Page 115 of Broken Brothers

“Claire…” I groaned.

“Chance!” she growled.

I came with a loud cry, one that belied the slow pace I had just gone on. That seemed to be the magic touch, because Claire also came moments later, my cries seeming to be the key that unlocked her orgasm. She shook uncontrollably, which of course intensified the pleasure of my own orgasm.

When she and I finally finished, she just collapsed straightforward onto my chest, breathing as if she’d just sprinted to be with me.

Which, well, we had kind of sprinted to that climax.

“Fucking a, Chance,” she said. “I don’t know if you did that slow shit on purpose, but you got me the fuck riled up.”

“You could say that,” I said with a laugh, running my hands through her hair.

I found myself in a weird place after I ran my hands through her hair. I didn’t have anything more to say. I was just… speechless. What I’d experienced was awesome, yes, but I knew the real reason why.

“Can I ask you something?”

Surprisingly enough, it was not me that had broached that question.

“Of course,” I said.

I could already tell by the way she asked me that question that we were headed for “the talk.” I just hoped this talk wouldn’t wind up with us refusing to speak to each other as it usually did with my past flings.

“Do you really think we’re going to succeed? Rising Sun, I mean?”

OK, that was not the question I expected.

“I do,” I said. “I wouldn’t have invested in you if I didn’t believe.”

“I know, but it was so sudden, and you know the story, but—”

“Shh,” I said, petting Claire’s head again. “It’s OK. I really do believe. I want you to succeed. I like you. But more than that, I know you will succeed.”

A long, pregnant pause came. And then the real question I was nervously expecting came.

“What do you mean by you like me?”

Shit. No dodging it or pushing it off now.

“I wish I knew,” I said, perhaps the most honest thing I could muster. “I like you a lot. That is not a secret. And I know you’re not looking for anything serious. That is also not a secret. But I don’t know how I like you.”

I paused, taking care to consider my words carefully. It was rather bizarre for me to be having this conversation with her naked body on top of mine, but I couldn’t avoid it any longer. If I wanted it clothed, it was a little too late for that.

“You are someone I admire greatly, not just as an entrepreneur but as a human being,” I said. “In some respects, there’s a lot of reasons to like you. But on the other hand, I just went through some crazy shit with the last girl I saw. And on top of that, I’ve never been great at establishing relationships with women. But you seem different. You’re… normal.”

Claire mustered a sweet smile. I was very tempted to kiss her there but held back, worrying it would ruin the impact of the moment.

“I know you don’t want anything serious, and I know I shouldn’t either. I just care a lot about you. Why not leave it at that?”

Claire nodded, gave a soft “OK” and leaned over to kiss me.

“Just promise me you’re not going to want to become exclusive or serious,” she said. “Or if you are, just be honest with me before it makes you upset.”

When she phrased it as such, I realized it was probably too late to avoid that. I would get bothered when our end came, even if I knew rationally it would come, probably sooner rather than later. If that signaled I had feelings for her, well, too bad.

“OK,” I said.

It was all I could say.