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“Then what is it?” Alex asked, her warm palm sliding over Charlotte’s jaw. Instead of the usual comfort her touch brought, it was a knife in Charlotte’s chest.

“I just don’t

want you to get caught,” she confessed.

“This feels like a weak point. Is our freedom worth teaching rich people how to have better sex?”

Alex’s concerned expression eased into a soft smile.

“Ours, huh?” She wrapped her arms around Charlotte’s waist and pulled her close. “I’ve been thinking about this for longer than you can imagine. I’m always cautious, but you can’t worry so much about it that it makes you crazy. That is the quickest road to burnout, okay?”

Charlotte nodded.

“If at some point you do change your mind about this—”

“I won’t change my mind,” she decided with perfect certainty. “I’m with you a hundred percent.”

“Glad to hear it,” Alex replied before dipping down and kissing Charlotte’s traitorous lips.

CHAPTER 34

WAKING up at Alex’s house had become Charlotte’s Saturday routine. While Alex was outside in her little shorts and tank top, even in the cool mid-December morning, Charlotte was inside making breakfast.

As she cracked the eggs Alex’s neighbor left on the doorstep at sunrise and dropped them into a heated saucepan with butter and cream, her mind wandered.

Keeping her focus was proving impossible. She should’ve told Jayson what she knew, or maybe she should have told Alex. How could she choose? She’d created a lose-lose situation for herself. It was impossible to see a way out that didn’t end in disaster.

“That smells good,” Alex announced from behind her.

Charlotte turned at the sound of her voice. Bracing herself against the doorway, Alex kicked o her dirty boots and pulled o her socks.

“What are you making today, Chef Castro?” Alex padded toward her, her nose sticking up in the air to catch the scent.

Sliding up behind her, she wrapped her arms around Charlotte’s waist and kissed the back of her neck. Relaxing

into Alex’s embrace, she tried to push away her fear and anxiety.

“Sweet potato, bits of bacon.” Alex identified the items in the hash waiting to be crowned by the poaching eggs as she rested her chin on Charlotte’s shoulder. “What’s the sauce?

It smells so good.”

Pride broke through the tangle of Charlotte’s emotions.

She loved how excited Alex got over what she cooked. It made her want to push herself, learn how to make better and more intricate recipes.

“That’s a chipotle sauce. It might be a little too spicy, so I left it on the side,” she explained.

Thanks to the spaghetti strap of Charlotte’s camisole, Alex’s lips slid over her shoulder as she kissed her. “I absolutely love your cooking.”

Her mention of the l word set Charlotte’s tiring heart racing. She turned her head just enough to place a kiss on Alex’s jaw.

“I guess you inspire me to reach for new culinary heights,” she replied, hiding her genuine feeling inside the exaggerated sentiment.

Releasing her from the embrace with another kiss, Alex started putting out the place settings on the counter. “I mean it, you know,” she said, retrieving a pitcher of orange juice. “You are a really good cook.”

Charlotte smiled. “You’re the only person other than Jay

—”