Page 74 of Treat

She shrugged, hoping he’d drop it.

No such luck.

“You’re worried about what he might say.”

“Oh, I know what he’s going to say,” she countered. “He’s going to tell you that dating your assistant could hurt your career, and you should fire me and never see me again.”

“He probably will,” Jude agreed.

Worry settled in her belly like lead. “He could be right. About your career.”

He snorted. “I’ve done things that would be way more harmful to my career than dating you.”

Curious, she lifted her head. “Really? Like what?”

To her surprise, his cheeks went pink. “Nothing illegal.”

“Just immoral?” she joked and blinked in surprise when his blush deepened.

He cleared his throat and looked away. “Not immoral. Just…not usual.”

She stared at his expression—abashed and uncomfortable—and thought about letting him off the hook. For about five seconds. “What is it?”

His gaze flicked back to hers, and for the first time since she’d known him, he looked self-conscious.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she assured him and prepared for disappointment.

“No, I’ll tell you,” he said, though he looked like he’d rather chew glass. “I was just hoping for a little more time together before I did. It’s…delicate.”

“Oh.” She was racking her brain, but she couldn’t imagine what he could be talking about. “Is this about butt stuff? Do you like being pegged or something?”

He choked out a laugh. “No. Or at least, I don’t think so.”

“Because I’m willing to give it a try,” she assured him.

Amusement warmed his eyes, chasing away some of the embarrassment. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

She waited, trying to be patient, but he was quiet for so long that she finally blurted out, “Oh my God, you’rekillingme.”

“Swinging.”

12

He blurted it out so fast she wasn’t sure she heard him right. “What?”

“Swinging,” he repeated, and it was clear he wasn’t talking about playground equipment.

She shoved up to sit astride him, staring at him in shock. “You were a swinger?”

He nodded, his face so red he looked like a tomato.

“Oh. My. God,” she breathed, her hands pressed to her chest. “Why didn’tIthink of that?”

He blinked. “What?”

“I’ve been in such adryspell,” she wailed, throwing her hands up, “and the solution was there all along! How could I be so obtuse?”

“Um. That’s not the reaction I was expecting.”

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