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“Of course,” she answers immediately. It’s both an agreement and a surrender.
“Wonderful.” I rise from my seat and take Clara’s hand in mine. “Then I think we’re done here. My accountant will be in touch.”
I don’t wait for her response. I lead Clara from the office, the stunned administrators left in our wake with their jaws hanging wide open.
I’m happy to pour money into this school as long as Willow goes here. But I smell a rat somewhere. And that office stinks of underhanded dealings and cooked books, something I’m all too familiar with in my own line of work. If there’s anything shady going on behind closed doors,Iwill be the one keeping tabs and making sure everyone stays in line.
Willow was able to start school this past Monday, after Pavel called up his old buddy—the police commissioner—and had a chat about AMBER Alerts. I don’t know what all was said, but the alert vanished and so did the hunt for Clara and Willow.
“Hey… Dem?” I glance over at her. Clara’s staring at her phone, looking very confused. “Why…? What’s… Why is there so much money in my bank account?”
I bite back a smile. “What do you mean?”
“I mean my checking. And my savings. I checked the app yesterday and I was like, yeah, okay, fine, that’s normal. But now, I’m…”
“Disgustingly rich?”
Her eyes bug from her head and she gestures for me to keep my voice down.
I chuckle. “As much as it pains me to admit it, you won that money fair and square. We just made sure to put it to good use before releasing the bulk of the funds.”
Clara frowns. “What do you mean?”
I open the passenger door for her and usher her into the car. “There’s a college fund for Willow, fully funded, plus retirement and a few more odds and ends. Let Bambi know if you want your paycheck routed to any of those accounts. You ought to be fine, provided you don’t suddenly start buying Malibu mega-mansions left and right. Willow, on the other hand, couldn’t burn through all her money even if she had several lifetimes to do it.”
I close the door before she can ask any more questions.
I decided the other day to give a show of trust while simultaneously testing how much I can actually trust Clara to keep her word. Now that she has her winnings at her fingertips, which is more than enough money to hire a private jet and fly off to Reykjavik if she wanted, the big question is…
Will she?
Or will she remain true to her word and stick this through? Help me, help Tolya, and prove that she’s our ally and not our enemy?
I slide into the driver’s seat and pretend not to notice the way she’s staring at me. I’m enjoying this way too much.
“Hey, Dem?”
“Mhm?”
“These windows are tinted, right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Her sugary lips latch onto mine before I have a chance to buckle myself in. Clara cups my face in her hands, then drags her fingers through my hair when I growl with delight and deepen the kiss.
Goddamn. If we weren’t in a school parking lot…
But the windows are tinted. I can get away with a little bit. I rub my hands along her sides, up to just below her tempting breasts. My thumbs rub over her soft flesh, teasing those sweet nipples through her bra. She shivers and feeds me a whimper of pleasure.
When she drags her teeth along my bottom lip and tugs, I’m damn near close to pulling her all the way onto my lap.
Reality check, asshole.
The last thing we need is an indecency charge right after ripping the school a new one for treating us like criminals. So, with a groan of frustration and immense regret, I ease Clara back enough to catch my breath and let a bit more clarity sink in.
I want to ask what that was for. But I also don’t want to know. I’m loving the spontaneity, the way she’s taking more charge of her life, the way she’s seeing what she wants and goes for it without asking for permission anymore.
“Thank you,” is all she breathes against my lips before collapsing, breathless, back into her own seat.
