41
Kennedy
I was surprised to find an email from one of the city board members in San Francisco. At first, I thought he’d emailed me by accident, and I was about to forward it to Cory when something made me pause and read it.
The tone was professional but straight to the point. He wanted to know if I’d started my own company in New York, and if so, whether I’d be willing to work with them remotely.
Huh.
I hadn’t given any of my clients an explanation for why I was leaving. Some probably assumed I’d simply had enough of being away from home, but I’d never said as much. The fact that he thought I’d launched my own company surprised me . . . but it also made me think.
Being my own boss . . . it wasn’t something I’d ever considered before.
I leaned back against the couch, letting all the possibilities swirl inside my head.
What would it mean to run an agency my way?
To choose assignments that inspired me instead of grinding through whatever was handed to me?
It sounded amazing, but at the same time, it would be a huge amount of work.
Wouldn’t that just mean trading one exhausting pace for another?
I sighed loudly into the empty room. It was probably ridiculous. I didn’t know the first thing about running a company, let alone starting one. Setting my iPad aside, I wandered to the fridge for a bottle of water.
On the way back, I had a lightbulb moment. Maybe I didn’t know how to run a company, but I knew people who did. Howard had been running his own company for years. He’d built it from the ground up, and he managed employees, contracts, budgets, and client relations.
And my brother, Jackson, had built his entire career around mergers and acquisitions.
He’d spent his internship learning the ropes and had been hired as soon as he graduated. He now traveled the country breaking down failing companies before restructuring and building them up again.
If anyone could point me in the right direction, it was them.
When Nash came home from practice two hours later, I was practically bouncing off the walls. Not because I’d made a decision or figured everything out, but because I’d done research and taken notes on my iPad, and, for the first time in a while, I had an option. A possibility.
“What’s going on, babe?” Nash asked with an amused smile as he stepped into the living room, and I rushed to hug him.
“Hi.”
“You’re in a good mood,” he observed, brushing a kiss to my temple.
“Yeah. I just talked to Jackson.”
I grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the couch. He let me pull him down beside me, still smiling like he was trying to figure me out.
“Okay,” he said, stretching an arm across the back of the couch. “I assume that was a good call?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I shifted to face him, excitement spilling into my words. “Actually . . . it was.”
Nash laughed, and I couldn’t help but join him. He leaned in, pressed a quick kiss to my lips, then tipped his head curiously.
“What did he say?”
“He might come meet up with us soon.”
“Oh yeah? That would be good. Any special reason?”
“He said he might come to one of your games—if someone gives up a ticket.” I winked at Nash, and he chuckled.
“I’m sure I can manage another ticket.”
I giggled, and he rewarded me with another quick kiss.
“I actually called him to talk about us starting a business together.”
“Really?” Nash’s brows shot up, his expression shifting into genuine curiosity. “When did you come up with that idea?”
I told him about the email from San Francisco, the idea it had stirred, and how I’d ended up calling Jackson.
“You’re serious?” he asked when I finished. “What kind of business?”
I nodded, feeling both nervous and excited. “Yeah. Advertising. I mean . . . it’s just an idea right now, but . . . it’s an option, at least.”
He leaned back, looking both surprised and a bit impressed.
“Do you think it’s a bad idea?”
“Not at all,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “Actually, I think it sounds like a great idea.”
“I have no experience running my own company.”
“But your brother would help,” Nash said without hesitation. “He knows this stuff. And you should talk to my dad.”
“I thought about that. You don’t think he’d mind?”
“My dad? Are you kidding?” Nash’s grin spread wide across his face. “He’d be like a kid in a candy store. You know how he loves to show off. He’d give you more information than you’d know what to do with. Your head would spin.”
I’d already suspected Howard would be willing, but hearing Nash say it made me feel more confident about asking.
“Do you think I could handle it?”
He reached out, tracing the line of my cheek with featherlight fingers. “Of course you could. You can do anything you put your mind to. But it will be a lot of work. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
“That,” I admitted softly, “I honestly don’t know.”
It wasn’t the work itself I was concerned about; it was that I might take it too far again.
“You could always let Jackson do most of it,” he teased, grinning.
I laughed, leaning into his touch. “Especially if I end up pregnant,” I shot back playfully.
Something flashed in Nash’s eyes, and his gaze dropped from my eyes down to my lips.
“Do you want to go practice?” he asked, voice low and teasing.
“Oh yes,” I answered with exaggerated excitement. “That definitely turned me on.”
Nash chuckled, and I knew instantly that he saw it as a challenge.
His body shifted, heat sparking in his eyes, and I braced myself, because when Nash decided to bring his A game, I didn’t stand a chance.
Seconds later, his mouth was on mine, hot and demanding, before he hoisted me straight off the couch.
“Nash!” I squealed as he dropped me onto the king-size bed.
“I’m right here.”
His mouth captured mine again, wet and intoxicating, tasting faintly of toothpaste. I ran my hands into his hair, still damp from the shower he’d taken after practice. His expert mouth had me panting, needing more.
Just when I thought he’d start undressing me, he pulled back, leaving me wanting and confused.
“Nash,” I moaned. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”
He grinned, smug and amused. “Turned on yet?”
“Oh, dammit,” I growled, glaring at him even as heat rushed through me. “You know I am.”
He chuckled, and I launched myself at him, knocking him onto his side at the edge of the bed. I followed, crawling up over him until I was straddling his massive thighs. I arched a brow at the impressive bulge straining between us.
“Are you?” I teased, my voice low as I met his eyes.
“Hell yeah, babe. Come here.”
He rose up to meet my lips. It didn’t take long until I was once again lost in the warmth of Nash Reed.