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“I’ll still pay you. It’s not the end of the month yet.” She wished she’d brought something for her hands, because waiting for Nicola’s response was making her fingers itch to move. “If that’s what you’re concerned about.”

Nicola didn’t answer that, though. Her lips thinned into a line, and she stared intently at the phone still in her hand. Was any of this making a dent in Nicola’s brain or was Abagail wasting her breath? She hated that she couldn’t figure out which it was right now, but it seemed the more time she spent with Nicola, the more of a struggle this was becoming.

“Nicola, I’d really like to talk.” Abagail touched Nicola’s ankle, her skin smooth and warm. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, remembering the feel of Nicola’s skin against hers. They were so compatible sexually. She loved the time they spent together, wanting more and more of it whenever they could find it.

“You’re talking,” Nicola responded.

Abagail instantly turned cold. She let go of Nicola’s ankle and firmly planted her hands in her lap. This wasn’t going like she’dhoped that it would. “I don’t want to pay you for sex, and I think you might feel the same way about that.”

Nicola tensed. Even without touching her, Abagail could see it in her body, the way her shoulders drew together, the pinch in her cheeks, the slight scrunch of her nose. Maybe she had been wrong about that one. Maybe Nicola still did want that to be part of their relationship.

Either way, Abagail didn’t want it any longer.

“When would you like me to leave?” Nicola asked.

“Th-that’s not what I’m saying.” Abagail clenched her jaw. Except it kind of was what she was saying, wasn’t it?

Was this a breakup?

It felt like a breakup.

Even though Abagail hadn’t had many of those in the past, this distinctly felt like she was breaking up with Nicola, and the pain in her heart was stronger than she anticipated it being. “Look, I like you.”

“No, you don’t,” Nicola countered, eyeing Abagail seriously.

“I’mfondof you,” Abagail corrected, choosing her words carefully.

“You’re fond of what we do to each other.”

“Yes, that,” Abagail agreed. Her stomach bubbled with nerves, and her head was hurting from trying to navigate this conversation. Normally she was so damn good at these hard conversations. It was why she’d chosen the career she had.

But this was out of her comfort zone. And something in the way Nicola was acting was so different from her norm, and the way they typically interacted, that it was a struggle for Abagail to even get to the next step.

“I think you should be with someone better suited for you,” Abagail stated.

“Like Warren?” Nicola rolled her eyes.

Abagail snorted and shook her head. “Please don’t go back to Warren.”

“What?” Nicola looked at her directly. “He said he talked to you about me.”

“He…did.” Abagail nodded slowly. “Before I kicked him out of my office.”

“But you didn’t tell him that I’d be interested?”

“No.” Abagail touched Nicola’s ankle again, this time hopeful that the touch would be more welcome than before. “I don’t think he’s a wise relationship choice for anyone right now. And you don’t really want to be the rebound to your rebound, do you?”

“Not at all.” Nicola laughed lightly. “He’s been texting me non-stop.” She lifted up her phone to show a bunch of text messages from Warren, but it didn’t look like Nicola had been answering any of them. “I can’t stand when he’s in moods like this.”

“Why haven’t you just blocked him?” Abagail took the phone and flipped through the messages. Nicola hadn’t talked to him since the night she’d gone to the bar to return the ring, and that was just to make sure that Abagail was actually going to be there to receive it.

“I don’t know. Self-torture, probably.”

Abagail hummed. She flipped through the contact on Nicola’s phone, easily blocking Warren from it. “There. I did it for you.”

“You what?” Nicola snagged her phone back and then immediately looked at Abagail with awe. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“It’s not hard to reverse it if you want.”