Page 73 of Your Rule to Break

“I don’t know yet,” she laughs.

“I’m not going anywhere, EJ. I’m right here. When you’re ready to talk, we’ll talk. There’s no time limit.” I kiss her one more time to make my point and say, “You’re the type of woman who’s worth the wait.”

Emilie smiles at the end of the kiss before turning back to watch the sunset. She falls into me, more relaxed.

The sky is like pastel wisps and smoke with only about half of the sun left. It’s breathtaking, the kind of thing I’ll take a beach vacation for any day.

Emilie asked why I’d never brought anyone home. Part of me wanted to tell her, because she’s the first person who felt like home to me.

There’s always tomorrow.

Chapter 38

Emilie

I practically float backto the room on realizations and the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen.

Because this isn’t fake.

It’s rare in life, where you get exactly what you want, and it’s even better than you dreamt it would be. I thought this fake dating thing would be fun, but it’s turned into so much more. It’s uncovered feelings that I’ve probably always had but has shown me what Zack means to me.

“What now?” I ask when we get situated in the room. I kick my shoes off, mostly wondering if I should put my pajamas on or maybe we’ll get in the hot tub on the balcony. I look down at my hands focusing on my nail color like it’s not the same black they’ve been for years.

Zack unbuttons the top button of his dress shirt, hitting me with an evil smirk.

“I told you. I have plans for that balcony.” He looks toward the glass door and back again.

“What kind of plans?”

He unbuttons his sleeves, rolls them up, and I’m trying not to drool. And then he says, “Go out there and let’s find out.”

His words brush my skin in a way that make me want to beg for him. I do as I’m told because I like that he’s taking control. The balcony is facing the ocean, but we’re not getting hit with the wind. It’s perfect.

Zack trails me and closes the door, almost all of the way, but leaves it open just a crack.

“What now?”

He comes up behind me, bites my ear lobe and growls, “Put your hands on the railing.”

“What if someone sees?” I ask.

“No one can see us; another reason I asked for the upgrade.”

I look around and confirm I can’t see any other signs of rooms around us.

He puts his hands on my hips, lightly pushing my back forward with his thumbs—he really wants me to lean.

Oh. Okay.

I’m almost bent over a full ninety degrees, when he dips down, touching behind my calves with his fingers, scratching them up the length of my legs. It’s painfully slow and I’m trying not to fidget. He’s bringing the hem of my dress up with his fingers. When he reaches my hips, he has it hanging forward.

Soon my ass is bare to him and he finds out one of my secrets.

“You’re not wearing any panties,” he says.

I turn my head, looking over my shoulder, and say, “No. I’m not. Surprise.”

“You’re a fucking dream come true,” Zack says, and if I wasn’t already wet, that would probably do it.