Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 179(@200wpm)___ 143(@250wpm)___ 119(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 179(@200wpm)___ 143(@250wpm)___ 119(@300wpm)
“Can I ask where you live?”
“Seattle.” I smile, happy that I’ve got him answering me, so I keep going while I cook, asking him small things about his life. Not trying to push too deep or scare him off. He again reminds me of an animal I’m trying to get close to and have to move slowly.
“That was amazing,” West says when he eats the last bite of pasta.
“I can make more if you like.”
“You’ve done enough already. Thank you.” I want to tell him thank you too, but I hold it back. It feels like a rare treat getting this much conversation out of him.
“Join me in the den? You can take your drink there,” I ask while I warm it up for him. “My reality TV often makes Willa crash. It could help.”
“I don’t watch much TV, if any.” Disappointment fills me. “But I could try it. Willing to try anything for one good night of sleep.” My disappointment vanishes.
“Awesome.” As soon as the word leaves my mouth, I feel like a dork. Awesome? Really, Teddy? It makes me sound young, which I am, but I don’t want him seeing me that way.
“Are you going to have one with me?”
“Sure.” I grab another cup, still shocked that he’s going to watch TV with me. When I finish filling both mugs, West takes them and follows me into the den. There is a movie room, but we never use it. It’s super fancy with these recliner chairs. It feels impersonal, so we always used this room to watch movies together when Karl wasn’t here. It’s more homey with big, soft, comfortable chairs and throw blankets.
“Shall I?” West nods to the fireplace, setting our mugs down.
“Yes, please. I love a fire.” It’s still warm out now, with fall moving in, but at night, the island is always cool. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is. I grab the remote to find one of my shows to put on. I decide on Traitors, thinking that might lure him in more than Housewives.
I take a seat on one of the couches, watching West get the firing going, the whole time wondering where he'll sit. I hope he decides to sit next to me, but I don’t want to be obvious about it. Nor do I want to be disappointed if he doesn’t. I have no clue why this man has such an effect on me, but he does.
“All done.” His eyes come to me when he turns around. I can feel them, but I keep mine trained on the TV getting it set up and not showing my anticipation of where he will choose to sit. Then the couch dips beside me. Excitement fills me with his choice. “It's my first time watching trash TV, so go easy on me.”
“It’s good trash.” I nudge him playfully with my shoulder. “I’ll ease you into it.” I swing my gaze toward him. The blush that had already started to form on my cheeks blooms more when I see the way he’s looking at me. “Traitors,” I blurt out for no logical reason other than I panicked.
“Traitors?” He lifts a brow.
“It’s good. You’ll be addicted in no time.” His eyes drop to my mouth.
“I’m sure I will be.” Holy shit. Is he thinking about kissing me? No way. He turns his head, breaking the spell. “Here.” He leans forward to pick up one of the mugs, then hands it to me.
“Thanks.” I hit play before I take it from him. He grabs his own. I settle in next to him as we watch the episode. I can only half pay attention with how close he is to me. This is not how I thought tonight would go when we came back from the diner.
We both finish our drinks, but neither of us moves, allowing one episode to flow seamlessly into the next. I find myself growing sleepy, but I fight it. I don’t want this to be over.
“Maybe we should lie down. It might help me get tired.”
“Okay,” I say, turning to lie on my side facing the TV. To my utter shock, West sinks in behind me, pulling a blanket over us. His arm comes to rest around me.
“This okay?” he whispers next to my ear. For the first time in my life, I find myself at a loss for words, so I simply nod. West lets his arm drape more around me, and I let myself relax into him. It’s not long before sleep takes me, and I’m pretty sure West takes a part of my heart too.
Chapter Nine
WEST
Iswear I’m dreaming when I start to wake. A familiar smell that I’ve branded in my mind as sugary sweetness surrounds me. I’d know that smell anywhere. It belongs to Teddy. I let my eyes slowly open, not moving, to see her head resting on my chest. All of her dark chocolate hair is all around us. It's as soft as her. I notice light peeking in from under the curtains. The fire has long gone out.