Page 63 of Sweet Rule
The smile that comes over Law’s face is beautiful but I don’t stop myself from letting him know that I’m not on board with giving up the only life I’ve ever known just like that.
“I’ve always worked, Law. I can’t just stop.” There’s something that doesn’t feel right to me. There were times when the work and the structure a job gave me was the only thing that helped me keep my calm when things became too much. It’s not like I hated my job. I loved it and the people. Plus, the coffee was always a perk too.
Law’s putting on his coat, eyes on his cuffs and he straightens when he speaks. “I’m not telling you to stop working, Honey. I’m telling you that you don’t serve anyone anymore. You want to work? Fine. But I want you to do what you want.”
I freeze and my eyes go wide. “What?”
“Not fond of repeating myself, princess.”
I glare at him. “No need to get snippy. I just- What do you mean I do what I want?” Law holds out a coat and I walk towards him. I’m not sure what he’s about to say because I thought I was doing what I wanted when I worked, but there were limitations. Like the fact I was there because someone let me. I also had to work the way they wanted me to, which sometimes was all right but other times kind of sucked when the boss wasn’t decent.
Law helps me into my coat and makes sure my hair is untucked from my collar with a gentle touch of his hands. “I mean, you want to start a business, do it. I don’t care what it is so long as you’re happy. Hell, bring Tiffany along with you if you want.”
Now my head is spinning. A business? A business that I could bring my friend with me? “I don’t know shit about running a business.”
“Addie can help you with the basics and you’ve got me. I can teach you everything you need to know.”
“What if I want to open a coffee shop? What will you teach me then?” I tease with a smile. Law doesn’t care about coffee. He drinks whatever I give him. It could be day-old Folgers or the finest espresso I just poured for him and he’ll swallow it down with a nod all the same. The man is practically a heathen. He’s lucky I love him despite his lack of taste.
Law shrugs and plants a kiss on my cheek before taking my hand and leading me to the door. “I know how to make a business successful. What I don’t know we can outsource. If you want to open a coffee shop then do it. You’d make it special.”
Tears brim in my eyes at the easy way he compliments me. How he makes everything seem doable and just a matter of me deciding what it is I want. How is it that he makes me feel like the world is just waiting on me? When I don’t move to follow him, Law looks over his shoulder at me.
His brow furrows when he takes in my face. “What is it? What’s wrong?” I can hear the worry in his tone. The way he’s instantly on guard like he’s going to punch someone in the face to make my tears right has me wanting to cry even more, but I keep my shit together.
I shake my head and give him a watery smile. “It’s nothing,” I tell him, but he doesn’t believe me for a second.
“You look like you’re about to cry,” he says and when a tear squeezes out and rolls down my cheek he steps closer. “Fuck! Youarecrying. What- I just-” His voice breaks off and he definitely looks like he’s about to swing on an invisible opponent. “Who did this to you?”
I laugh and push him away when he crowds my space but when I see the look on his face, I answer him. “You.”
He freezes. He didn’t expect that answer. “What the fuck did I do?” I laugh again becauseof coursehe thinks my tears are bad.
“I- you,” I take a deep breath and I grab his hands as I explain to him. “You didn’t do anything wrong to me. The tears aren’t bad.”
Law brushes my tears away and wraps an arm around me. “I don’t like it when you cry.”
“Tears can be good. You know that. You made me cry last night.”
“Because you needed your pussy spanked for being a stubborn shit,” he retorts.
I gasp and smack his arm. “Keep it down! What if Marco or someone hears you?” I ask and look around the penthouse. Marco is gone, at least I think he is. I’m not sure if we’re alone, but Law doesn’t look like he cares.
“If he heard me he knows well enough to keep his head down and pretend he didn’t hear shit.”
I roll my eyes at him. “You can’t just go around acting like you’re king of the world. You know that, right?”
Law ignores the eye roll, which is good because when I move I remember that both my pussy and my ass are sore. “No, I don’t fucking know that. I did a lot to get where I am and I didn’t just do it for me,” he says, guiding me towards the elevator that leads down to the main floor and the parking garage where Taylor is waiting for us.
“Oh yeah?” I ask. “Who did you do it for?”
“You.”
I stumble over my damn feet when he says that and it’s only Law’s arm around my waist that keeps me upright. “What? But you didn’t even know me,” I tell him as my brain scrambles to make sense of what he said.
He keeps walking, keeps us moving towards the elevator as he answers me. “Doesn’t matter. I knew.”
I tilt my head to look at him. “Knew what?”
