Page 38 of Ruthless Mr. Ricco
“So why didn’t you?”Brook asks.
“First aid always takes priority, and I don’t abandon injured friends,” he says.
Brook’s breath catches in her throat as he shamelessly calls her his friend.The thought of these two wickedly smart and efficient individuals teaming up to make my life a living hell actually sounds like heaven on earth.Which makes no sense.My solitude over the last eleven years helped drive my success.
“Well, then, thanks and sorry,” she says.
Moisture glimmers in her eyes but she doesn’t cry.The loneliness shining in her gaze echoes in my soul.I squeeze her hip before wrapping the bandage around her bicep.She hisses and grabs my lapel with her opposite arm.
“I’m sorry, too.To both of you.Hold tight, little rabbit.I need to add enough pressure to prevent swelling,” I say.
She breathes through her nose and nods.
I wrap her upper arm and fasten the end before guiding her wrist to my lap and taking the second bandage from Liam.
She grimaces but watches my hands as I wrap her forearm.When I add ice packs over top and loosely add another bandage to keep them in place, she sighs and twists her fist, pulling my suit tight across my back and shoulders.
“Ten minutes, then we’ll remove the ice,” I say.
She releases my lapel, nods, and shifts as though to stand.I hold her in my lap with an arm wrapped around her back and a hand splayed over her thigh.Her mutinous glare travels straight to my balls.
“You’ll stay here the full ten minutes,” I say.
Despite the fury growing in her eyes, her trembling worsens, and I decide a truce is necessary to keep the progress of the last few minutes.My little rabbit is stretched to her limits after her first full day of work.I recall how her lashes dipped with fatigue during this evening’s meeting.Countless memories bombarded my mind when she’d pulled out a notebook and began scribbling.She did the same thing in high school.
“Be still or I’ll give you a reason to writhe around on my lap,” I murmur into her hair.
Her jaw muscles flex as she grits her teeth.
Mr.Brunswick lifts his tablet to show the countdown on his screen.
“Fine, but not a second longer, and keep your hands to yourself or I’ll break them,” she growls.
I smile and pull her tighter against my chest as I settle deeper into the couch.Satisfaction roars through me.
I won a battle against the merciless Ms.Simons.
She may have many more wins under her belt, but I have her in my lap with her lips swollen from my kiss and her head resting against my shoulder.
Nothing will stop me from enjoying every second, and when the alarm rings, I’ll find another reason to keep her close.
She’ll be in my bed soon.
I’ll figure out what happened during our senior year in high school and fix the disconnect between us, because I don’t want to spend another day without her.
Brook Simons is mine.
And I’m hers.
Chapter 11
Brook Simons
One week.Only one goddamn weekinto my new job and Matteo Ricco has me wishing he’d fire me like my previous employer.
Déjà vu washes over me.Not long ago, I lamented my job loss, so I draw a mental hex over the flippant thought; I need this job more than I need my pride.Without the money, I’ll never have the power to decimate my biological father and return my mother’s stolen inheritance.Once I pay off my debts and start my own law firm, I can build my clientele, prove my capabilities, increase my influence, and expose my father’s corrupt dealings.
I told myself to suffer through whatever Matteo threw at me with dignity and grace, but after a long week of firsts, I’m not sure I can handle another, especially not a cryptic demand toget in the caron a Saturday morning.
