Brothers of Paradise Series

“No, God no. But these were discussions, you see. Discussions we had about our future. But eventually, those discussions turned to arguments, and our relationship into a nothing-ship.”

“When was this?”

“Our breakup? Nearly two years ago. I don’t miss him anymore. Do you miss Avery?”

“Not at all,” I say, “but let’s stay on topic. Why did your ideas about the future diverge?”

She throws her hands up, her face still split in a smile. “See? This is why I don’t like playing get-to-know-Faye with you. You’re too… observant. Too much Henry. You’ll see straight through the cracks, and get all the details, try as I might to hide them.”

She’s speaking lightly, but it’s revealing far more of her than I think she would have wanted sober.

“Faye, you can tell me anything.”

“Right,” she nods. “Anything, because we’re such good friends, right?”

She’s being facetious, but I answer her straight-faced. “Yeah, we are.”

In the distance, the lighthouse revolves, a flash of light momentarily illuminating the shoreline before disappearing out to sea again. She reaches for my hand again, despite the lack of an audience. I take it firmly in mine and wonder if my skin burns her like hers does mine.

“Okay, I’ll tell you,” she says. “He didn’t like my ambition. He did in the beginning, of course. It was a turn-on then. But as time went by, it became more and more of an issue. I was supposed to sacrifice for him-and I did, skipping afterwork socials to be with him-but he never once cut down on his hours. He worked straight through my twenty-fifth birthday party, because he wanted to trade on the Japanese stock market.”

“Wow.”

“And when he admitted that he didn’t like my goals, or that he wanted a more traditional lifestyle like he grew up with, with a wife who stayed at home… well, my ambition wasn’t so sexy then. So I broke up with him.”

Her tone is flippant, but her words are not. The experience must have hurt her deep. Having someone reject such an essential part of you…

I would have reacted just like she did.

“He was a coward, and an asshole.”

She gives me a wry smile, and I decide that I like these ones the best, not her winning, megawatt ones.

“Yes, you could definitely say that.”

She leads me up through the shrubbery, onto the boardwalk, as if she knows this town by heart already. We’re nearly at my sister’s cottage, so her sense of direction is spectacular. I open my mouth to tell her that when she derails me entirely.

“Your mother was a stay-at-home mom.”

I close my mouth in surprise. “Yes. Yes, she was.”

“Do you expect your wife to make the same choice?”

Ah. I get it, and something in me grows both warm and cold from the question.

“No, I don’t. Any wife of mine could decide for herself what she wanted to be. But if you’re asking what I like, I like women with career ambitions.”

“Do you find it sexy, too?”

She’s half-joking, but I pull her closer regardless, wrapping my arm around her waist. “Very, very sexy. But I also find it inspiring, and I’d be supportive.”

“Mmm.” Her body is warm against mine, the skin at her waist soft beneath her thin summer dress, and I know that lines are going to be crossed this weekend. How could they not be?

I unlock the front door and we walk into the cottage, still hand in hand. I’ve never been a handholding kind of guy, but with Faye, I don’t want to let go.

She pulls me to the little hallway in between the two bedrooms and we lean against the wall. She blinks slowly, long eyelashes lowering over beautiful eyes, before she looks up at me bashfully. I can’t help the impulse-I reach out and run a strand of her dark, silken hair through my fingers.

“Are you trying to seduce me, Faye?”

“Maybe,” she says. “Is it working?”

I run my hand down her cheek, down her neck, to where her pulse is beating fast. “You seduce me daily, simply by being you.”Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Her breath catches as my fingers trail across her collarbone. I sweep her hair out of the way, her skin a map I can’t wait to explore.

“Who taught you to speak like that?” she asks, her voice a bit unsteady.

“Is it working?”

She sways closer. “Yes.”

I should walk away, but self-discipline has never been my strong suit with Faye.

I tip her head back, her breath ghosting across my lips, and my entire body tightens in response. Need, sharp and clear, is like a stab in my lower stomach.

Our kiss isn’t careful. It’s like things have always been between us-a little fast, a little hard. I deepen it, tasting her, and Faye moans. The sound makes my mind go blank. It feels like I’m unraveling, layer by layer, undone by this beautiful woman with sharp words and kind eyes.

She pulls away, her eyes shining. “I’m feeling a bit reckless.”

“Clearly,” I murmur, my lips against her jaw. Her hands trail up my shoulders, tugging at my hair, and I have to fight against the fierce need inside me.

“Let’s do something we’ll both regret, Henry.”

I close my eyes against her temple and force myself to take a few deep, calming breaths. God, but I want to. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to take what she’s offering, to follow her into the master bedroom and see just how well we fit together. But her words make that impossible.

When I take her to bed, I never want her to regret it.

Her lips are soft when I kiss her. “Not tonight.”

“You’re too moral for your own good.”

“That’s definitely the first time I’ve heard that.” I smooth her hair back behind her ear, her eyes dazed and beautiful. I’ve never wanted anyone like I want her in this moment. “Good night, Faye. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She kisses my cheek. “Sleep well.”

“I doubt that,” I say, glancing downwards, and she laughs a little. “But I’ll try.”

The bedroom door shuts behind her, and I put my head in my hands, trying to still the roaring desire still pounding through me. Her words ring in my head. Regret. I don’t want her to regret anything from this weekend. And despite how tricky it will be, I want us to figure out a solution to our boss-assistant predicament.