Page 52 of The Confidentiality Clause
“I’m reviewing a contract,” I answer.
“You don’t have a lawyer do that?”
“I do, but I prefer to read everything myself so that I know what my client is getting into.”
“Aren’t contracts a million pages long?” she asks.
I laugh and scrub my face. “More like thirty to forty, but yeah.”
Her eyes go wide. “I thought reviewing closing contracts was rough. Those are all pretty much the same though. Yours change every time?”
“Not always, but a lot of the time. Team contracts are different from brand contracts, and different sports have different rules. Plus, college sports now have NIL deals that players want to negotiate. I used to only work with professionals, but it’s expanded into college.”
“Sounds like a lot of reading.”
I shrug. “Yeah, but it keeps my clients out of bad deals.”
“I thought your job was a lot more meetings on private jets and talking on the phone all day.”
I smile. “It’s that, too.”
Lightning flashes into the room and Ariel’s whole body tenses. I frown. She must be really scared. This isn’t the fearless woman I usually go toe to toe with.
“Why don’t you lay down and face away from the window?” I suggest. “We can keep talking.”
She nods and burrows further into the quilt.
“Is it illegal for you to read me the contract? To distract me,” she says quietly.
“It would be if I thought you’d understand a word of it,” I answer honestly. “I can read it out loud. I do that sometimes anyway to help me focus. It might put you to sleep though.”
She shrugs. “That’s okay. Something is better than nothing.”
I keep my voice low as I start to go line by line. Thunder comes and goes again as I read. Ariel trembles. My heart breaks at the sight. She may get on my nerves, but no one deserves to go through this.
I lift my hand, hesitating for only a second before placing it on her head. I start to run my fingers through her hair, and she stills.
“Is this okay?” I whisper.
I feel her nod, but she doesn’t say anything. I go back to reading the contract. Usually, I stop to take notes, but I don’t this go-around. I simply read and play with Ariel’s hair until I notice she’s fallen asleep.
Once I’m sure she’s not going to wake up, I go back to working with both of my hands. Eventually, I start to wear down. The sounds of the rain and Ariel’s warmth next to me have my eyes falling shut. I close my laptop, lie down, and drift off.
Chapter twenty-four
Ariel Cambridge
I squeeze my eyes tight against the morning light. I don’t remember falling asleep. The last thing I remember–
My eyes fly open. Spots dance in my vision at the sudden change of lighting. I blink a few times and find myself face to face with Brock.
His eyes are closed, light brown lashes casting shadows on his cheekbones. His lips are slightly parted, and the memory of being so close to kissing him in the hot tub comes to mind. He shifts and my eyes widen. There’s a heavy weight over the dip of my waist. His arm is around me. What’s worse is, I don’t hate it. Instead, my first thought is to close my eyes and curl closer.
I stifle a groan. Am I so starved for affection that I want to cuddle with Brock Jones of all people? I trace his face with my gaze. His messy blond hair has fallen over his forehead. I reach up and gently brush it back. He hums in his sleep and tightenshis grip around my waist. I stiffen.Mistake. Huge mistake. What am I doing right now?
In spite of my mental scolding, heat unfurls within me at the feeling of him holding me tight. I let my fingertips graze his cheek and float across his stubbled jaw. I should stop, but it’s like I’m helpless. Under a hypnotic spell he began when he put his hand in my hair last night.
I let my hand fall between us and close my eyes. He helped more than he probably realized. I was so embarrassed to come to him, and a part of me worried he’d tease me until I left. But he didn’t. Instead, he comforted me and made me feel so safe that I fell asleep.
