Inspector Rames

Chapter 23

"Inspector Rames," Alex said huskily, "that was very illegal."

He'd propped himself up on one elbow, the sheets tangled around his waist. My gaze trailed down his bare chest. "Mm. Should we do it again?"

The mischief left Alex's eyes. "Amber, we need to talk."

My heart sank. I groaned and rolled away from him, allowing the inevitable truth to creep back into my consciousness. "That didn't work either, did it?"

"No."

"And it was very illegal."

"Yes."

I stared into the darkness for a while. Even like this, when we were no longer touching, I still felt high -- so high that I didn't know if I'd ever come down again.

"Is lust really this strong?" I murmured. Why did we keep risking everything to do this? And why did I still not want to stop even when I reminded myself that it could ruin my life?

"Maybe," Alex said. "Maybe not. I've tried to stay away from you since New Year's Eve, but we only have to be in the same room for me to forget why."

I rolled over and looked at him. "I want you all the time. Not only like this. Even just to hold your hand sometimes..."

We lay in silence for a minute again, watching each other.

"It can't be that hard to keep it a secret," I said. "It's not like we're monitored after dark."

Alex frowned. "Amber...I didn't mean it would be a good idea for us to carry on."

"Why not, if we're normal at work? Why would anyone find out about us?" I sat up so that I was level with him. "You can't tell me you don't think this is going to happen again anyway, one way or another."

He looked away. Eventually, he said, "I wish it didn't have to be like this."

"There's no other option." Short of doing the Trials, at least, but that was out of the question.

The Trials were a way around being charged for the crime of conducting a sexual relationship with your subordinate or superior -- a chance to be honest before you were caught. They'd been introduced by millionaire Carlos Jacqueline fifty years ago after he'd fallen in love with his personal assistant. Instead of her resigning so that she would not be his subordinate, he'd wanted a chance to prove that their relationship would not affect their work. Eventually, the government had agreed to let him fund a new programme.

A unique task was given to every couple based on their occupation, and they had to prove that they could work perfectly as a team despite their relationship. If they passed, they received a government blessing and were quickly married, legally bound together for life. If they failed, they were sent to prison. But in their fifty years of operation, only five couples had ever dared attempt the Trials -- and only Jacqueline and his assistant had passed.

Giving up our jobs was not on the table. Work was too important to us both. But doing the Trials was not on the table either.

Neither was giving up on each other.

"We can't have it all, Alex," I said softly.

"No." He looked at me again. Slowly, he cupped my face in his hands and lowered his head. "So I suppose I choose you."

***

When I returned to my flat much later that night, Mitzy wasn't there. I didn't worry. I was caught up in a cloud of afterglow, my skin tingling everywhere Alex had touched me. It wouldn't be the first night my cat had spent outside -- although she would hate it -- and I tumbled into bed without a second's thought.