The Man Who Has No Heart - Victoria Quinn Page 0,62

off. My bedroom was dark because we hadn’t turned on the lamps when we came inside. The Manhattan lights were visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city quiet because of the thick glass that surrounded us in silence.

Normally, I’d stare into the darkness, just the way Derek stared at an anthill.

But instead, I stared at her.

I was on my back with my arm around her, her face against my shoulder. I looked down at her, feeling her leg hooked over mine under the sheets, her perfume already absorbed into everything she touched—including me.

I never cuddled with women, but with Cleo, it felt as good as sex.

Better, in some ways.

My fingers moved into her hair, and I gently played with the strands, loving the way they felt against my fingertips, their softness. My breathing was gentle and easy, and hers was the same, in sync with mine.

I had no idea what time it was because my phone had been abandoned in the other room, and I couldn’t see the clock on my nightstand. But I knew it was late, judging by the fatigue behind my eyes. But I stayed awake because my mind was so fascinated by the woman who hugged me like a stuffed animal.

She suddenly sighed and pressed a kiss to my chest before she sat up.

I stilled at her movements, watched her shift away from me. “What are you doing?”

She stopped, her body just a few feet away from mine. “Leaving. I should get going.”

I stared at her blankly, not understanding this at all. “Why?” This wasn’t a one-night stand, a booty call like Natalie had been. She couldn’t make my sheets smell like roses and then just leave.

“Because if I leave in the morning, everyone will see I’m wearing the same outfit as yesterday. They’ll know I slept here.”

I grabbed her wrist and tugged her back, bringing her to my place on the bed. “Who cares if they know?” My hand moved into her hair, and I kissed her, holding her on top of me, feeling her tits rub against my chest.

She kissed me back, her hand flattening against my chest like my affection immediately dwarfed her desire to leave. She moved farther on top of me, her hand resting over my heart. She sucked my bottom lip before she pulled away slightly, her eyes opening and looking into mine. “I’m not allowed to get involved with my clients… It’s kind of a big rule.”

My hand slid from her hair and moved around her waist instead, making her back arch subtly.

“So, I need to go home every night, so they don’t figure it out.”

I didn’t realize she wasn’t allowed to be with me, that this was a hurdle in a relationship it took so long for us to have. “You can bring a change of clothes. Change before you leave.”

“That’s risky, Deacon. Someone is bound to notice me bringing a bag to work all the time.”

“Then we’ll buy you a whole new wardrobe and everything you need. They’ll never know.”

Her eyes softened.

My hand moved to her ass, my favorite thing to squeeze. “But I don’t think relationships are supposed to be a secret, Cleo. I don’t want to have to sneak around all the time. I don’t want to hide the second most important relationship in my life. That would be like pretending not to have a son…”

“I know,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve wanted you so much, but I’ve never thought this far down the road…because I didn’t think this would actually happen.” She dropped her gaze, turning quiet as the thoughts traveled through her mind. “I don’t want to get caught and lose my job, and I don’t want to walk away from this relationship either.”

I hated the dilemma in her eyes, the way her expression tightened in stress when it was so beautiful and carefree a moment ago. “Hey.” My hand slid into her hair again, pulling it from her face as I directed her stare on me. “We’ll figure it out.” My thumb brushed across her soft cheek.

She looked into my gaze, that soft expression returning.

“I’ll move.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You would do that?”

I was staring at the most beautiful woman in the world, the only person in the world who understood me, the person who had always been loyal to me. She bent over backward to help me. I’d do anything for her. “Yes.”

She inhaled a deep breath, like that meant the world to her. “Deacon…I don’t want you