Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 173733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 869(@200wpm)___ 695(@250wpm)___ 579(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 173733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 869(@200wpm)___ 695(@250wpm)___ 579(@300wpm)
For long seconds, our lips part and we just breathe together, a million emotions between us, before we are kissing again and this time we’re moving too, a slow sway that becomes urgent. We are touching and kissing, and every pump of my hips is a lift of hers. I can’t get deep enough or close enough. I can’t kiss her enough. I can’t get enough of Cat, but that is nothing new. I need her. I cannot lose her. I will not lose her and as if she understands, her leg hooks mine and she drags me tighter against her. I squeeze her breast and thrust hard, she pants, nails digging into my shoulders a moment before she’s spasming around me and that is all it takes. I tumble with her, shuddering into release, and it is over in a blink when I want an hour. I roll to my side and take Cat with me again.
“I’m going to tell everyone to leave. We need us this evening. I’ll deal with the rest tomorrow.”
“No, you’re not,” she says. “We have us. You have me. We need this dealt with and you know as well as I do, that you can’t wait for the bomb to drop. You have to grab it before it does. I’m fine. I needed this, us, this reconnect, but I’m okay now. I was really always okay. Let’s go figure out how to stop her from ruining your firm and career.”
“Cat,” I say, my hand on her hip, fingers flexing possessively.
“Reese,” she replies, pressing her palm to my cheek. “Let’s go deal with this together. That’s what we do. We do it together.”
“I love you.”
“And you don’t have to prove that just because some woman wants to blackmail you, but I love you, too.” She twists away from me and we both sit up on the edge of the couch.
She grabs her clothes and starts dressing in her sweats and T-shirt. I walk to the closet and pull on jeans and a T-shirt, along with a pair of boots. I re-enter the bedroom to find Cat back on the couch. I join her and sit down. “Don’t tell Dana,” she says turning to look at me. “There’s no reason to freak her out if you pay off Debbie. Dana’s life is on the line. She doesn’t need this now and it shows how selfish Debbie is that she would do this now.”
“Try manipulative,” I say. “She chose now, with the cameras rolling, to ensure I have to protect Dana and the firm.”
“You’re at your best under pressure,” Cat says. “Dana and Debbie won’t know that, but how much money are we talking and how can we be sure she won’t just keep asking for more?”
“All we can do is write a tight contract and make her agree.”
“And if she won’t?”
“She will,” I say. “She wants money. That’s what this is about. For all we know the real father is in on this and it’s one big scam. Ruining my reputation won’t get her money. It takes away my reason for giving her money.” I stand up and take Cat with me. “Let’s go get this over with so we can get back to us.”
She nods and we walk to the bedroom door and when I open it, I hear Cat suck in a breath. I pull her to me and kiss her. “We’ll make this fast.”
“Everyone is going to question if it’s true. Everyone but me. I hate that.”
“No, they’re not Cat. Everyone downstairs knows you rock my world. They know.” I kiss her. “You’ll feel it.” I take her hand and we start walking and soon we’re in the living room with Lori, Cole, Royce, and Savage waiting on us.
Lori rushes at Cat and hugs her. “That bitch,” she says before pulling back and holding her arms. “She doesn’t know this won’t work. Everyone knows how devoted Reese is to you. Everyone.”
“But we can’t let the firm take a hit,” Cat says. “We won’t. We have to pay her off.”
“But then what?” Cole challenges as Lori rejoins him, standing by his side. “She gets pregnant again and says it’s mine? We can’t cave and accept this.”
“I have a client on trial,” Reese says. “Her life and the life of every person we represent right now is on the line.”
“We’ll take the hit and back her the fuck off,” Cole argues. “We’ll let our clients know we can’t be extorted and that’s a good thing for them.”
I look at Royce. “What do we know?”
“We’ve talked to her,” Royce says. “And the result wasn’t surprising. She wants money.”
“Then give it to her,” I say. “As little as possible. Surely Cat screaming about her willingness to go public will help with that.”
“She has a number in mind,” Royce says.