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that something is definitely up and I’m not being nearly as patient as I probably should. And when she sniffles and looks up at me, her eyes all red and mascara smudged, I can’t stop thinking how I’m such an ass for making her cry. No wonder she fires me all the time.
    “Zoe, are you all right?” I ask quietly, and she shakes her head, her mouth twisting again.
    “No, I was…I’m sorry I was being so short with you earlier,” she whispers, and I roll my eyes, guilt instantly assuaged.
    “Thought you clearly dictated there is no ‘work’ outside of work.”
    She shakes her head. “There isn’t, but I…I don’t know what else to say, Luca. I know I’ve been in a really bad mood for the last couple of weeks and—”
    “No shit,” I interrupt, and she squares her shoulders.
    “Can you cut me a little slack? I need you to be nice to me right now.”
    “I’m always nice to you,” I counter, and she winces, swiping her fingertips under her eyes. “But would it kill you to be nice to me for once? You are not the only one who works their ass off, Zoe, and I’m sick of you talking to me like I’m some servant you deign to tolerate.”
    “I know that,” she fires back. “And I don’t mean to be like that, Luca. I just haven’t been myself lately and…I just…” She sucks in a shaky breath to steady herself, but her voice still breaks when she says, “I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
    Tears start to slip down her cheeks again and this time, I can’t stop myself.
    I pull her into me, wrapping my arms around her and somewhat surprised when her head settles perfectly against my bare shoulder. A sob escapes her as her fist clutches the military IDs hanging from my neck, the ones that for some reason I’ve never stopped wearing. And when I carefully unwind her bun and then run my fingers through her wavy hair, I feel her breaths settle a little more rhythmically, her chest melting into mine. The corner of my lips pulls up as I lay my cheek to her crown and fractionally tighten my grip on her because she is the queen of boundaries, so it’s kinda weird that she likes me holding her, but then again I’ve never understood this woman.
    Okay, that’s not entirely true. After the last four months of her knocking on my front door well past business hours, I know one thing about her with absolute certainty. And that’s why I cup the back of her neck as I dip my head, my words rushing hot over her ear.
    “You know what will make you feel better?” I whisper, and she shakes her head no. But she also doesn’t protest when I bend and scoop her legs up, then start carrying her towards my bedroom. “Exactly what you came here for.”
     

CHAPTER 2: BROKEN RULES
     
     
     
    I settle a little deeper into my bed, one of my hands resting behind my head and the sheet just lazily draped over my hips as I watch Zoe fasten the last few buttons on her shirt. She runs a hand through her disheveled hair and tosses it, then steps into her stilettos, and I can’t help but lightly chuckle. Because they didn’t come off until damn near the end. But based on the pink in her cheeks and the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, I’d say she’s feeling a lot better.
    She glances at me and when I wink at her with a grin, she softly laughs and then shakes her head.
    “Bye,” she says, then heads right for my bedroom door. I listen as she shuts the front door behind her a minute later, then I turn over and stretch out, my muscles loose and warm after my favorite end-of-day workout.
    The first time she showed up on my doorstep after work—stealing my address off my application and out of my personnel file—she pretty much laid what she wanted out on the table. Casual sex. Friends with benefits except we’re not actually friends. No discussion of work, or a word about this while we’re at work, no personal questions, and no kissing. That one I tilted my head at, but her reason was something about it