Page 43 of Good Girl's Bad Lessons

She sucked in a breath and drummed her fingers on the desk. What could he possibly want to ask her? They’d exchanged a few brief texts during the weeks he’d been away, and she hadn’t given them much thought. First, afraid she’d read too much into them. Then, she had to deal with her own feelings after becoming way more involved with Nico than she’d intended. “Go ahead.”

“Do you want to go to Zaine’s wedding with me? As my date? I know we’re on a break but—”

She clutched her phone. “On a break? You broke up with me.”

“I know. I understand, but this time apart has shown me a lot, and I’ve been thinking. Listen, I don’t want to talk about these things from far away. I thought your brother’s wedding would be a good way for us to reconnect.”

She glanced at the phone, exhaling. Her heart shrank. What was she supposed to do? Hadn’t this been what she’d hoped for all along—Simon back? Besides, he wanted her back without knowing she now gave any sex diva a run for her money. I’m sure that detail can only make my case stronger. Her hand flew to her mouth.

“Emma?” he asked from the other end of the line.

“Yes, I’m here…” she said in a small voice. “Can I think about it?” The idea of flat-out refusing crossed her mind, but shit… Nico had been honest from the beginning. He didn’t want any commitment, ever. With her or anyone else.

“Oh,” he said at the other end of the line, probably surprised.

Falling for Nico didn’t change his modus operandi. Falling for him didn’t change anything…did it? She’d even contacted Desmorais saying she didn’t want to be part of the sanctuary project. Even if Nico didn’t mention him or the house anymore, she just knew it’d be too much to work on the place Nico loved so much and hadn’t been able to buy back. She’d almost feel like…she’d betray him if she continued the job. She hadn’t told him that, because whenever she tried to talk about the subject he got upset. Besides, did he really have to know? Wouldn’t change things either way. Wouldn’t change the way he viewed relationships and women. Wouldn’t change the way he thought of her.

“Yeah…sorry I’ve been so busy lately. I just need some time to consider the situation.”

“Of course. We’ll talk more soon.”

“Thanks. Gotta go, have a safe flight,” she said.

She hung up and tossed the phone onto the desk like it’d just burned her skin. She wished she could swivel the chair into a different dimension, and return only after this whole mess had been sorted out.

Her heartbeat thrummed at the base of her throat. Soon, her brother and Monique would come back to California. Sooner than that, Simon would arrive. Then, later, the wedding. Her stomach churned, the nausea floating up her throat. She swallowed, evoking some soothing mantra she should have mastered before.

Anything to help her calm down.

Damn it.

I don’t want to have to say goodbye. She’d wave her current lifestyle with Nico goodbye and go back to her old, safe routine with Simon. She didn’t have to, of course. But…what if Nico didn’t want to see her afterward?

“Emma,” he called from his office. “Come here.”

She recognized the edge in his voice. She’d learned how to detect the trace of arousal in his tone even from a different room. Warmth spread across her chest. She could refuse him, of course. But if sex had been a great distraction to keep her from pondering her choices, now it’d come in handier than ever.

When she walked into his room, all thoughts disappeared from her mind. She’d deal with them later—now she’d get lost in the zingy energy passing between them.

He sat on the square chair next to his imposing, enormous bed in front of the exposed brick wall. Even the linens in his bedroom exuded a quiet masculinity, with a rich brown coloring and silkiness to the touch. She sashayed over to him, owning her ass, knowing she drove him crazy when she added extra pep to her walk.

“Emma,” he said, standing.

She tiptoed, lifting her head to gaze into his gorgeous green eyes. His brows furrowed, and he parted his lips, the agony in his gaze almost palpable. She chewed on her lower lip, her pulse racing wildly. “Tell me,” she demanded.

Whatever he wanted to tell her she needed to hear it. He pulled her closer, his arms falling about her, and he regarded her with an intensity that made her stomach drop to the floor. She touched his cheek, and he closed his eyes for a moment, basking in her caress. What did he find difficult to tell her? That he didn’t want his time with her to end, or that in a few days it officially came to an end? Out of all the lessons he taught her, not wanting him anymore wasn’t one of them.

He hummed, opened his eyes, and passion burned in his irises.

He outlined her mouth with his finger, and she parted her lips, anxious for more. He slipped his index finger inside, and she sucked it, swirling her tongue around it, then grazed her teeth on the tip, without ever breaking the stare. A groan filled the room.

She turned him on. She’d done it—she wasn’t a charity case anymore. She’d learned how to leave inhibitions behind and enjoy sex. Dirty, sweaty, skin-slapping sex.

Desire pumped into her, and she fumbled with his shirt, yanking it off.

Buttons flew in the air. Growling, he pulled her into his arms and slammed his lips on hers. She opened her mouth and caressed him with her tongue. He lifted her from the floor, and she wrapped her legs around him, the undeniable heat sweeping her off her feet.

Only took him a couple of steps to tumble into bed, taking her with him. She disentangled from his arms, her breath coming out in small gasps. He propped himself on his elbows, ruffled hair and all, with his glorious chest exposed.

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