Page 56 of Maneater (The Mavens #1)

THIRTY-SEVEN

JOSIE

“I need to tell Rory, you know,” I say, long after a second round and once again, more orgasms than I can keep track of.

I thought it was some kind of trick, his own spy-level method of interrogation: orgasms until I cracked.

But I think the truth of the matter is that making me come is Rowan’s own personal kink.

I am so totally okay with that.

But now we’ve cleaned up, and I can see a new text or seven blinking on my phone on the bedside table. Knowing it’s my partner makes dread knot in my stomach.

It’s not that I’m worried about whether Rory is going to be mad at me: she’s made it clear that she’s fine with my getting involved with Rowan, and Gabriel has confirmed that. She was also completely fine with my telling him everything.

I am well aware that there is no way Rowan is going to be okay with watching from the sidelines while Rory and I solve this mission, and she is not going to be okay with adding someone from outside the organization.

“Is she your boss?” he asks. I shake my head before explaining.

“My partner. We do assignments together a lot.”

“So you go around the country and what…? Solve crimes?”

“I mean, kind of. We do a lot of smaller assignments in the tri-state area—that’s where we are most of the time. But occasionally we get something big, and we’ll be shipped out somewhere. I live in Windale, right outside Hudson City.” He nods like he’s digesting this new information.

“Good. That’s great news.” My brows furrow, not understanding before he expands.

“I’m in Hudson City,” he says low, brushing his lips along my temple, and I smile wide, understanding what he’s saying without actually saying it: it’s good because once this is all done and over with, we’ll still be close to one another.

Just like me, he isn’t looking for this to end as soon as this case is solved.

“And your boss?—”

I shrug. “I don’t know him, but I get my checks on time every other week, so I can’t complain much.”

He lets out a laugh and shakes his head like that sounds insane to him, which, I suppose, for regular people, it would be.

“I’ve never even seen him. He calls us or does faceless video calls. Kind of weird, but you get used to it.”

“I couldn’t do it, not knowing who I work for, not knowing where I’ll be next, not knowing what I’ll be doing next…” He shakes his head, like the idea alone is sending him into a tizzy, and I smile.

“That’s because you’re a boring paper pusher.”

“Boring, huh?” he asks, with a wide smile, and my god, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so loose, so relaxed, and so unbothered. I like the idea that I brought him that peace, no matter how short-lived it may be.

“Oh yeah. Super boring,” I say, stepping over to him. For a moment, I think we can delay the inevitable with one more roll in his bed. He must see my intention poorly hidden on my face because he grins, shakes his head, and shifts until he’s sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Why do you seem so stressed about telling Rory?”

“Because I am.” He chuckles, and despite my roiling nerves, I can’t help but smile as well. I’m all smiles, a giant weight lifted now that there’s nothing between us.

Okay, and probably that I’ve finally gotten some.

“Why?”

“Are you going to let Rory and me do our job without your input?”

He looks at me with a bit of a shy look. “I was kind of thinking that I could help,” he says.

I let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. And while I’m fine with that, Rory is going to see it as a bump in her carefully crafted plan. Where I am Type Q and essentially a human tornado, she is Type A plus. She will not be fond of a random man coming into our mission.”

“But I have access to—” he starts, but I shake my head, sitting up and pulling the blankets up with me.

“That won’t matter to Rory, not at first. What will matter to Rory is that we had a plan and then you and I fucked and?—”

“Does she know that?” he asks, staring at me, not annoyed but…intrigued.

“We’re girls, we talk. Just another thing you’ll have to get used to, my man.

” I expect a glare, but instead, his arm wraps around my waist, tightening and pulling me close before pressing his lips to my hair like he likes my calling him my man.

“She’s happy I found you again, happy that I seem to be happy with you, but she also knows that this”—I wave my hand between us—“is a distraction. We have a job to do here, and technically, we only have five more days to do it.”

“Five days?” he asks, and if I’m not mistaken, his tone is one of disappointment.

I smile.

“Our stay is two weeks. We could extend, but eventually, it would look sketchy, so ideally, we have to figure this out before our stay is over.”

He nods in understanding. “Are you close?”

I tip my head back and forth before sighing. “Close, but not close enough.”

A beat passes before he nods, then stands. “Well, then, let’s get it over with.”

He moves across the room to the dresser, pulling out a pair of underwear and tugging them up his legs with ease.

“What?”

“Let’s go to Rory and tell her we’re together.”

I fight a smile because I like that, tackling a task I’m not looking forward to with him.

“Together, huh?” I ask, standing and moving across the room to him, sliding my hands up and pushing my fingers through his hair. It’s all mussed and messy, and despite my loving his put-together corporate look, I love this version even more because I know not many people get to see it.

“Oh, yeah. You think I’m letting a man-eater like you slip through my fingers?

” I roll my eyes and push on his chest, but his fingers wrap around my wrist, tugging me in close once more.

“I’m joking, Josie.” His whisper in my ear sends a chill down my spine.

“About you being a man-eater, but definitely not about not letting you go. The universe can only give you so many signs before it stops caring if you take the hint or not. And I’m telling you right now, I’m taking the hint. ”

I look up at him with wide eyes and realize he’s right: it’s crazy to be stuck here with him just days after we finally hooked up, but if there’s one thing I believe in, it’s that the universe sends signs.

“Maybe we should honor that sign one more time before we head to Rory. Cement it, you know?”

His smile goes wide, and he dips his head, pressing his lips almost chastely to mine before stepping back and shaking his head. He moves back to the dresser for a pair of loose shorts and pulls them on as well before tossing an oversized tee to me.

“No putting it off. It won’t get easier. Come on.”

I send Rory a text as I walk toward our room in Rowan’s giant Daydream Resorts tee and my thong from earlier, telling her I have some exciting news. It’s a bit unfair, but what else am I supposed to do, you know?

Excellent, get back here ASAP. We have a call with Annette soon to update her.

Well, I suppose that’s good timing.

We make our way down the hall, and I’ll admit: it feels like a death march.

Rory is the smart one. All logic, no games, no emotion.

Just right and wrong and nothing in between.

I know that some of that is because of something that happened with an ex of hers, but she’s never given me more than the basics on it, and I’ve never picked.

Finally, we’re across the resort and standing in front of our door, and I stare at it like I’m walking into my death.

“God, you’re dramatic,” Rowan says with an eye roll, then reaches into his pants pocket for his universal key, the one I returned to him yesterday. Before I can stop him, he’s sliding it into the door and turning the knob.

“Rowan, no—” I start, but it’s too late—the door is pushing open, and I can’t put it off anymore as Rory’s head pops up from where she’s sitting behind her computer, eyes locked on Rowan as he tugs me into the room. The door slams shut behind us with an ominous thump.

“Hey, Rory,” he says, all smooth and sweet.

I wonder if maybe he was lying—he could be great at this job, at convincing people to do what he wants.

Rory stands then, taking a few steps toward us before crossing her arms on her chest and staring at me like I’m a teenager sneaking her boyfriend in past curfew.

“Hey, Rory? I’ve got someone who can help us,” I say with a hesitant smile before lifting up Rowan’s arm.

I didn’t run this angle past Rowan, but I also feel like it’s the best shot at getting what I want.

Despite everything, I want Rory to let Rowan help us, because the truth is, we’re at a standstill with this investigation.

“No,” she says instantly with a shake of her head.

“What?” Rowan asks, but I let out a bone-deep sigh.

“No way. No boys allowed. Sorry, Rowan.”

“But,” he starts, but she shakes her head once more.

“I know that you two must have cracked the seal on the sexual tension that has been leaking out all week, and I already gave you the go-ahead on telling him everything, so that’s cool, but no.

This is Mavens’ business, and that means no boys allowed.

You can fuck him again after we have our debrief,” Rory says, looking at me with her hands on her hips.

Well, this is going exactly how I expected.

“Rory—”

“Don’t Rory me. He’s a boy, Josie. We have a mission and not much time to solve it.”

I soften my eyes, the way that always works on any unwitting person, but Rory has seen it so many times, I’m pretty sure she’s immune.

“Just this once, Rory. I promise,” I say, my hands going into a begging motion.

“No! He is not a Maven! I feel like I’ve been really cool with this whole thing,” she says, waving her hand in our direction to indicate us being said whole thing. “But this is too far.”

“Rory—” I start, but Rowan cuts me off.

“What would you need for me to prove I can be an asset?” he asks, and I turn to him with a glare. This will only make it worse. He can promise her the world, and the more he argues, the more Rory is going to get annoyed with him.

“What?” Rory asks .

“I have access to everything. What do you need? My logins? My work phone? My computer? Email? I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“We don’t think you’re a suspect,” I say low, because while access to cameras would be nice, his personal phone isn’t necessary, but Rory ignores me, tipping her head to contemplate his offer.

“You’d give me your logins to things?” Rory asks.

“I want this person caught just as much as Annette does.”

“What do you have access to?” she asks, and Rowan smiles then, wide and panty-dropping. That’s when I realize this is his own version of being a man-eater, some kind of Corporate Ken version I’m strangely very attracted to.

“What do you want access to?” he asks.

“Everything,” Rory says with a sweet smile.

“Then it’s yours. I just need to grab my laptop from my room.” My partner nods, and I sit in awe of the two of them…collaborating? I suppose I should have seen it coming, given that they were cut from the same cloth, after all.

“Perfect. That will give us a few minutes to talk about you fucking the common sense out of my best friend and partner while you’re gone.”

“Rory!” I say, mouth agape, but Rowan just laughs, bending down to press a kiss to my forehead.

“Got it. Chat away, girls. I’ll be back in ten.”

Rory smiles then, finally. “Better make it fifteen, with the way she’s walking a bit bowlegged.”

Even after the door slams behind him, I can hear Rowan’s laugh booming through the hallway.