Rupe balanced on a nearby lamppost and picked gravel from the soles of his feet. What the hell had just happened? He searched his mind, trying to figure out what had spooked her, but came up empty. The sex had been great. No, strike that. The sex had been out of this world, bloody fantastic, and he’d thought she felt the same. Clearly, he was wrong.

He limped back to the house and got dressed. A glance at the clock on the kitchen wall said it was too late to chase after her—even though his instincts were screaming at him to follow her and demand an explanation.

He put in a quick call to Cash to let him know the police had dropped the charges. He tried desperately to keep his voice light. If Cash suspected anything other than intense joy, he’d start to ask questions, and Rupe wasn’t ready to answer them yet, not even when they came from his best friend.

He poured himself three fingers of whiskey, put on some music in the living room, and settled in, closing his eyes. She couldn’t have been faking, not with the noises she’d made, the way her body had arched beneath his, and the way she’d thrown her head back when she’d been on top. He thought of how her pussy had gripped him as she came. No one was that good an actress—not even a lawyer who was used to playing up in court.

This time, she could damn well come running to him. He was done.

* * *

The minute Rupe opened his eyes, he checked his phone for messages. He’d received plenty but none from the person he most wanted to hear from. He cursed. Despite his promise of the previous evening that she could come to him, he still thought she owed him an explanation for running off the way she had—and he was going to collect.

But as he grabbed his keys and his wallet, he hesitated. He needed a female point of view about what had gone on, and not from someone he’d been balls deep inside. No, he needed an honest-as-the-day-is-long woman who’d give it to him straight, even if she had a tongue as sharp as a scalpel and never apologised for cutting out your innards and then feeding them to the cat.

He needed to talk to Emmalee.

* * *

Em didn’t hide her look of annoyance when she found Rupe on her front step.

He ducked his head in embarrassment. “Sorry, I should have been round sooner.” Then he gave her a foppish grin and threw his arms out to the side. “Ta-da.”

Em stuck her right hip out to the side. “Well, well, he lives. And not only that. From what I understand, he’s also not going to need me to bring packets of ciggies to prison so he doesn’t end up somebody’s pretty-boy fuck bunny.”

Rupe pulled her into a rough hug. “Love you too, darling. Now, get the kettle on, I need your help with something.”

Em extricated herself from his grasp. “You are such a dick, Rupe. Honestly, when Tal called me last night and said they’d dropped the charges, I was pleased as fuck, but I’d have preferred to hear it from you. A text, a WhatsApp message—Jesus, you could have sent me a Snapchat picture of you holding a Get Out of Jail Free card from the Game of Thrones version of Monopoly.”

“You’re right,” he said, nudging her farther into her hallway.

He knew she’d relented when she let out a loud huff and turned on her heel before heading for the kitchen.

Rupe pulled out a stool at the breakfast bar and sat down. “David at work?”

“Yeah.” Em filled the kettle from the tap. “You’re lucky to catch me in too. I had a client cancel.” She spooned instant-coffee granules into two mugs and came to sit beside him. “So what’s up?”

“I need a female point of view on an… erm… situation.”

“You haven’t killed another one with your supreme sexual prowess, have you?”

Rupe rolled his eyes.

“Sorry,” she said. “That was in poor taste.”

“Nothing like that. It’s to do with my lawyer.”

Rupe filled Em in about the last couple of weeks. She interjected a couple of times to clarify things about Jayne, but mostly, she just listened, throwing in the odd nod or “hm.” When he finished, she sat back, her keen gaze studying his face.

“You know, sometimes, I don’t think you should be let out alone.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Em shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re surprised this girl ran out on you.” As Rupe began to speak, Em raised her hand. “I mean, for one second, look at this from her perspective. She was your lawyer, which in her head must still seem weird—sleeping with an ex-client. She’s going through what sounds like a shitty divorce after the person who was supposed to love her the most betrayed her in the worst possible way. She barely knows you, and you can be pretty full-on at times. Need I go on?”

“I am not full-on.”

“Yeah, right.”

“But she didn’t show any signs of being unhappy when I was screwing her.”

Em raised her eyes heavenward. “You really don’t understand women at all, do you? Here’s a quick education session for you: when men sleep with women, it’s physical. When women sleep with men, it’s emotional. And often that emotion hits after the act, not during it.”

Rupe rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay, so tell me what to do, because I can’t lose her.”

Em tilted her head to one side. “Wow. You’re that keen?”

“You know me. I don’t do relationships, but there’s something about this one… something special.”

Em smiled and slapped him on the arm. “I have been waiting years for this. Oh. My. God.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rupe said, rubbing his arm where Em had struck him. “So tell me, oh wise one, how do I handle this without scaring her any more than I already have?”

Em rubbed the tips of her fingers over her lips. “You have to be less Rupert-like for a start.”

“I already came to that conclusion all by myself, thanks, Em. I have been less Rupert-like.”

She raised her eyes heavenward. “Sure you have. Stop with the quips, and don’t even try to argue, because I know you, remember? Give her space. Be her friend.”

Rupe pulled a face. “Does that mean no sex?”

“Yes, dickhead. The fact that she slept with you and then did a Usain Bolt tells me she thinks it was too soon. She’s probably disgusted with herself. Go and see her today. Don’t let the time slip by, but tell her that you understand and you won’t push her. Reassure her that you like her company and want to spend more time with her, no strings attached.”

Rupe stroked his chin. “You know, Fallon, you’re pretty smart.”

“I know. Now, go get the girl.”

* * *

Rupe arrived at Jayne’s offices at a little after eleven. She might be in court, but he’d check there first. With Em’s advice ringing in his ears, he’d refrained from buying flowers.

He took the lift up to her floor and strode down the hallway. Jayne’s PA lifted her head as he got closer, a flash of surprise crossing her face.

She scrambled to her feet. “Hi, can I help you?”

Rupe cocked his head at Jayne’s office door. “Is she in?”

“No. She called in sick this morning.”

Rupe frowned as a sense of unease made his skin prickle. “Sick? What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. Jayne’s never sick. She called me early this morning to ask me to cancel all her appointments.” She tightened her jaw, almost as though she thought she’d shared too much and was stopping any further mistakes from slipping out.

“Thanks,” Rupe muttered as he spun on his heel.

“Can I give her a message?” the PA called after him. He ignored her and stepped back into the lift.

His car pulled up outside Jayne’s apartment building, and he jogged up the stairs. He knocked at her door. Silence. He knocked again, and even though no sound came from beyond the apartment door, Rupe knew she was inside.

“Jayne,” he called out softly. “Please let me in.”

No response.

“Jayne, I know you’re in there. I want to talk to you, but if you don’t want to, that’s fine. Just let me sit with you. I heard you’re sick.”

“Go away,” her muffled voice bled through the door.

Rupe breathed a sigh of relief. “Come on, babe. Open up.”

“I’m not your babe.”

Rupe repressed a laugh as he imagined her gritting the words out through a clenched jaw that might result in a trip to the dentist.

“Yes, you are,” he said. “You know how I know that?”

Another pause. “Go on, then. I’ll play your stupid games. How?”

“Because I’ve never called a woman that before. Because that word is as special to me as you are. Because…. look, Jayne, please let me in. I don’t want to have this conversation through two inches of wood.”

At least thirty seconds scraped by before the lock rattled. Jayne pulled back the door and immediately turned around and flopped onto the sofa. She was swaddled in a full-length dressing gown, her hair hanging in beautiful waves over her shoulders. Rupe closed the door and sat down beside her.

She refused to look him in the eye, so he took her hand in his. Her skin felt chilly, despite the heat from the sun warming the apartment. He half expected her to tug her hand away, but she didn’t.

“I went to your work. They said you were sick,” he said.

She glanced at him before studying her hand in his. “I pulled a sickie,” she said, chewing on her lip. “Never done that before.”

Rupe chuckled. “With the amount of hours you work, Jayne, I’d say you were due.”

“Couldn’t face going in,” she mumbled.

Rupe frowned. She was being very un-Jayne-like. She seemed almost defeated.

He gently cupped her chin and eased her around to face him. “What happened yesterday?”

She grazed her bottom lip with her teeth. “I’m sorry for running out. It was childish and stupid and not the way I usually behave.”

When no further explanation was forthcoming, he gave her a faint smile. “Look, how about I talk and you listen? That might make this a little easier.”

She tucked her legs up on the couch, and his stomach clenched as a flash of leg peeked out from beneath her dressing gown before she covered herself. Em’s voice rang in his mind. No sex!

“I know you’ve been hurt, Jayne. I know Kyle’s betrayal of your trust has manifested itself in you closing yourself off and compartmentalising all men into fucking little shits.” She managed a wan smile, and he continued. “Yet last night, I caught a glimpse of the real Jayne, didn’t I? That’s why you’re so spooked. This controlled, closed-off impression you show the world is all a front. Underneath, you’re warm, funny, generous, kind, giving—and absolutely wild in bed.”

Her lips twitched, yet at the same time, she shook her head.

“I’m so sorry your husband turned out to be a bastard, but we’re not all like that. I haven’t exactly been a saint—far from it—but I would never do to a woman what your husband did to you. I know you think I’m a playboy, and until I met you, that would be an accurate assumption.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m going to be honest with you, Jayne. The way you made me feel last night… I’ve never felt like that with any woman I’ve ever been with, and not just because the sex was off-the-planet fucking fantastic—that goes without saying. It’s because being with you felt like where I’m supposed to be. But,” he said, raising a hand as she began to speak, “I can see that you’re not ready. So I have a proposal.”

Jayne’s brow furrowed. “What kind of a proposal?”

“Let me be your friend. And not friends with benefits—at least not yet,” he added with a cheeky grin. “I like being with you. I like your company, the way we banter with each other. Let me be your shoulder to lean on. Yes, you’re an independent woman, but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. Depending on me doesn’t weaken you. No strings, I promise.”

Jayne tapped her fingers against her mouth as she scrutinised his face, no doubt looking for signs of sincerity. Or the opposite. “I could use a friend,” she finally said in a quiet voice.

A surge of hope swelled within him. Emmalee Fallon was a bloody genius. He leaned in and gave her a hug, purposely keeping it light and quick. “I’m so glad.”

She glanced at her watch. “I know it’s early, but I really need a drink. Want one?”

“That would be lovely.”

She returned with two glasses of wine. “Might as well make the most of my unexpected sick day.”

He clinked their glasses together. “To friendship.”

Jayne nodded and took a sip. She placed her glass on the table next to her and pinched her nose between her thumb and forefinger. “I’m so tired. I need a break.”

“Then take one.”

She shook her head. “My caseload is off the charts.”

“You’ll be of no use to anyone if you burn out, Jayne. Delegate. Shift a few cases to others within your firm, or get in some temporary help.”

She frowned slightly as she considered his suggestions. “I guess I could. Might take me a few weeks to sort, but…” She smiled brightly. “You know what? I’m going to do it.” She rubbed her hands together. “Now, where should I go?”

Rupe smiled. “Ah, now, I might be able to help you out with that.”