“I think I need to tell Jason,” I said finally.
Will’s gaze was steady. “I fully support you if you do,” he said softly. “I want to be with you, Natalie. I want all of you. I want to wake up with you. I don’t want to sneak around.”
His words were tender but unrelenting.
“But what about all the kids?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“I like your kids,” he said. “They can live here.”
I blinked at him. “What? I can’t just move them out of their home.”
Will sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m just saying, if we’re serious about this, we can make it work.”
“I don’t know. It’s so complicated. And what about Madison? She hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you,” Will replied.
“Yes, she does,” I said.
“Look,” he said, his voice gentler now, “if we want this to work, we can. It’s ultimately up to you, Natalie.”
He reached for my hand. His thumb brushed softly across my knuckles. Tears stung my eyes. He leaned in, kissing my nose, gentle and tender, like he was trying to steady me. His lips found mine, soft but insistent, and then my neck, the heat of his mouth leaving me breathless. Before I knew it, my shirt was slipping over my head, and his hands trailed down my torso as he leaned me back on the couch. He unzipped my jeans, pulling them down as his kisses followed, slow and deliberate. When his hand moved between my legs, I gave in completely, weak, undone,his.
I reached for him, unzipping his pants, pulling him closer, needing him inside me. The rest of the world faded until there was nothing left but us, tangled together, the weight of everything else falling away.
For a little while, there was no Jason, no Shannon, no guilt, just us.
CHAPTER 36
THE FORTY-SEVENTH FLOOR
JASON
Bebe’s party was yesterday, and now it was time to get back in the groove. Sometimes when I was home, I felt like I was living in another dimension, like I couldn’t quite feel who I was. Not until I was out of the house, back at work.
I felt alive when I was hustling, talking numbers, producing, generating. And even if I hated to admit it, Shannon was part of the excitement. After she left my office on my last trip, I wasn’t able to get her out of my head. No matter how hard I tried.
We had a business dinner scheduled this week, a strategic meal before one of our biggest meetings on Wednesday. We needed this deal. We have to eat at some point. It’s just business.That’s what I told myself.
Monday morning, my alarm went off, and I shut it off as quickly as possible, so I wouldn’t wake Natalie.
By sunrise, I was at LAX, settling into my first-class seat for a direct flight to New York. The routine was now second nature,coffee, open my laptop, dive into work once we hit cruising altitude.
But today my thoughts kept circling back to Shannon.
When I landed in New York, I went straight to the office. Shannon and Marcus were already there. The day passed in a blur of meetings, number crunching, and prepping for the pitch. At eight, we wrapped up and agreed to meet back at the office by seven the next morning.
There were takeout boxes scattered around my office, remnants of a long workday. I stayed behind, running through the numbers one last time. Shannon stopped by my door.
“Do you need any more help?”
I should’ve said yes. I wanted her to stay, but I needed to focus and having her around wouldn’t help.
“You go home. Get a good night’s sleep,” I said.
She nodded, but something flickered in her eyes, disappointment, maybe.
“I’m looking forward to dinner tomorrow,” she said, offering a small smile before she walked away.
