“When did you start working for the Agency?”
“Like… five years ago? It’s part of the reason I was mad I didn’t know Laurel had signed up. I had the hook ups and she went through a third party?Sorude.” She laughs and stretches her arms out, twisting her wrists.
“I think your sisters only ever mention the acrobatics.”
“I wish I could make a living teaching classes… I mean, I guess Icould.It just wouldn’t have afforded my need for bright dance gear and my meds arewaytoo expensive tonothave insurance. I’d have to work five times as long just to cover all that. And there aren’t that many hours in the day.”
Her smile falters a moment later, and I glance at her as we hit the long empty stretch between the outer city limits and the foothills.
She exhales a long and steady breath, shifting in her seat.
“You okay?”
“I just got warm all of a sudden.” She takes off her cardigan and then sits back, eyes closed, squirming. “Not going to lie. I’m glad Arc’s not here.”
“Why?”
“Because he does not need to be subjected to my thoughts right now.”
Her legs press together and she continues to shift in her seat.
“Shit.” Chrys mutters the word under her breath and then laughs, but it’s a pained sound. “I don’t remember the side effects listing extreme and sudden horniness.”
“How can I help?”
She looks at me and bites her lip, her expression pained. “It would be horrifically rude of me to ask.”
“Then be rude.”
Her breath shudders as she sighs. “Pull over.”
I ease the car to a stop on the side of the road. There’s nowhere to go. We are in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
There is nothing between us and the city behind us, or the mountains ahead of us.
This is the only option. “What do you need?”
She whimpers. “I know I can’t… butfuckI want to fuck you, right now.”
“I can get out and let you take care of it on your own if that’s what you’d prefer, but I’m here. You don’t have to deal with this alone.”
I’m glad Arc isn’t here, too. He’d have to hear my thoughts as well. I want to lay her down in the back seat and fuck her until her frustration eases, but she’s right. We can’t.
Eyes closed, brows pinched, she sighs and drops her head back and to the side. “Will you help me?”
As soon as I say, “Yes,” what’s about to happen flashes through my mind in bits and pieces.
It holds me immobile for a moment, and when I snap back to full awareness of the present, Chrys has lifted her hips and wiggled her leggings down to her ankles.
The road is empty. It’s going to stay empty, but for the first time in a long time, I question if my foreknowledge is accurate.
Chrys’ fingers press between her legs and her knees ease open, and I am not being a very good helper.
This car has an unhelpful console in between the front seats, but I ignore the way it digs into my stomach as I lean over to her.
“One more time, Chrys.” It doesn’t matter that I’ve seen the answer, I still need to hear it. “Do you want me to help you come?”
“Yes.” She makes a sound that’s soft and yet it stabs straight through me. A strangled little sound—maybe a laugh—precedes her next words. “God, I haven’t even kissed you yet and I’m asking you to get me off.”
