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They would never have their priorities aligned on this one.

That was a fact.

Abagail was unmarriable.

And Nicola secretly longed for the white dress, for the family, for the relationships that she knew she’d never have without finding someone else to share them with. She swallowed the lump in her throat and focused back on Abagail.

“Understand?”

“Yes.” Abagail cocked her head to the side and looked Nicola over carefully. “Is everything okay?”

Nicola started to shake her head before she caught herself and stopped. “Just peachy.”

Abagail brushed the backs of her fingers across Nicola’s cheeks so softly, so tenderly. “Will you talk to me about whatever it is that’s bugging you? Because something is.”

Nicola stuttered. She didn’t know what to say or do. This was the side that was so confusing to her. Was Abagail interested in more or not? Because everything said no except for these sweet moments, and before now, Nicola had clung to them. She’d praised herself as being the only one to have a little bit of insight into who this woman was under all her masks. Because Abagail hid, just like Nicola did.

They were two peas in a pod, weren’t they?

Instead of saying anything, Nicola leaned in and kissed Abagail hard. “I don’t want to be late to work. I expect those texts by five.”

And then she walked away.

She couldn’t answer Abagail. She had to keep this asprofessionalas she could. Because that’s what this was—a working arrangement between them. Abagail paid her for sex, and Nicola was going to make good on her end of the deal.

She wouldn’t let feelings get in the way.

Not again.

twenty-six

Abagail’s knees were pressed into the area rug, her bare ass pressing into her heels, her hands behind her back and her head down. Exactly in the position that Nicola had told her to sit and wait in until she came home that day.

Which was taking forever.

And it wasn’t like Nicola had told Abagail when she’d be home. She’d figured her mid shift ended around six, so she’d be home shortly thereafter, but the clock on the nightstand had just ticked over to nine and Abagail was still sitting there.

Naked.

Cold.

Annoyed.

And fucking aroused.

Her entire body ached from holding this position, but she was dead set on Nicola finding her exactly where she was supposed to be, because while the punishment that Nicola had promised sounded intriguing, the rest of it sounded better. At least how Abagail had imagined it would be.

“Oh, you are here, perfect.” Nicola flounced into the room, leaving the door wide open.

Abagail glared at it out of the corner of her eye. Greer was in the house, and the last thing she wanted was for Greer to wander around and find her in this state of undress. Then again, perhaps that was the trap that Nicola was setting.

Because this definitely felt like a trap.

“Just stay right there.” Nicola giggled as she walked out of the room, the sound of plastic bags rustling itching Abagail’s ears.

She closed her eyes and released a breath, her shoulders curling over. When was this going to end? Because she was tired of waiting for whatever was going to come next, and now it seemed as though Nicola was going to make her wait even longer. Abagail was just about to get up when she heard feet out in the hallway, and she froze.

It was either Nicola returning or Greer wandering, and Abagail really didn’t want it to be the latter. That would be a disaster. With everything Greer was going through, and the fact that Abagail had told her to walk away from the relationships she was forming, this was going to tip her over the edge.