The Man Who Has No Heart (Soulless 2)

“Since Cleo can’t date her clients, what are you going to do about that?”

I didn’t know she’d told him that. “I offered to move.”

“Man, that sucks.”

I shrugged. “She loves her job. I’m not going to ask her to give it up.”

“There’s no way for you to stay and keep seeing each other?” he asked. “Sign something?”

I shook my head. “She made it sound like it’s a fireable offense.”

“Geez…that’s strict.”

I thought it was harsh too, but it did make sense. If she was dating residents in the building, it would eventually create tension, and that might make owners leave. But since I was the only one and it was a long-term thing, I thought they should make an exception…especially since Cleo was so good at her job.

“When are you moving?”

“Not sure. It’s the beginning of our relationship and we’re pretty quiet about it, so there’s no rush right this second. People have no idea, and I don’t know how they would ever figure it out. I hardly see the other residents. I think most of the residences are second or third homes.”

“Yeah, you’re probably fine. Does she sleep over?”

“Yeah. She brings a change of clothes and leaves her stuff in my condo. I bring it to her whenever I go to her apartment.”

“Incognito…sexy.”

I didn’t feel like I was getting away with anything. My job wasn’t on the line. Hers was. “If anything ever happened, I would take care of her. Hire her as my personal assistant and pay for all her legal fees from the lawsuit that would be thrown at her. But I know she loves her job…and I can’t replace that.”

“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “That’s the one thing money can’t buy. But it also shows how she feels about you, if she’s willing to risk everything.”

I’d just made dinner and sat at the table when she texted me. I’m coming up.

I moved back into the kitchen, grabbed another plate, and slid half my dinner onto the dish.

She walked inside a moment later, not knocking, just walking in like I asked her to. She carried her laptop and a folder of papers, like she was here for business instead of pleasure. “Hey.” She was in a tight black dress with short sleeves, rocking her pumps like it was no big deal.

I loved it when she wore black. “Hey.” I got to my feet and circled my arm around her waist, my hand gripping her lower back as I pulled her in for a kiss. My other arm wrapped completely around her shoulder while my hand slid into her hair, kissing her like it’d been weeks since I’d seen her rather than a day. But I loved kissing her, loved feeling those plump lips against mine.

Her arm moved around my neck, deepening the kiss, her lips slightly parted as she breathed into my mouth.

I rubbed her nose before I pulled away.

Her eyes were heavy, like my touch was enough to turn her mind into a blank slate. “I love that you never wear a shirt…” Her hand glided to the top of my abs and slowly stroked down, her fingers rising and falling over the grooves.

“Now I’ll never wear one again.” I turned back to the table and pulled out her chair.

She smiled before she took her seat. “This looks good.”

It was vegan tacos, with asparagus, mushrooms, limes, and lots of avocado.

“You don’t have to share your dinner with me, Deacon.”

“There’s more in the kitchen if I’m still hungry.”

She picked one up and ate it. “You’re sweet.”

Whenever I was around her, I wanted to make her life easier, wanted to take care of her the way she took care of me. I wasn’t a fan of her diet, judging by the wrappers that still popped up everywhere. I never said anything because that would make me look like a judgmental prick, so I kept my mouth shut.

“What did you want to show me?” I finished my tacos quickly, usually inhaling my food the second it was ready.

She grabbed her folder and opened it. “Well, I’ve been thinking about getting Valerie here, and I came up with this idea.” She grabbed a packet of papers and placed it in front of me. “This is the admission form for a prestigious school here in Manhattan. They aren’t accepting new students for the next three years…but I got Derek in.”

I lifted my gaze and looked at her. “How did you manage that? Who did you know?”

“Actually, I didn’t know anybody. But I told them who Derek’s father was…”

I felt my cheeks get a little warm.

“And they were happy to make an exception.” She smiled at me, like she could see the slight embarrassment in my eyes. “It’s one of the top three best schools in the entire country, public and private. This may give Valerie another incentive to move here since Derek will get the best education possible…on your dime.”