A wry, half-cocked smile tugged one corner of her mouth. “Your ego matches your sex life: over-the-fucking-top.”
I lifted my brows, exuding sass. “And I apologize for neither.”
Mac moved around her room, grabbing her phone and earbuds. “One day you’re going to have to label it.”
“Label what?”
She paused in tightening the phone holder strap on her arm and her jade-green eyes flicked up to meet mine. “Your nymphomania.”
“Urgh, that word makes me shudder. It implies I have a problem.”
“’Cause you fucking do,” she laughed.
I flipped her off and pushed off the door frame. “The only problem I have is being held up by your ass.”
“Denial is the first step to acknowledging you have a problem, Hallie.”
“Fuck you, Mackenzie Millar,” I sang while unlocking my door diagonally across the space from hers.
Mac’s laughter followed me into my suite and had me shaking my head despite smiling.
Replaying our conversation, I scoffed to myself at the suggestion of nymphomania. I liked dick, that was all. No need to label it.
Besides, being at the height of my sexual prowess, I had no intention of slowing down. I considered myself still in the “shopping” part of finding the “love-for-life” journey.
Avery was the only man who’d ever come close to filling that role. He had, after all, always been the exception to the rule.
Chapter Five
Hallie
The elevator deposited me on the ground floor with a cheery ding.Spent and still slightly breathless from the ten-mile run I’d just punished myself with, I flipped off the chime as I exited and strode for the kitchen.
Protein bar in hand, I was chewing while stretching against the kitchen island when Claire breezed in, freshly back from her honeymoon.
“Hey, boss. You’re looking infinitely more tanned than you were two weeks ago.”
She ignored my little quip and pointed at me. “Hallie! Just the person I was looking for. An assignment’s come through and I’d like to talk to you privately before we start the brief.”
I pushed off the counter. “Sure. What about?”
“Nothing too major, but enough for me to broach it.”
Suspicion had my eyes narrowing. “Uh huh.”
Our business conversation temporarily paused while we made our way to the elevator, and the descent underground was filled with Claire regaling me with the glossy version of her and Ty’s honeymoon. She didn’t try to hide the love and happiness shining in her eyes as she spoke about their time in Italy, and it took me back to their beautiful ceremony in the chapel perched on a hill overlooking thousands of acres of vines.
When the elevator stopped at the basement level, we headed for the ops briefing room. The moment we entered, Claire’s business-like demeanor slid back into place and erased all traces of newlywed bliss.
I took a seat at the large meeting table and looked at Claire expectantly. She held my stare and set her hands on her hips, still standing close by.
“You and Shaun,” she started.
I barely locked down a smirk. “Me and Shaun… what?”
“You slept with each other.”
“Yeah. So?”