Rule's Property (The House of Rule 2)

Lol, no. I can't work for you. :)

No?

No.

Why?

Her answer came quickly. After this weekend? I think you know.

The weekend was good.

Yeah, it was. I'm boarding my flight now.

Nick took a quick breath and keyed in his response. Be careful and let me know when you land safely.

K. I love you.

Nick's heart constricted when he read those words. I love you, too. Come home as soon as you can.

I wish you could come with me.

Nick couldn't resist the opportunity to tease her. That'll happen, baby. We just need practice.

Omg!

At her response, he laughed out loud, the sound echoing through his office. Get home as quick as you can or I'm going to beat my brother to a pulp.

I'll be home in about a week.

Be safe.

You, too.

****

Nick was so impatient he felt like he was going to snap in two. Courtney's one-week trip had turned into a month, and about the same time that she'd wrapped up her business in Texas, he'd been called away to California again. So now, finally, after a long, tedious, fucked-up two months, they were finally back in St. Louis together.

Of course, he hadn't been able to stay away from her for the solid two months; he'd caved several times and caught a flight just to sleep in her bed and be with her for a few hours. Although those trips had managed to let off some steam, the short intervals together hadn't even scratched the surface of what he needed with her in his future.

So now, with the irritation, the agony of their forced separation blazing fire through his system, even if it had been for business reasons, Nick decided to put the wheels into motion to keep Courtney tied to him forever.

****

On Monday morning, Courtney suddenly felt goosebumps rise on her flesh. She glanced up from her computer screen to the door of her office, looking for the reason. Nick stood at the threshold, watching her intently. She took the pen from her mouth and set it aside, leaning back in her chair. A lot of damn good a secretary did for protecting her privacy when the woman was faced with one of the Rule brothers.

"Are you busy?" he asked.

"You pay me to be busy," she retorted.

"I don't pay you. Garrett, maybe. Technically, the corporation pays you."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever."

"Seriously, can you get away for lunch? But fair warning, you're going to be gone for several hours."

She frowned as she studied him. It was unlike Nick to think of anything but work during business hours. "What's up?" she asked him now.

"Nothing, really. I've carved out some extra time and want to spend it with you."

"We can't start sneaking off while we're supposed to be working, Nick."

He stiffened minutely. "We won't. Today will be an exception. Things have finally settled down and I need some time with you; I need to know you're okay."

She felt his words hit her heart and her expression softened. "I'm fine, you know that."

"Courtney," he said as his tone became short. "Get to a stopping point and meet me downstairs in half an hour." The words weren't a question.

"So, we're not just going upstairs?"

"For a quickie? No, I'm going to feed you at least," he said with a half-smile.

She smiled back. "All right. Downstairs, half an hour."

****

Courtney sat back in the plush leather seat of Nick's BMW. He was driving toward the riverfront, and she figured he was headed to a restaurant nearby. But as the car ate up the miles and Courtney saw the Gateway Arch as they passed the area, she realized that he was actually heading across the Mississippi River, into Illinois.

A couple of minutes later, she glanced over and studied Nick's profile as he drove. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know. I'm just driving."

"Why?"

He glanced at her for a second before looking back to the road. "I needed to get you to myself, babe. Is that so damn hard to understand?"

Pleasure rippled through her midsection. "I guess not," she smiled.

"Want to watch the eruption?" he asked.

Courtney knew he referred to the Gateway Geyser on the Illinois riverfront, the second tallest fountain in the world and a backdrop to the St. Louis Arch, which was on the Missouri side of the river. The fountain didn't run continuously, it only went off three times a day, during certain times of the year. "Sure, that sounds fun." She'd only ever seen the fountain go off a couple of times, and it was always amazingly impressive.

As Nick parked the car and they walked to the Overlook Platform, he took her hand as they strolled across the grounds. Arriving at the top, he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, lightly resting his chin on the top of her head.

The view from up here was amazing. The St. Louis skyline and the Gateway Arch with the mighty Mississippi River in front were incredible. When the eruption began at straight-up noon, Courtney gasped with pleasure and Nick's arms tightened around her. They watched in companionable silence, and when it was over, oblivious to the tourists around them, Nick turned her in his arms and kissed her as if there were no tomorrow.