Free Hard & Fast (Rules to Break #1) by Ana Gabriel Page A

1992,” he adds.
    My birthday.
    Who is he talking to? And why is he telling them my information?
    At least I know he’s on the phone—I can only hear his end of the conversation. I slip into the room. His eyes flick up when he sees me, then move down to the curve of my breasts that I’m not at all purposely propping up by crossing my arms. But before I can feel any sort of satisfaction that he noticed, his eyes return to the open passport in front of him. He clears his throat. “Sorry, what was that?” he asks. “Passport number. Yes, it’s 5682—”
    Sourness fills my gut. He’s more interested in business than the fact that a towel is the only thing between me and complete nudity. Maybe blue balling him last night was going too far. Maybe he’s going to finally give me what I asked for and leave me alone for good.
    But what any of this has to do with my passport, I don’t know. All I do know is that I can’t leave until I find out.
    I lean against the counter, but I’m too curious to stay still and pace around the kitchen instead, twining my fingers together. Minutes drag out, and my hair starts to dry into loose curls around my shoulders. The whole time, Cole determinedly watches the counter, not sparing even a single glance up at me.
    Early morning sunlight slants in through the patio doors, frosting the hair that curls around Cole’s ears with a golden halo. His brow is knit with concentration, and I can’t stop looking at the way the muscles in his arm shift when he jots something down on the notepad open in front of him. God, he’s sexy. I want him. I want him, even if it’s just casual sex, and now I’ve ruined everything. What did I think—that just because he fucks his assistant it means something? He probably fucks all of his assistants. It’s like he said—it’s just sex. And now it’s over. I fight the urge to grab the phone out of his hands and ask him what the hell is going on. Anything to make him put me out of my misery already.
    Finally, he ends the call.
    “What was that all about?” I ask. And my acting skills must be better than I thought, because my voice barely cracks when I say it.
    He swings his gaze toward me. “My agent needed your information to book your flight.”
    “My flight?” I straighten, panic slicing through me. Where’s he sending me?
    Before I can stop it a thought flits into my head: he’s sending me away.
    A hot surge of adrenaline shoots through me. Who the hell does he think he is? As if he can banish me from a whole city because we got in a fight.
    “The flight is in three days,” Cole continues.
    I curl my hands into fists and take deep breaths in through my nose. Forget about his frosted hair and shifting muscles. I am going to absolutely lose it on him.
    “Rose, is something wrong?” Cole asks. “If it’s the late notice, I should remind you that I said you’d need to be available twenty-four seven and able to travel when I hired you. I don’t always take my assistants when I travel but I’ll need you to handle a few things for me.”
    Shock slams into me and I shake my head. “Wait, you’re . . . you’re coming with me?”
    “Of course.” His brow creases with confusion.
    “Okay, I’m so confused. Where are we going?” I ask.
    “Prague.”
    “Prague?” I repeat. “As in . . . Prague in the Czech Republic?”
    “That same one.”
    I make a noise at the back of my throat.
    “Where did you think we were going?” Cole asks.
    My mind whirs. He’s not firing me, and we’re going to Europe. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. A smile creeps over my lips. I’ve never been to Europe before, let alone somewhere as exotic as the Czech Republic.
    “Prague,” I squeal. “I’m going to Prague!” I can’t help it: I scream, twirling and fumbling to hold up the towel. And the whole time, Cole watches me with a grin pulling up his lips. Then a thought stops me short.
    “Oh my God. Three days. I have nothing to wear. I need to