you had a chance to use it.” She lifted a brow. “Unless you entertain women often.”

“Ha! No,” I said, moving to the bar to get us a drink. “Kendra cheated on me. I’m positive it was more than once, but one time was all I needed to know about for me to leave.” I surprised myself with that statement. I hadn’t thought about that, ever. Was it true? Did I only need an excuse to leave her?

I did. But did that mean I never truly loved her?

“I really haven’t been in the trusting space.” Until Julia, but that didn’t need to be said. In just the short amount of time I’d known Julia, I’d started to look at the world differently, and I did like it.

I poured each of us a glass of wine and walked back to her.

“That’s pretty understandable,” Julia said and took a sip of her wine. “This is good.”

“Yeah, but now that I’m outside of it, I see how messed up it was.” I laughed at my realization. “Although it looks like we" —I placed a hand on her knee— “are both rebranding ourselves at the same time.” I took a sip of the wine and saw her flinch.

Her eyes dropped to the floor, and I rubbed her knee. “What’s up?” I asked.

Julia took another drink of wine and placed it down. With a huff, she stated, “The stuff with Jared is still fresh. Not that I’m still getting over him, but he trashed almost everything I cared about and worked so hard for. This situation with us, it’s new for me. And I’m worried that I’m falling a little too hard, too fast.”

I studied her features, not trying to let the shock ride over mine, and I think I failed miserably at it. I leaned forward and kissedher. Although she didn't pull back, I could tell she was still hesitant about what she told me. I peeled away from the kiss and stared into her eyes. “Would it be so bad if love rebranded us both?”

Julia examined me for a few breaths. A sultry look came over her face, but it was stormy, mixed with apprehension. It made my chest tighten, but I didn't want to lose the mood. We both wanted each other, even if it was just sex.

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