RISK(23)

His call ended just as Adley opened the door. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

"I'm staying," I announce because there's no way in f*cking hell I'm leaving Ellie alone with the repairman. If I weren't losing a pound a minute in sweat because of the sweltering heat in this apartment, I would have thought the scene that greeted me when I walked in the door was the beginnings of a poorly lit porn shoot.

The air conditioning unit is definitely not working, and the blond haired guy who is now absentmindedly rubbing his dick through his jeans is focused on only one thing. It's not the screwdriver in his hand. It's Ellie's body which, when covered with a sheen of sweat, looks incredibly f*ckable.

"You're not staying." Ellie points to the apartment door. "You and Crew can go."

I brush past her and head directly to the kitchen area that consists of little more than a few worn cabinets, out-of-date appliances and a peninsula that oversees the main living space. I open the freezer door, pushing packages of frozen berries and a bag of cubed ice to the side. I shove the container of ice cream in before I slam the door shut. "I'm going to open this wine, have a drink and then I'll fix that air conditioner myself."

"River is going to fix it." Ellie sighs heavily.

River? Naturally, his goddamn name would be River.

Ellie's eyes target me before she turns to River. "How long before you'll have it working?"

"I need parts, babe," he drawls through a grin. "One of the guys from the supplier will try to bring them over in a couple of hours. We can hang until then. You got any beers?"

I start to unbutton my shirt. "Find someone else to hang with, River. I can handle this."

He shakes his head. "No can do, mister. This unit belongs to the building. I can't just let any Tom, Dick or Harry touch it. The owner will f*cking freak at me if he finds out I let you touch the AC."

"It's Nolan," I say dryly. "The owner will not f*cking freak if I touch the air conditioner."

He laughs. "Dude, seriously, you don't know him. I talked to the guy on the phone when the boiler blew last winter. He skipped right over the building manager and went straight for my jugular. Shit will get real if you try and fix it."

I crane my neck so I can look at Crew. "You're welcome to step in anytime."

Crew walks across the room and slaps River on the shoulder. "The only shit that's going to get real is the conversation we're going to have tomorrow about that uncontrollable boner you're rocking. Seriously, River. You're on the job. Dial it back."

"What?" River's eyes dart from Crew's face to mine and then back again. "I know your voice. There's no way you're Benton."

"In the flesh." Crew flashes a smile. "I own this place, and unless you're out of here in the next thirty seconds, I'm going to contract out repairs for all my buildings to another company."





Chapter 16


Ellie




"I trust you, pal." Crew claps Nolan on the back. "I don't know if you know what the hell you're doing, but I trust you. Don't f*ck this up like you did with the others."

"Did you f*ck up someone else's air conditioner?" Adley asks Nolan as she closes the door behind River. It took him less than thirty seconds to scoop up his T-shirt and leave. I was just as surprised as he was when Crew said he owns the building.

"He's f*cked up a few," Crew grumbles. "He promised me, this time, it would be different."

"It will be different." Nolan scrubs his hand over the back of his neck. "You have my word."

It's obvious that they're not talking about air conditioners, but Adley hasn't clued in yet. "It doesn't matter to me if you f*ck it up because if you do, you have to replace it. That's in my rental agreement. If something breaks and isn't repairable, it has to be replaced within a reasonable amount of time."

"I have doubts that this one is replaceable." Crew's gaze volleys between Nolan and me. "Do what you need to do, Nolan. Bear in mind, that if this goes badly, you owe me."

"Understood," Nolan replies curtly.

"I'm late for my date." Adley leans forward to kiss my cheek. "Do you want me to relay a message to Wolf through Randy?"

"If I want to talk to Wolf I can text him myself," I murmur even though the only reason I took Liam's number when I was leaving Cremza is that he insisted. He thinks he can help me further my career, but I'm not convinced. "Go have fun, Ad."

"You too." A sly grin slides over her lips. "I'll call you later."

"Are you headed uptown?" Crew turns to Adley. "I'm getting an Uber. We can ride together if that works for you."

"It works for me." Adley nods. "What's the name of that nail polish you're wearing? I've been looking for a shade just like that."

All eyes drop to Crew's hands and the bright pink polish messily painted onto his right thumbnail. He wags it in the air. "This is our Pink Twist. It just came in today. It looks like my niece needs to keep her day job. She's not going to cut it as a manicurist."

"I'm buying a bottle." Adley reaches for his hand to bring it in for a closer look. "I think this would look good on me."