CHAPTER 26HUGH
CHAPTER 26
HUGH
People are saying the reason Denise broke off her engagement is that you’ve been secretly together for years.
I reread the text from one of the associates on my team. It wasn’t surprising. Of course, people had things to say. And opinions. Even though this had nothing to do with them.
This was becoming tiresome. It wasn’t anyone’s business. Maybe they had always wondered, but they’d never had the balls to say as much before now.
Checking her calendar, I pulled up our chat box and typed a quick message:
Meet me at the pad.
After a minute, she started typing her reply:
Are we going to share a blunt under the bleachers?
I closed my computer and shrugged off my suit jacket before walking out of my office and out to the stairwell. Unlocking my cuff links, I pulled up my sleeves, seeing dark ink glinting in the unnatural light. After going up the second flight of stairs, I pressed my key against the lock and pushed open the door to the roof deck.
Unlike a lot of roofs in the city, it didn’t have seating or flowers, this one was industrial. It held one of the six helipads in the whole city and the only one in the financial district. It didn’t get much use, but it was cool to be out here and feel like I was on top of Nakatomi Tower.
I grabbed my key card and pushed it between the door and the jamb. Not many people had access to the helipad. I only did because Bill let me come up here when I pulled my all-nighters. The view of the city from up here was breathtaking. When it was foggy, it felt like a sci-fi film. Thick glass edged the rooftop, and I walked over towards it.
It was chilly, but I welcomed the whipping wind and sunshine. Denny’s antics this morning had given my brain a brief reprieve from thinking about last night. I’d dived so aggressively into work this morning because I needed the distraction. All I could think about was her reluctance to let us get involved. But she hadn’t fought me on moving in this morning.
It felt like something was different now. I was looking out past the glass to the Ferry building, when I heard the door open and shut. Her heels clicked behind me as she walked over, the tall boots clinging to her calves.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
I turned to see her leaning against the wall with her hands stuffed deep into the pockets of her overcoat. Her face was turned up to the sun and I watched as her eyes slowly drifted closed as she enjoyed the fresh air.
We’d barely said much to each other this morning, but it wasn’t a heavy silence, it was a companionable one. Cleo had texted her about the girl that had gotten fired and when I tried to talk about it, she shook her head and left the room.
“There’s rumors,” I said, talking loud enough for my voice to carry over the wind.
“Yep,” she replied, her eyes still closed.
“We should talk about them.”
She sighed, “Eh.”
Something was different today.
“You’re taking this all very well,” I said, watching her carefully.
“I’m trying something.” Her hair was catching against the wall of the building, but it was clear she didn’t mind. She seemed—relaxed.
“You keep telling me to trust you. Cleo doesn’t hate me. And Lucian wouldn’t accept my letter of resignation.” She huffed out a breath as she shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s almost like people care about you.” I couldn’t keep the chastising tone out of my voice.
“Still afraid of the edge?” I asked. Her face scrunched up.
“Fuck off,” she said, her tone venomless, just like her bite.
“Come here,” I said, laughing.
Her eyes popped open. I held out a hand and watched her wary eyes narrow. The silence stretched between us and neither of us was willing to break it. After another moment, she began to close the gap between us.
She was looking right at me, her gaze confident and unwavering. When she got halfway, she brought her hands to her thighs before dragging them up and raising the edges of her dress.
My mouth went dry as she stopped a foot away, the moisture between her thighs glinting against the sun.
“Well, I’m here. What are you going to do about it?”
Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip, and I knew exactly what I was going to do about it.