Page 45 of Say it Ain’t So

“Joss, you too.”

“Shit.” My mouth went dry, and my head spun. I grabbed for the table, trying to act like I’d intended to put Rylan’s magazine back on the pile to cover up how utterly terrified I was.

He’s not Peter, Joss. He’s not going to hurt you. He just⁠—

What if…? What if he found out about Rylan? What if he knew we were married and this job that I had tried so hard to find, this job that I needed if I was going to be able to live in this city, was taken away?

My thoughts floated off without me when I glanced up and found Rylan watching me. The look on his face was the same one he’d given me so many times as we walked around Vegas. A look that preceded every gentle touch of my bruised body and every question about the abuse I’d sustained.

“Come on, gorgeous.” Rylan tipped his head to the side, offering me a hint of a smile. I took it like it was a life preserver and I was drowning at sea.

Scrambling toward him, I was so tempted to rush into his arms, to let him hold me and soothe my pain the way he had when we first met. But even with the smile tilting his lips, his posture screamed Don’t touch me!

I squeezed around him and into Lee’s office, still shaking as I took the chair closest to the wall. It took effort to control my breathing, to not look like I’d just run a mile. Even the smile Rylan sent my way as he sat by my side wasn’t enough to fully calm me. I gripped my left hand until it throbbed, the pain reminding me that this meeting with my boss and my husband wasn’t going to kill me.

Though it could very well be the end to my life as I knew it.

Lee let out a long breath, drawing my attention to him. I couldn’t help but brace for whatever impact was coming.

“Kolton failed his test.”

“What?” My voice cracked, and I tried to wrap my head around his words while, beside me, Rylan tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling.

“How bad is it?” Rylan asked. The bob of his Adam’s apple had my fear fleeing and my body doing strange things. Warmth spread through me until I was ready to strip off my sweater in order to get cool. I wanted to touch him, to trace my fingertip down the smooth skin of his throat.

Or kiss him.

My God, how I wanted to kiss him.

“It’s not great.” My attention snapped back to Lee, and the blood that had been warming my body rushed to my face. “He knows every last answer on the damn thing, he just…”

“Just what?” Rylan looked back at Lee, but it didn’t stop my mind from wandering. I’d only seen him more serious once, when he was down on one knee, asking me to be his wife.

Lee wiped his hand down his face and muttered under his breath, “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

“Telling me what?”

“He’s got anxiety about taking tests. Affected him his whole life. He warned me when I hired him. But he’s a good kid. Smart as they come. He’s just shit at taking tests.”

“What can we do?” For one brief moment, Rylan’s gaze swept over me, and that warmth was there again, stealing my focus.

“This mean you’re sticking around?”

Rylan broke into the biggest smile and raised his hands to his sides, almost touching me in the process. “I’m here, ain’t I?”

Lee shook his head, and I’m pretty sure he rolled his eyes. “Need you to take Van and Kolton to a couple houses this week. Want both of them to walk through and see what kind of security we can install. These people, they’re money. And they’ve got friends.”

“So, schmooze them and get them to part with their money?” Rylan rubbed his hands together as he leaned forward in his chair. “You can count on me.”

“Dennis.” Lee shook his head again. Wiped his hand down his face.

Then he turned his emerald green eyes on me.

“Want you to work with Rylan on scheduling. I need both Van and Kolton at these places together with him. Neither of them has experience with this, but I have no doubt they’ll pick it up quick.”

“Of course.” I nodded and tugged my hair off my shoulders. “Anything else?”

“Reach out to that realtor and ask her to draw up the contract. I want to meet with her guys so we can discuss the floor plan you drew up and get moving on this thing. I’ll need you to help coordinate the buildout and the move as much as you can, ‘cause I…”