let Sean go, not that easily. He thumped a hand down on the other man’s shoulder and leaned in. “There’s a special place in hell for men who hurt women. I will personally ensure that you end up there.”
Sean laughed and knocked Rhys’s hand away. “We’ll see. You remember that my father is a judge, right?”
“Was a judge,” Rhys said through gritted teeth.
“Still got the connections.” Sean winked and left them alone in the apartment.
“Don’t you dare go after him,” Wren said, wrapping her arms around herself. Her slender frame started to shake. “I don’t want you doing anything that might come back to hurt you. Although it sounds like you already have.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Will it?” She went to the front door and turned the lock. “He said he was going to call your boss.”
“He doesn’t have proof of anything.”
But Rhys had no idea how Logan would take it or if he would believe Sean. Either way, there would be some explaining to do. Clients didn’t usually accuse the consultants of sleeping with their staff and compromising an investigation.
“I’m so sorry I’ve dragged you into this,” she said, her brows furrowed.
“This is my job. I was already involved.” He closed the distance between them and reached out to touch her face. “I heard shouting coming from your apartment and…”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “He showed up and bullied his way in. He was angry that I’d been talking to Aimee about him—”
“Shit, Wren.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “This isn’t a game. I don’t want to imagine what might have happened if I hadn’t been on my way over. He could’ve really hurt you.”
“I know, I know. But he mentioned something about deleted emails. Can Quinn find it? I know Aimee deleted something from his email account, but there might also be proof that he’s got something shady going on.”
“We have proof. He came here tonight to threaten you.”
“And what am I going to tell the police? That he pulled my hair?”
“It’s assault, Wren.”
“What he did to the other girls was assault.” She sighed and pulled his hand to her cheek. “Maybe we can get Aimee and Kylie to press charges, and the other girls, too—”
“You need to let it go, let Cobalt & Dane handle it. I don’t want you going back to the gallery.” Rhys sighed. “Though after he calls Logan we will probably no longer be employed by Ainslie Ave.”
“But you’ve got access to the security cameras, right?”
“Not if he terminates his contract with us.” He held up his hand when Wren opened her mouth to argue. “But that’s a problem for tomorrow.”
Right now, he wanted to wrap himself up in her. The fear he’d experienced tonight had worn him down. His mind whirred with the what-ifs—what if he hadn’t heard the commotion from her apartment? What if he hadn’t decided to go to her in the first place? What if Logan fired him and then she left, anyway?
“You look so upset,” she said softly.
“I’m not upset. I’m relieved you’re safe, I’m worried about tomorrow and I’m frustrated at myself for handling things badly.” He pulled her toward him. “But things are what they are—nothing we can do to change the past.”
“You’re right.” She nodded, pressing her cheek against his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her small shoulders and let himself hold her tight. He allowed his body to enjoy the way she fitted against him, let her touch feed the gnawing ache inside him. No matter how he tried to erase his desire with logic and rules, he felt good with her. He felt…satisfied.
That didn’t happen often, if ever. His life was a constant climb, chasing one thing after another. Trying to be better. Trying to be more. Trying to be worthy. But with her, all that restlessness fell away.
“Do you want something to eat?” she asked, tilting her face up to his. “Maybe some dessert?”
“Dessert is the last thing on my mind, Wren.”
“Then what is on your mind?”
Tomorrow was going to be a shit show. When Sean called Logan, he could lose his job. At the very least he’d be in Logan’s bad books, and that was not a place anyone wanted to be.
Screw it. He’d already fucked things up royally; he may as well enjoy tonight before it all came crashing down.
“You,” he said, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. “Just you.”
WREN SIGHED AS he peppered kisses along her jaw. His breath was heavier now, his muscular arms tightening around her. Only they didn’t feel restricting, they felt like her safe place. They felt like protection. Instinct took over and she leaned forward, her tongue brushing the skin on his neck. When she drew back and looked up at him, her heart was in her mouth.
The buckle of his belt and the hard length of his erection dug into her belly. His mouth found hers, hot and desperate and open. His hands thrust up into her hair and he tilted her head back, kissing her deeply. Entirely. The world tilted around them.
“I want you, Wren, and I can’t seem to stop wanting you.”
He was torn; she could hear it in his voice. He was a good man, a principled man, and she’d come along and dragged him into her craziness. But she couldn’t stay away from him, either. “Please,” she breathed. “Don’t stop.”
Suddenly her back was against the wall, though she’d scarcely been aware of moving. He hoisted her skirt up, bunching the fabric at her waist with one hand, and wrenched her leg over his hip. The fly of his pants rubbed at her aching sex. She wished she’d gone commando; there was too much of a barrier between them.
His mouth was at her neck, lips sucking and tongue flicking and teeth scraping. He kissed along her jaw and found her mouth again. The faint stubble on his face lightly scratched her cheek and she knew tomorrow there would be subtle marks all over her. Marks that would make her body burn with the memory of tonight.
His hand found the hem of her top and slipped underneath it, palming her breast so slowly she thought she might explode with desperation. She reached for his belt buckle and struggled to loosen it.
“Is this a security belt?” she panted, gasping as his deft fingers found her nipple through the thin lace of her bra. Mercifully, his belt gave way.
His throaty laugh rolled over her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. “Got to protect the goods.”
“You’re always so cautious,”
