Page 14 of Sex Positive

“The board wants to sell The Wild Rue.” A familiar throb pulses in her left temple, a telltale sign of an oncoming migraine. “Heartbeat Care, an established anti-choice organization, wants to buy it and turn it into a crisis pregnancy center, which is gross on an entirely different level. But unless I find a way to raise a lot of money by May, we’ll have to close.”

Wes regards her, his mouth pulled down at the corners. “Rogers, that’s…” He puffs out a breath. “That sucks. I’m sorry.”

Surprise ripples through her at his genuine concern. “Thank you,” she says quietly.

“I know how much that place means to you.”

Charlie presses her lips together, ignoring the faint thrill at his words. At himknowingsomething she cares about so deeply.

“It’s not just me, Quinn.” She rests her cheek on her palm, maintaining steady pressure on her temple, hoping to ease the ache. “We provide important, necessary care to hundreds of people. Care they often can’t get anywhere else because of cost or lack of resources or…”

Jessie’s face flashes through her mind, her bright smile and her confession about feeling human at the clinic sending another spike of frustration through her. Dozens of other familiar faces pass through her memory in a blur, patients she’s come to know as more than just a list of medical procedures.

She looks at Wes. “Or prejudice. It’s cruel to shut it down.”

He taps his fingers on the table. “Why doyouhave to fix it?”

“Because I offered.”

He puffs out a laugh. “Of course you did. On top of your already overflowing schedule.”

Charlie straightens, bristling. “I already took the LSAT, and I’m taking a year off before applying to law school, so why not? It’s not like I have anything left to lose.”

The moment she says it, she realizes it’s true. She has nothing to lose bytryingto save The Wild Rue. Shehasto.

Wes raises a brow. “Right.” A slow smile spreads across his face. “And whatdidyou score?”

Charlie holds his gaze, counting to five in her head, and then finally surrenders.

“One seventy-eight.”

His grin slips, his eyes widening, and her satisfaction at rendering him mute makes telling him worth it.

Running a hand down his face, he starts laughing.

Charlie frowns. “I’m not sure what’s so—”

“Christ,” he says, and her heart patters at the fondness in his tone, his breathtaking grin. “You never do anything by halves, do you?”

Ignoring his remark and how irritatingly attractive he is even when he’s being the biggest pain in her ass, she opens her laptop again, a clear indication that this conversation is over.

“Well, now you know. So if you’llpleaseleave—”

“Oh,Rogers.” He shakes his head. “We haven’t even gotten started.”

She suppresses a shiver at the way he says her name, the way he’s always said it when he knows she’s being stubborn. “Quinn, I swear to god—”

“I need help.”

“You’re just figuring that out now?”

He makes a face. “Hilarious. I need help with the LSAT.”

“Great.” She starts typing random words in the hopes that he’ll take the hint that she has better things to do than listen to his problems. “Have Daddy pay for a tutor.”

“Keep saying it like that, and I’m going to suspect you have a daddy kink—”

“Fuckoff, Quinn.”