it.
At the moment, she didn’t see anything. Not the hallway, her bed, what the morning would bring. Handing the Buckingham file over to Kayla Bryant at once struck her as idiotic and selfish, and Kenzie knew then she could never go through with it. Regardless of how her failure to do so would affect her bank account and her brother’s college ambitions, nothing could justify putting Lennon’s career on the line. It didn’t matter what he’d done or what she’d thought he’d done. The whole endeavor was never her—rather shades of someone she didn’t know who tried to borrow her face and personality for a few selfish hours. How she’d convinced herself to do it in the first place would forever remain a mystery.
Kenzie sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“What?” Lennon replied.
“For all of this. For breaking into your place, for taking the file—”
“You don’t need to apologize—”
“Yes, I do. It was wrong. Everything’s been wrong. I’ve been wrong.”
“What we did earlier didn’t feel wrong.”
Warmth spread through her belly. She resisted clenching her thighs in memory of him being buried between them.
“No,” she agreed slowly. “But everything else…”
“Everything else what?”
“I dunno. I’m all muddled.”
Lennon was quiet for a moment. “I’ve been thinking…about all of this. You, me…that tape and the Buckingham file—”
“I won’t fight you for it.”
“You don’t have to.” Another still beat. He expelled a deep breath. “I want you to take it.”
Kenzie froze. There was no way she’d heard him correctly. “What?”
“I had you fired—”
“You had me reassigned.”
“Yes, but I knew.” Lennon squeezed her to him, as though afraid his admission would send her running back to the other side of the elevator. “You were gone completely. On some level, I had to know.”
“You’re just telling yourself that because you know now and you feel guilty. I can’t take the file, Lennon.”
“Sure you can.”
“Not at the cost of your job or worse.”
“So what? Someone broke into my apartment. That’s not my fault.”
“You said earlier it’s not that easy!”
He inclined his head. “Well, I’ve had some time to reconsider, and I have decided it is, in fact, that easy.”
“Well, tough. I’m not taking it.”
“Yes, you are.”
“This is insane, you know.”
“This is your future, you know.”
Kenzie huffed. “At the expense of yours?”
“Why not? I sacrificed you already at the expense of more than my career.”
“You didn’t know—”
“Ignorance isn’t an argument. It’s an excuse.” He laughed bitterly. “I had a thousand chances. That tape arrived, and I ran from it. I should’ve turned it over to you the instant I realized what it was.”
Well, she agreed with him there, but that didn’t make her right, and it hardly made him wrong.
“You didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”
“You know what they say about the road to Hell, don’t you?”
“You know what they say about meaningless sayings, don’t you?”
“Why are you arguing with me?”
Kenzie waved a hand. “Because the second I return to sanity, you step out of it. Was the sex that good?”
“It was fucking amazing, but that’s hardly the point.”
The admission had her blushing again, but dammit, he would not distract her. “The point is you’ve lost your marbles and decided a one-night stand is worth flushing your career.”
“I have not.”
“I’m not worth it.”
“Yes you are. More importantly, Buckingham’s a piece of shit who deserves whatever he gets. I didn’t go to law school to become a punchline.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Lennon said, his tone firm. “I want you to take the file.”
“Well, I want you to stuff it.” She wiggled. “What do you think is going to happen? Do you honestly believe we’re going to have anything resembling a normal relationship? Do you see us riding off into the
At the moment, she didn’t see anything. Not the hallway, her bed, what the morning would bring. Handing the Buckingham file over to Kayla Bryant at once struck her as idiotic and selfish, and Kenzie knew then she could never go through with it. Regardless of how her failure to do so would affect her bank account and her brother’s college ambitions, nothing could justify putting Lennon’s career on the line. It didn’t matter what he’d done or what she’d thought he’d done. The whole endeavor was never her—rather shades of someone she didn’t know who tried to borrow her face and personality for a few selfish hours. How she’d convinced herself to do it in the first place would forever remain a mystery.
Kenzie sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“What?” Lennon replied.
“For all of this. For breaking into your place, for taking the file—”
“You don’t need to apologize—”
“Yes, I do. It was wrong. Everything’s been wrong. I’ve been wrong.”
“What we did earlier didn’t feel wrong.”
Warmth spread through her belly. She resisted clenching her thighs in memory of him being buried between them.
“No,” she agreed slowly. “But everything else…”
“Everything else what?”
“I dunno. I’m all muddled.”
Lennon was quiet for a moment. “I’ve been thinking…about all of this. You, me…that tape and the Buckingham file—”
“I won’t fight you for it.”
“You don’t have to.” Another still beat. He expelled a deep breath. “I want you to take it.”
Kenzie froze. There was no way she’d heard him correctly. “What?”
“I had you fired—”
“You had me reassigned.”
“Yes, but I knew.” Lennon squeezed her to him, as though afraid his admission would send her running back to the other side of the elevator. “You were gone completely. On some level, I had to know.”
“You’re just telling yourself that because you know now and you feel guilty. I can’t take the file, Lennon.”
“Sure you can.”
“Not at the cost of your job or worse.”
“So what? Someone broke into my apartment. That’s not my fault.”
“You said earlier it’s not that easy!”
He inclined his head. “Well, I’ve had some time to reconsider, and I have decided it is, in fact, that easy.”
“Well, tough. I’m not taking it.”
“Yes, you are.”
“This is insane, you know.”
“This is your future, you know.”
Kenzie huffed. “At the expense of yours?”
“Why not? I sacrificed you already at the expense of more than my career.”
“You didn’t know—”
“Ignorance isn’t an argument. It’s an excuse.” He laughed bitterly. “I had a thousand chances. That tape arrived, and I ran from it. I should’ve turned it over to you the instant I realized what it was.”
Well, she agreed with him there, but that didn’t make her right, and it hardly made him wrong.
“You didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”
“You know what they say about the road to Hell, don’t you?”
“You know what they say about meaningless sayings, don’t you?”
“Why are you arguing with me?”
Kenzie waved a hand. “Because the second I return to sanity, you step out of it. Was the sex that good?”
“It was fucking amazing, but that’s hardly the point.”
The admission had her blushing again, but dammit, he would not distract her. “The point is you’ve lost your marbles and decided a one-night stand is worth flushing your career.”
“I have not.”
“I’m not worth it.”
“Yes you are. More importantly, Buckingham’s a piece of shit who deserves whatever he gets. I didn’t go to law school to become a punchline.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Lennon said, his tone firm. “I want you to take the file.”
“Well, I want you to stuff it.” She wiggled. “What do you think is going to happen? Do you honestly believe we’re going to have anything resembling a normal relationship? Do you see us riding off into the
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