She laughs into her palm. “I knew it. So what now?”
I sigh and rub the back of my neck. “He’s leaving. He’s going to excuse himself from this assignment.”
“Why?” Her smile drops off her face. “That is nuts. Why would he do that? He really has got a stick up his ass.” She shakes her head.
“Actually, he wanted to stay. I asked him to leave.”
“Are you out of your mind, Robyn? Why would you do that?”
“Because—”
“You can have some fun while he is here. Unless he wants something serious and you don’t. Or the other way round.”
I shake my head. “Neither of us wants anything serious. He said that if he stays, we’re going to end up in bed again, and he proposed that we agree to keep having plenty of sex while he’s here and burn this attraction out, once and for all.”
“Robyn.” She stares at me. “That is perfect. That is literally the perfect arrangement. Why is he leaving? I don’t understand.”
“His other option was to excuse himself. To go to Councilor Reed and tell her we slept together, so they’ll send someone else to wrap things up.”
“That seems excessive.” She frowns. “He wants to lay it all out to Council?”
“Yep. I think it’s excessive, too. But it’s for the best. They’ll send another person to finish the assessment, and we can all move on. I told him that I didn’t want to have an arrangement. I’m not into casual sex.”
“What is wrong with you?” She narrows her eyes at me. “You just told me you enjoyed sleeping with him.”
“I did.”
“You said neither of you wants anything serious. So why on earth would you not say yes to a few days of really hot sex with a male who looks like that, and then send him on his way?”
“It’s complicated.”
“There is nothing complicated about this. Nothing at all. It’s the perfect arrangement, if you ask me.”
I sigh, feeling my shoulders slump. “I’m scared… I mean, what if I fall for him?”
She laughs at me. She slaps her thigh twice.
I stare at her. “Don’t laugh. It’s a thing. I can’t do the whole casual sex thing. It doesn’t work for me.”
“Robyn. He’s leaving in a few days. A week, tops. How are you going to fall in love with someone in a week? You’re not.You’re too smart for that. Would you miss the sex? Yes, I am sure you would. Would you miss him a little bit? Yes, probably, you’re human. Would your heart be broken after a week? No. You quite literally can’t fall in love that fast. You would need to have some rules, like no sleepovers or cuddling. No personal conversations.”
“He hates small talk.”
“You see.” She widens her eyes. “Perfect.”
Could she be right? Am I being silly about this? Too cautious?
“And another thing.” She leans against the exam bed and crosses her ankles. “I think Ridge could get himself in serious trouble if he goes to the Council and admits he slept with you. There has to be a rule against that. He’s here on assignment. Part of his job is to keep you safe and fix the security here. It has to be against a whole lot of regulations.”
I nod slowly. I had not thought about it from that angle.
“And the fact that he is the commander makes it worse, not better. He could lose his job, Robyn.” Her eyes turn serious, holding mine.
I frown. “He told me it would be fine. He specifically said I wouldn’t be in trouble and that he would make sure my reputation wasn’t tainted.”
“It is againsthisrules, not yours. You’d be fine, sure. I’m not so sure about him.”
I feel a small sick twist in my middle. Is she right?
