BorntobeWild by Lynne Connolly Page B

But I didn’t and I didn’t intend to when I left.” She didn’t
want to talk about it anymore. Weariness swept over her in a great wave. It had
been some day. “I got into jewelry instead.”
    He glanced around. “You could have a penthouse on the East
Side instead of this. I don’t mean to disparage your choices but Cyn…”
    She laughed, glad to change the subject, or at least get it
off her singing. “I got this place when I took over the business. I rented the
store from a lady who was retiring. The two stores in Midtown. I leased the
small store by the park two years later. My Dad’s insurance money paid for it.
When it came through my mother said I needed the money more than she did. I
want to pay her back but she…” she broke off, unable to explain her complex
relationship with her surviving parent. “Just say it would have upset her more
if I’d said no, and she was torn up by my father’s death.”
    “And you weren’t?”
    Something she could tell him. She’d shied away from telling
anyone the details she’d told him now because they always tried to persuade her
and she’d made up her mind. “Not as much. Dad was never what you might call
open and loving with me. Maybe it was his army training but he never related to
people properly. Then he got cancer and died in a year and then the court case
proved he’d contracted it because of his time in the forces when he was
involved with nuclear weapons and then—” she stopped again. “Too much to tell
you in one go. I got the money and spent it on the business. I didn’t have any
left over at the time. This place wasn’t half so bad an area when I arrived.
But they’ve gentrified a lot of Queens and the people who lived here before
either moved on or squished into the remaining areas. This is a tiny pocket of
the old Queens.”
    “So the gangs came in. You should leave, Cyn.” He dropped
the lock of hair and cupped her cheek. “Please think about it.”
    “I’m already thinking. I need to start afresh and I can
afford to do it now. We’re doing well.” She beamed. “In fact we’re so busy I’ve
not had the time to arrange a new place.”
    “I’ll help,” he said firmly. “In the meantime use my
apartment.”
    “No.”
    “Yes. I bought a great apartment I’ve hardly seen in a year.
You can live there. Pay me rent if you want to.”
    He bent and kissed her. She curled her arm around his neck
and held him there. This was much better than talking. Already she’d let him
know more than she’d told anyone else. He delved his tongue lazily into her
mouth, tasted and explored her. She gave herself to the kiss, his cock
hardening against her thigh, heating her desire for him. But he drew away, put
a little distance between them and when she whimpered and moved toward him he shook
his head and lay down. He pulled her against him to rest on his shoulder. “Think
about it, is all. Maybe I’ll hear of somewhere near mine.”
    “I’d like that. I could lease.”
    “Okay, we’ll do that. I have people. I’ll ask them to help.”
    “No.” She lifted her leg to tuck between his calves, as she
used to. So long since she’d done it but it came back as if they’d been
sleeping together for years. Eight and a half years to be precise.
    “They won’t mind. Zazz has decided to invest in property and
they’re investigating places. He’s sick of hotels. I know what he means.” He
grunted, a sound that signified he was settling into sleep.
    A pang of jealousy appeared out of nowhere and hit her right
in the heart. How many other women knew that little noise? How many had he
slept with?
    She had no right to feel this way. She’d left him, abandoned
everything she knew and sent him a note. He was free to fuck whomever he
wanted, whenever and however. Two at a time sounded interesting to her but not
something she wanted now. Not that she had to because they’d promised each
other exclusivity. Riku always kept his promises.
    In the