“No?”
“Like Alexa said, the study has character. I’m not changing it.”
At least until the rest of the place had been decorated and Marielle had moved on to another project. Nolan would tackle the study himself. True, he didn’t have the same eye for interior design, but rehabbing Blackstone House had taught him plenty about DIY.
“But—”
“Marielle, I’m the customer here, and the study is not my priority.”
She didn’t give up. No, she reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “You’re also a friend, and I just love creating spaces that spark happiness in those who use them. I hate to tell you this, but that room sparks nothing but horror. So I’m going to do you a huge favour and redesign the study for free.”
Nolan opened his mouth to say, “Forget it,” then stopped. There was no point in cutting off his nose to spite his face. The study was a horror story, and the red lines on his bank account said he couldn’t afford to turn down Marielle’s offer.
“The cottages are more important.”
She beamed at him. “Oh, I know, and I have wonderful ideas for the others. Each should have its own theme—uniformity is so passé. I can email some of— Never mind, Alexa hasn’t managed to fix your computer.”
“She brought me a new one to use.”
“That’s mighty generous of her.” Marielle’s tone was laced with suspicion.
“It is.”
“Make sure you have a contract in place. You don’t want her trying to take the thing back when you need it most.”
“She won’t.”
“Well, nobody gives an expensive gift without expecting something in return. Did she put any conditions on your using it?”
Yeah, don’t watch porn, but Nolan wasn’t about to tell Marielle that little detail.
“Let’s continue this tomorrow, okay? It’s been a long day, and I need to get some rest.”
“Sure. You want me to clean up the dishes?”
“I can do it.”
And then he needed to take a cold shower. No more porn, Alexa had ordered. But he didn’t need it. The sick, sick part of his psyche knew what he’d be picturing the next time he touched himself. Who he’d be picturing. Alexa, standing behind his desk with her hands on her hips, giving him a lecture on the danger of pretty blondes.
Fuck.
She was older now, but her spiky personality hadn’t changed. And he had no doubt she still lied as easily as she breathed. Then there was Chase… Yes, Alexa was still off-limits, and Nolan knew sleep was a pipe dream too.
CHAPTER 7
ALEXA
“Wait, how did you set up my email? I never gave you the password.”
I looked at Nolan over the top of my glasses. Usually, I wore contacts, but my eyes were tired after I spent most of last night chasing Dark Descent around the dark web.
“Your password is ‘syrah123,’ not a capital letter or special character in sight. Change it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m serious. It should be at least twenty characters.”
“Zinfandelzinfandel123?”
